Night Light with Brass Clip Tutorial
Terri Summer
Night Light Kit
Instructions
Night Lights are a fun, easy project. Your kit includes the fixture, brass clip with screw and nut and a 4 W bulb. From there, you just need a gourd, a few tools, paint, glue and a bit of imagination. You can make 2 night lights from 1 gourd. You can make a glowing night light or luminary type.
Prepping the gourd:
Clean your gourd, if needed, and cut in half. Scoop out the contents, clean and sand the inside. You may want to sand the cut edges as well. 
Since my gourd was very thin walled, I decided to use a wood hardener to give it extra strength. This step is optional. PC Wood Petrifier is easy to work with since it is a one part, water based product with no mixing and no odor. Once it is dry you can shape the bottom of the gourd to fit around the night light fixture. I used a sanding drum to do this. Alternatively, you could use a carving bit to do this. Test fit your gourd and clip on the fixture… we won't glue it on until after it's decorated.
Once you're happy with that, you can decorate your gourd. Choose whether your gourd will be a glowing night light, a luminary style or combine the techniques.
Whichever style you decide to to, it's best to add the artwork before drilling or carving. That way you won't clog the holes or carving lines with paint. You can also keep the gourd natural and use a wax to polish it before carving or piercing holes. To do this, once you've waxed and buffed the gourd, use an oil pastel crayon to mark the design. It will wipe off easily after you're finished.
Glowing Night Light:
By Terri Summer By Bonnie Gibson
For the glowing night light style, draw or transfer your design on the gourd. Note that if you are doing a solid background, you may want to transfer your design on after you paint so you can still see it. Wood-burn the design, if desired. Paint with your choice of paint or alcohol inks. Acrylic paint is very easy to wipe off with a damp sponge or paper towel while it's still wet, if you make mistakes. You can easily change your color choices if you want to. Alcohol inks can be changed by diluting and wiping off with blending solution. I used a dark, opaque acrylic paint and added Dragonfly Glaze over it to add interest.
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Once you're happy with your design, use the carving tool of your choice to carve the lines you want to emphasize. Practice on a scrap piece of gourd to see what burr you like best.Typically, a small round cutting bur works best for this step. The carved areas will show through the gourd when lit. Be careful not to carve clear through! Holding your gourd up to a light is helpful for seeing if your carving is showing through. I got in a hurry and didn't let my paint dry long enough so I had to clean my bur with a wire brush to clean the paint out of the burr. I also used a small round diamond grit burr in a pin vice to sand the carved lines. Use the spray finish of your choice.... spray very lightly, especially with alcohol inks. Once it's dry, you're ready to attach the gourd to the night light.
Luminary Night Light:
Draw or transfer your design to the gourd. I chose to wood burn the design at a low temp. Paint the design with your choice of paint, dyes or stains, bearing in mind how they will affect the opacity of your gourd if it is thin walled like mine. Note that if you're doing a solid color background, you mark want to mark your design after you paint. Acrylic paint is very easy to wipe off with a damp sponge or paper towel if you make mistakes. You can easily change your color choices if you want to. Alcohol inks can also be changed by diluting and wiping off with blending solution. I used acrylic paint and added Dragonfly Glaze over it to add interest. A spray glitter would be fun, too. I used a fine marking pen to enhance some of the details. Drill holes with fine drill bits. Holding your tool perpendicular to the gourd and resting your hand on the gourd will give you the best control. Depending on your design, if using acrylic beads, you may want to make the lamp bead holes before the smaller. Be sure to drill straight in and straight out to avoid breaking the small drill bits. Using a few sizes works well to add interest. Check your design by holding your gourd to a light. Add as many holes as you like, being careful not to drill them too closely together if you're drilling the outlines. Below left, you can see Graham Ottoson using excellent technique. In the picture on the right, I'm just resting a finger on the gourd, which won't give you near the accuracy you'd have if resting your hand on it.
Attaching the gourd to the fixture:
Assemble the brass clip with the screw and nut to the night light fixture, positioning the screw and nut on the same side as the plug. Test fit your gourd. You can attach it with the glue of your choice, bearing in mind the drying time as well as the opacity of the product you're using as that will affect the look of the finished night light. Hot glue and sSuper glue dry quickly, but you won't have much working time for adjustments. Other glues or 2 part epoxy have more working time but you'll need to hold or otherwise support the gourd while it's curing. I chose to use PC Lumber (similar to QuikWood and Apoxie Sculpt). I pinched off a bit, kneaded it until the mixture looked a uniform color and made a small roll or snake-like piece with it. I added it to the inside bottom of the gourd, then pressed the gourd into the fixture with the brass clip already attached. Be sure to check the fit and look from front and back of the night light. Make adjustments as needed. You can check how it looks with the bulb lit as well. Once you're happy with the fit, set it in a supported position to cure.
