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Spinners What to Do With Them

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Posted by rodent z5 SE Iowa (My Page) on
Tue, Aug 4, 09 at 21:59

I have planted Tenn. spinners along with other gourds. Now I am up to my waist with Spinners. My question is what do I do with them after they have dried out? Any Suggestions?

Rodent SE Iowa

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RE: Spinners What to Do With Them

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you can sell them, give them away, throw'm..(grin).
I just googled and found out that they are sold @ a buck each.

You can paint them and sell them at flee markets.
If and when they fully mature and dry, can make a good rattle for infants(the seeds inside will rattle). I have probably 50 or more small ornamental gourds on vines and more are coming. But they are pear shaped, nice yellow/orange with rough texture. I make salt/pepper shaker from them. They are prety hard shelled when fully matured. But you have to cure them.
I give away most of them around Thanks Giving to friends, neighbors..I grow then just for fun. I enjoy looking at them as they grow.

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RE: Spinners What to Do With Them

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Ok gotta ask, salt and pepper shakers? Really? How do you do that? Would you be willing to give up your secret? LOL. My sister collects s/p shakers and that would be neat to make and give to her for Christmas.

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RE: Spinners What to Do With Them

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Well, there is no secret. i TELL YOU HOW:
-- the gourd has to mature on vine till frost, possibly
-- the gourd has to have a hard shell,relatively.
-- treated with vinegar(or light chlorine solution) while drying to prevent possible rotting(FOR 2-3 MONTHS PERHAPS),
-- it has to have a fairly flat/sunken bottom.
-- at the center of bottom, cut a round hole(without cracking the gourd), slightly smaller than Wine cork.
-- empty the seeds , pulp out,
-- If not quite dry, fill it with salt, leave it for a while. Salt will help cure, kill amy mildew, absorb moisture.yOU MAY NEED TO REPEAT THIS FEW TIMES, IF YOYU ARE ANXIOUS.
-- drill 1-3 small (1/8 inch) holes on top(do it by burning. dry gourd can crack like a glass)

THE DIFFICULT PART IS TO MAKE A PLUG FOR THE FILL HOLE AT THE BOTTOM. i MAKE IT FROM CORK BUT YOU CAN MAKE IT FROM WOOD TOO. It hast to be exact and snug fit and short, so you can take it out and fill up with salt/pepper, plug back.

I have done a lot of practice on this for years, even before I started growing them. Some of those that I used to buy will rot because they had not been matured on vine (picked too early to be sold).
These little gourds are amazingly hard. If falls down from table on the floor, will not break easily, much more durable than glass, china, wood. And what is more is that NO FACTORY IN CHINA, OR ANYWHERE ELSE CAN MAKE ANYTHING LIKE THEM(LOL).

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RE: Spinners What to Do With Them

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I use the smallest spinners to make a Halloween novelty.
Using dry gourds, paint them with white craft paint, then using black paint, add two ghoulish eyes and a mouth. Now put them in a wide-mouth pint jar, (usually about 8 to a jar) close it with any lid that fits, and tie a bit of raffia around the top.
Now, what do you have???


A Pint of Spirits!!

or,

A Pint of Booooos!!

I sell them for $5 at festivals and craft shows.

Jan

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