Hi Bencuri,
I wasn't able to access your photo but to clean a gourd and get an even surface colour in the end is not what I think a gourd should look like (my opinion only). Having uneven pigments in the gourd is part of the beauty and interest. If stained or just a clear finish on the outside, one can see the neat patterns that are natural. As far as the inside, it was suggested to me that I should try a melon baller which works well or a serrated grapefruit spoon. Don't forget to wear your mask.
Sandy

Bencuri-I was able to access the picture and that is a beautiful,naturally patterned gourd.I wouldn't do a thing to it other than give it a bath in soapy water,using a metal pot scrubber.It really doesn't look like it has mold or anything on it and looks as if it has already been scrubbed.I assume when you say the inside needs to be cleaned,you are referring to cutting a hole in the top,removing the seeds and cleaning the inside so the gourd can be used as a bowl or container of some sort??? If this is the case and you want only a small hole you can cut it with an exacto knife,or for a larger opening or to use what you cut off the top for a lid,you can use a small hand saw or a mini jig saw if you have one.Then do as Sandy instructed.Remove the seeds and all the residue then scrape the sides down with whatever you can find that works for you.As Sandy said,a melon baller works well as does a grapefruit spoon or any other sharp object.There will be a shiny,spongy type covering on the inside.That needs to be removed down to where the gourd inside looks like wood.When you have achieved that,you can sand it smooth with fine sandpaper.Depending on what you are planning to use the gourd for,the inside can be finished in a number of ways.It can be painted with acrylics,finishing with a couple of coats of clear sealer,or just left as it is.As for the outside,I would just leave it as it is or you could seal it with 2 or 3 coats of clear acrylic sealer.You can also apply 2 or 3 coats of clear paste wax and buff between coats for a fantastic shine.
As I said,it is a beautiful gourd in it's natural state and I don't think I have ever seen one quite like it.If you can't figure out what to do with it,send it to me! Just kidding.LOL If you have more questions feel free to ask..............Lillie

I just went back and looked at the gourd again.I can't get over how beautiful it is! It would be so cool if you could cut around some of the lines where the dark part meets the lighter part for a lidded bowl.
Sandy.....I posted the link here so maybe you can get to it that way..........Lillie

Here is a link that might be useful:

Hi Lillie!

I think you are right that this gourd is nice as it is now, however, I will give it to someone who likes making objects of virtue from natural materials and she will decide what to do with it.

The reason why I asked about this even surface colour is that somewhere I read that you have to srub the gourd when cleaning it. I was not sure how much to scrub to get an even surface colour, or if you can achieve it at all. I was afraid of that if I scrub the upper layer of the skin, the wall will loose some of its weatherability or I will be unable to sand the surface smooth again. I was unsure about how the gourd will behave. Maybe I won't need to do this procedure, but in case I need to I want know what is harmful and what is not.

I was also surprised when I read that you could soak the gourd in water. I thought you should avoid this procedure because the gourd won't be able to dry fast enough afterwards and start mildewing.

Bence-I think the color variations in the gourd are most likely all the way through the surface of the gourd and probably will not come off and leave an even surface color.
When cleaning gourds after they are dried,I soak them in a bucket of water,to which I have added a bit of dishwashing detergent,for 30 minutes or so. I use a 5 gallon plastic bucket with a lid so the gourd is completely submersed in the water. This process should be done before the gourd is cut in any way. Some people add bleach but I never do. I then scrub the surface of the gourd with the metal pot scrubber to remove any moldy residue and the thin layer of skin that sometimes covers the gourd. Your gourd looks as if this process has already been done. If you wish to go through the soaking/scrubbing process,and everything has already been removed that needs to be removed the extra scrubbing will not harm the gourd. I just sit my cleaned gourds in the sun for a few hours and they dry completely with no problem. As long as they dry thouroughly they will not mold. Of course if there is a little hole somewhere in the gourd and water gets inside there might be a mildew problem inside but that will dry too if you leave it in the sun for a while.
As for sanding the gourd,I wouldn't! Again,it is beautiful just the way it is,and as Sandy said,the uneven surface and colors in the gourd is the beauty of it. I hope you will post pictures of the "finished" gourd after your friend is done with it..........Lillie

