Punking around with power tools
Pumpkin carving is serious business this time of year. I, of course, have always been the poor fool wrestling some pumpkin with a large kitchen knife. Cutting curves with that massive straight blade, I recall, was especially difficult.
My big brother was convinced I'd injure myself, but he never stopped me because, let's face it: The pumpkins had to get carved and there just wasn't a better way.
Now, I can safely say that my days of hacking perfectly innocent pumpkins are over. Technology has caught up with the age-old tradition of pumpkin carving.
With the help of Carving Technologies' Me On A Pumpkin 2.0 stencil generating software, I was able to create this masterpiece in a little over an hour.
My attempt at carving handsome Hardware Aisle editor Harry Sawyers onto a gourd didn't go as well, but Pumpkin Masters warns, "Choose a pattern to suit your carving abilities."
So, I uploaded the This Old House logo into the software and the program generated a stencil for me. After securing the stencil to my pumpkin, I used a sharpened pencil to punch guide-dots into the surface. Instead of carving, I chose to shave out my design. You can use any wood or clay shaving tool from a local craft store to chip away the negative space.
Pumpkin Masters suggested placing the pumpkin on my lap for better control and starting at the middle of the design for more stability while carving. So, I free-handed the flames around the logo after I carved out the lettering.
While Me On A Pumpkin 2.0 is a nifty tool, it was the Pumpkin Masters Power Saw that stole my heart. For under $10, I said goodbye to that big old kitchen knife and hello to quick, clean cuts. Carving a more traditional, triangle-eyed jack-o-lantern took less than 20 minutes.
Pumpkin Masters covers all angles of pumpkin presentation by bringing us the Pumpkin Powered Light (under $5) as a finishing touch. It automatically turns on when pressed into the base of a pumpkin and continuously changes colors. A safer alternative to open-flame lighting, kids can enjoy their jack-o-lanterns as temporary, seasonal night lights.
More:
The full list of Pumpkin Masters Carving Tips.
And last year's roundup of pumpkin-carving power tools.
(9) Comments
Who knew there were so many pumpkin tools and accessories?! It's a little insane. But, in a totally good way...
Hilarious! I'm trying this. I picked everything up at Michael's!
This looks so much more fun then just trying to carve one out. Will definitely get the sketch software to makes things easier and help my carvings look better.
Pumpkin site didn't work. Too bad.
Thanks,
Lynn
There's always a critic. I looked at this article the day it went up and all the links worked. They still do.
When I carve a pumpkin, I always leave the top intact and cut my clean-out opening in the bottom. This allows me to set the pumpkin over a candle or electric lamp which is safely set on the sidewalk. It is easier and much safer than putting the candle or light down in the pumpkin. If I have an electric cord, it lies flat on the ground this way rather than going up and in the pumpkin from the top.
I've carved these sort of pumpkins for the last couple of years with a simply pairing knife, but it's very messy as you need to carve out little pieces and then basically flick them out - they fly everywhere. You can get quite detailed (if you want to make yourself crazy) and i simply used a sharpie to outline where my cuts would be. You need to make sure that you carve out your cut lines though or it looks kind of lame in broad daylight with black pen all over it.
click my link to see a flickr page with a few pumpkins i've tried. I'm going to get myself a wood carving tool this year for certain.
Ok..here is the link to flickr (my pumpkins)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/goodcanadiankid/sets/72157602701044953/
Check out this great pumpkin pattern site.
http://www.stoneykins.com. I joined last year and will again this year. 100's of great patterns, and an easy to follow tutor.