Pumpkins are extremely versatile canvases when it comes to using them to make arts and crafts. They’re easy to cut, you can use most paints on them, and no two are ever the same, so every piece you produce will be different.
Pumpkin drums are fun to make and fun to play. For today’s project, we will use a bottle gourd so that our finished project is a Djembe-type drum. In this type of drum, the bottom is left open to let out the sound.
Materials needed for this project.
- A Bottle Gourd – We will be using a bottle gourd so that our finished project
- Goat or deer hide, raw, at least 1 ½ inches larger than the widest part of the gourd. Raw leather is needed so that when it dries it becomes stiff.
- A metal ring to hold the drum head. These rings generally come in 4″ and 6″ sizes and are available at most craft stores. Make sure you get one big enough to go over the bottom of the cut pumpkin.
- Cord to hold the patch to the hoop. This can be nylon cord, which is what I prefer. I use 1/8″
- Ribbon or leather to cover the ring if preferred.
- Scissors
- 60 grit coarse sandpaper
- Pencil
- Punch or hole punch
- Saw to cut the top and bottom of the pumpkin
- drill
- Large spoon or dustpan to clean the pumpkin
- face mask
- black spray paint
choosing your pumpkin
When choosing a gourd, be sure to select a well-shaped, hard, solid gourd with no visible signs of cracks. We will be cutting both the top and bottom of our pumpkin, so keep that in mind when selecting your pumpkin. If you buy an uncleaned pumpkin, you’ll need to clean the outside first. There are plenty of instructions on the internet for this, but I think the easiest way is to soak the squash in warm water with a little Dawn detergent for an hour or so and use a Scrubby to clean off any mold and grime.
Preparing the pumpkin
Cutting off the top: We will be cutting off the top and bottom of the squash.
- Lay the pumpkin on a solid, level surface and draw a line around the thickest part with your pencil.
- Drill a hole, slightly larger than the blade of your jigsaw, in the scrap part of the gourd near the traced line.
- Using your jigsaw, place the blade in the hole you just drilled and cut around the traced line until you completely cut through the bottom of the pumpkin.
At this point, this has become the TOP of your battery!
HOLY MOLY what is all that. The first time you open a pumpkin it’s surprising how gross it looks. There are seeds and mold and all kinds of gross stuff. We’ll be cleaning all of that up, so put on your dust mask (you did get a face mask, didn’t you?). Breathing in pumpkin dust is not a very good idea. Using your large spoon or scraper, scrape up as much of the guts as you can, even the white, clear stuff.
Cut off the bottom (which used to be the top!):
- Lay the top of your drum on a surface and draw a line around the other end of the gourd to create the base of the drum. This line can be more free.
- Cut it with the drill and jigsaw like you did the top.
- There will be a little more cleaning to be done on this end as well, but it’s not too bad!
- This end will not be covered in leather, so spray the inside with the black paint.
- Sand the top of the drum. To make sure the drum head fits snug, it’s a good idea to sand the top of the gourd so it’s very flat. Tape the piece of sandpaper to a flat surface. Roll the cut gourd (the top of the drum) over the sandpaper until all high spots are removed and the opening is flat.
- You can paint the outside of the pumpkin at this point. Remember that most of the top of the drum will be covered in leather and laces, so if you want a design, focus on the bottom. I highly suggest you apply a clear coat to your pumpkin after painting for extra protection.
Drum head and ring preparation
- Lay your piece of rawhide (raw hide) top side down on a flat surface and place your drum on top.
- With a pencil, trace the outline of the pumpkin on the leather. Make a small registration mark on the gourd and leather.
- Remove the pumpkin and draw another line about 1 ½ inches from the first line.
- Cut out the skin following the outer line you have drawn.
- Using a hole punch or awl, make 12 holes equally spaced around the skin. These holes should be about ½” from the edge. Up to an inch if you are using thin skin.
- Fill a sink with warm water. Your water should not be hot.
- Place the cut skin in the water, flattening it if necessary so that it fully emerges.
- Let soak until soft and pliable.
- Cut a 120″ length of nylon rope for the cord and soak it for a bit with the drum head.
- Cover the ring with ribbon, leather, twine, or any decorative item you like.
Tying the drum head to the gourd
- Lay the moist skin face down on a flat surface and place the squash on top, lining up the registration marks.
- Place the ring on the bottom of the pumpkin.
- Tie the nylon cord to the ring.
- Start tying the drumhead to the ring.
- Go very slowly and don’t pull on the lace tease at this point. Keep it very loose at this point so you can adjust and straighten it later.
- Go through the first hole in the skin and then go around the ring, then go through the next hole and go around the ring. There are many ways to do this, but I suggest keeping it simple and overlapping. Watch how you do it and stay the same. For example, if you go up and over the hoop, always go up and over. Go in and out of the holes in the head the same way.
- Once you have all the laces in place, turn the drum upside down and adjust it so the ring and head are positioned the way you want.
- Now we will start tightening the drum head.
- Start at one end of the cable and start gently pulling and tightening and loosening it, keeping everything as even as possible.
- Now do the same in the opposite direction.
- Continue to tighten and remove the slack, first one way and then the other, until you feel there is no more slack.
BE CAREFUL WHEN PULLING NOT TO PULL SO HARD THAT IT TEARS THE LEATHER. It will be and it has happened!! - You’ll notice that when you’re done you’ll be left with even tails of lace. Tie the cords into a square and decorate it with beads or make it a handle.
- let your drum dry
Now comes the hard part… Not playing your new drum until it dries!
- Put your new drum in a warm, dry place and leave it alone for about 24 hours.
- If you put enough tension on your head, your drum will sound wonderful. If it sounds boring, you may not have tied it tight enough. Remove the head and soak again. Soaking the nylon cord will allow it to stretch, and drying it will make it taut, helping to stretch your head out a bit more.
If you would like to see some finished gourds and for a list of resources, please visit my art website at www.danimontoya.net