March 3, 2021: New “Ipu” Box, Plus FREE Patterns!

Photo above of dancer holding her beautiful "ipu heke `ole" (a type of gourd drum), from the excellent article "Polynesian Music – Spirit of the Islands," by Sam Meyers (see the full article here.)

For over 40 years Welburn Gourd Farm has been supplying high-quality gourds or "ipu" to the Hawaiian community. The ipu heke `ole is a drum made from a bottle-shaped gourd cut off at the neck (shown above).

Because this gourd is considered a "specialty item" it has, up until now, only been available through our custom order process over the phone.

It involves a careful selection process because each gourd must have the correct shape, have a flat bottom so it sits flat, and must have a neck small enough for the dancers hand to hold onto it.

Now for the first time you can order these hand-selected ipu by the box right from our web site! They are available in 4 different sizes, so you can select the perfect size gourd for your dancers, from the large 9-inch diameter size to the small 6-inch size perfect for keiki!

Gourds are sized by their diameter, which is the widest point of the gourd straight across.

Shown above, Gourd passing through the 10" diameter hole on a Sizing Board.

Gourds are sized and priced using a sizing board that has holes cut in it for each diameter size. The gourd shown here is priced and referred to as a "9-inch gourd" even though it is bigger than 9 inches.

If it goes through the 10-inch ring it is considered a 9-inch gourd, even though it could be as big as 9.9 inches.

Similarly, an 8-inch gourd is any gourd 8-8.9 inches in diameter, and so on. Please keep this in mind when ordering your gourds.

FREE Pattern Pack 'Birdhouses and More' You Can Download and Use Immediately!

Shown above, Gourd art by Christy Barajas featuring designs from the Birdhouses and More

GourdMaster™ Protecting Wax gives a high-performance natural finish. It is easy to apply and provides beautiful, durable protection for your artwork.
After woodburning and coloring your gourd, apply Protecting Wax with a soft rag or felt piece. Let it air dry for a couple of minutes, then buff with a cloth for a natural looking finish.

Protecting Wax can also be mixed with the GourdMaster™ line of ink dye or transparent acrylic to color the wax before using it as a finish. The possibilities are endless!

Shown above, gourds with dry shells; without Protecting Wax (shown back) and with Protecting Wax (shown front).

NEW Box of Apple Gourd Birdhouses!

These fun Apple Gourd Birdhouses are made for 2 uses; leave them as-is for a home decor table top piece of art, or drill a few holes in the top and hang them outdoors for a functional birdhouse!

Each gourd has been carefully hand selected, washed, and rough-cleaned on the inside. It has a 1-inch hole drilled in it to accommodate a wide selection of nesting birds, if you choose to create a functional birdhouse.

Comes in a box of 6 and sizes range from 6" to 7.9" in diameter.

Lovely Apple Gourd Birdhouse by Elena Sanchez! Thank you, Elena, for sharing your artwork with us on Facebook!

I received my ink dyes and love the colors. Always great customer service. Thank you Welburn gourds! -Patricia Dahlen

"Love the dyes I bought. They look great on my gourds and went on very smoothly. The colors are so intense, too...Thank goodness you offer them." - Marlene Record