Bence,

If you are asking how to clean a gourd so that you do not have the multi-hued surface as shown in your picture but instead want an even toned buff colored gourd you must start with a green gourd which has recently been harvested & not yet dried. Choose one with a stem that is at least 2-3 inches long, this is where most of the moisture from inside the gourd escapes while drying. You need to scrape off the green layer of skin with a butter knife (not serrated); get as much off as you can then use steel wool and water to get the rest off. Don't be afraid that you'll damage it with either tool, the skin is only one cell thick and the gourd itself is relatively tough. When thoroughly cleaned, wipe the gourd with a diluted bleach solution to retard mold growth (mold is what gave your pictured gourd its beautiful design). A green scraped gourd will dry much faster than one with skin-on but you must wipe your scraped gourd down once a week with the mild bleach solution to retard the mold as it dries. Place your gourd in a well-ventilated sunny window to dry and turn it often to ensure even drying. This will take several weeks. You will know when it is dried when holding it to your cheek you feel no coolness. Your gourd may or may not rattle with dried seeds.

I think he was asking how to clean that particular gourd in the picture,but your instructions are great.I never knew that was the way to get the even toned color.Will they not have any discolorations when prepared this way?
Thanks for the information...........Lillie

I think that is a beautiful gourd. I would prob just want a nice shine on that one and call it good!
As far as cleaning the inside, this is my first year and mine are still green on the vines :( I am getting anxious though :)

To me, the absolutely easiest and, probably, one of the nicest finishes to the inside of a gourd is the torn brown paper decoupage inside the gourd. I have several done like that and it looks so finished. I use heavy grocery bags. I always glue them down with watered down white glue and cover again with the glue. I also use spar varnish to give them another coat. On some I have used the metallic powders and brushed gold powder as the final touch. It leaves just a nice sheen. The last one I did was a club gourd cut into a tray with the brown paper pieces and gold brushed on.

Sandra

Sandra-Thanks for reminding me about the brown paper bags!I have been trying to think of something different for the inside....................Lillie

That is a beautiful gourd! We clean our gourds with a chore boy scubber. Don't be afraid to scub that gourd hard. You won't hurt the gourd. From looking at the pic, the top apears to have the tuff waxy skin on it, you may want to soak it for a bit. I can tell once you get all the skin off of it, it's going to be awesome! The shell is a nice colour under that skin. You can see it in patches. The shell of a gourd is just like wood in most cases. To clean the inside.. That can be easy, or it can be very hard, depending on the insides of the particular gourd. I have had some gourds that are nothing more than a thin layer that had nicely peeled itself away from the inside of the gourd. I have also had gourds that the inside a thick wall of white foamy stuff clued tight to the inside. My favorites are the ones that the insides just ball up around all the seeds. You get a seed ball that you just dumb in thrash. Then do some sanding to make it smooth. For the hard to get out insides, we use a wire, or sand paper brush thing with our drill. That takes it all out pretty fast.
I too forgot about the paper bags. I like to use cut up pieces of fabric and decopouge them on the inside.
My DH wrote a couple of booklets on gourds if anyone is interested you can download them in PDF format, we also have a gourd chart that can be downloaded. Just click the link below. All three are free.
Also, gourds are wonderful canvas's given to us from God, but you have to be careful when working with them. Gourds as they dry grow mold on the surface skin. It may be white mold, green mold, black mold, or any other number of colors. You must always wear a resporator. Not one of those paper face mask either, you need one of those good gas mask looking resporators. The inside of the gourd can have some real nasty mold in it as well. There usualy is no mold inside, but it does happen. Regardless if there is mold or not, you still need the resporator as the stuff inside the gourd, as well as the dust from cutting and sanding on a gourd can make you deathly ill. I am not trying to scare anyone, but it is important to know the safety issues of gourds and exercise proper precautions. My husband and I have been crafting gourds for close to 15 years now, and believe me we found all this out the hard way! Hubby still has breathing problems from the gourd dust he breathed in a few years ago when he decided that he could sand a little spot on a gourd "Real fast" without his resporator! A good way to know if your resporator is a good one is if you can smell and taste the gourd dust as you breath in and out, then your resporator is not filtering everything out. Check out our gourd site, it has lots of really good info on it about gourds, mold, drying, cleaning, and crafting. Links to the gourd booklet, (Gourd reports) are on the left side of the page, along with links to the mold info, gourd charts and gourd report 2

Here is a link that might be useful: The Gourd Reserve