Anyone else carve any pumpkins this year?

[Bandit99]

My daughter chose these for me to do this year.

 

 

 

[sharkbait2]

SHARKBAIT!!!!

 

 

;D

[GeneralWar]

those are pretty hot

[boody]

nice free hand!

[STREETSWEEPR1]

dremmel kit?

[Bandit99]

Yes Street, this year I did use a dremmel. This is the 3rd year I have carved out elaborate pumpkins and the first 2 years I used just a knife. Using just a knife is well challenging and takes a lot longer. The first year which I don't have pic on this laptop was a creepy graveyard scene. It took me 2 pumpkins and over 3 hours to make it.

 

Last year i did Elmo with just a knife and it took me over 2 hours and 2 pumpkins...lol...Sometimes you slip and cut the wrong spot and well your image falls....lol......Here is Elmo:

 

 

Again he was done with just a knife and scraper.

 

Every year I come up with new ways and tools to make it better and easier. This years efforts took just 2 pumpkins to make the 2 pumpkins...LOL no pumpkins were lost. It also took under 3 hours to do both.

[Matty2D]

That is really impressive Bandit, especially Elmo with just a knife.

[BigMoneyNacku]

dremmel kit?

 

Dremels do make it so much easier and cleaner looking.

 

We didn't do a pumpkin this year. I just didn't get around to it.

[chris_pheonix7]

wow how artisitc, you've been hiding your emotional side

[banshee07]

these are a few that i did last year. didnt get a chance to this year been too hectic round here

 

 

 

[Guest SuddenRedScare]

[HippieChik]

Nice work, guys!

 

This year, we did a spider web with spider and wolves howling at the moon. I didn't take any pics. :'( I used one of those little saw thingies you get with a kit. I'mma look into the dremmel for next year!

[Bandit99]

Thanks Hippie....You can pick up a Dremel for as little as 25 bucks.

 

They have a kit just for pumpkins: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002V3CNO

 

Then you can go buy a regular Dremel if you want for as little as 40 or as much as 100. All depends on how much you think you will use it.

[STREETSWEEPR1]

YEAH I BOUGHT A DREMMEL FOR MY TOMBSTONES DIDNT MAKE IT TO MY PUMPKIN WAS TOO BUSY ...BOUGHT A 36 POUNDERS TOO....

 

even with a dremmmels it is challenging ..i couldnt imagine with hand carving kit.......great job...looks excelent..i havent used it for pumkins yet but i will soon.......any cool places for templates??

[CDBS14]

i had pumpkin pie?

[Bandit99]

Yes even with a Dremel it can be challenging. As stated before I find new ways of doing things easier and better every year.

 

A few examples are:

 

1) Before buying a pumpkin, chose what design or designs you are wanting to make.

 

2) When choosing your pumpkin, keep your design in mind. Chose the shape of the pumpkin based on what best suits your design.

 

3) Also when choosing your pumpkin, be sure to look at as many pumpkins you can, even if you have already found the perfect one for your design. You are looking to see if any other pumpkins show signs of spoilage. If any do, that means your pumpkin was picked at the same time and may not make it til Halloween. Make sure all the pumpkins in the patch or store show no signs of spoilage.

 

4) In my opinion the pumpkin should be purchased about 2 weeks out. This will also help with your spoilage issue.

 

5) Wait to carve your pumpkin. Do not carve as soon as you get it. This will also make you pumpkin last.

 

6) Carve pumpkin a couple of days before you want to display it. After you have carved it, let it sit for 24 hours and then details carving area. The pumpkin has been exposed to the air which will firm up the inner flesh. This will allow for better smoothing of the carving. Make it more detailed.

 

Now a trick I came up with this year to using a template. Wash the outside of the pumpkin real well right before you want to carve. Now in the template kits, they tell you to tape template to the pumpkin and then use the poker to poke holes in your pumpkin along the outlines of your template. They then say to remove template and then use a crayon to connect the dots to form the object. When doing more elaborate pumpkins, this is a pain in the ass. Once you remove the template, your pumpkin has more little holes than the universe has stars. Keeping track of connecting the dots can be a real pain in the ass. This brought me to my new trick this years. I went to the local office supply store and bought some transfer paper/ carbon paper.

 

I taped the carbon paper to the back of my template and then taped them to the pumpkin. You then trace over the template and then it is transfered to the pumpkin. Make sure to press hard and trace over at least twice. When you remove the template your image is on your pumpkin, ready to be cut.

 

I then use an engraving bit to trace the image. this tool will just cut through the skin of the pumpkin giving you a well defined outline. I do this for one reason. It acts as a guide so that I don't go off the line when actually carving all the way through with a spiral bit. You still have to go slow and be careful, but it is easier to do it this way to prevent the spiral bit from cutting through where yo do not want it to go.

 

Just a few hints. These are things I have learned over the last few years. These things have made my pumpkins both easier and faster to carve and give me better results every year.

[Bandit99]

CDBS14 ]

i had pumpkin pie?

 

Yeah, your still to young to know about the good pie.

[STREETSWEEPR1]

KIND OF LIKE DOIN A TATTOO ....KOOL THANKS FOR THE TIPS

[simihi]

Those look great, I made up for lack of design skill by spraying blood all over mine.

[CDBS14]

Bandit99 ]

CDBS14 ]

i had pumpkin pie?

 

Yeah' date=' your still to young to know about the good pie.

[/quote']

 

a damn. :-\