Trading tips for gutting, transferring, and carving the real thing.
#94364
I'm planning my patterns for next week and I'm going to start with simpler patterns on Sunday (like jack o lantern faces) and then carve the more intricate designs later in the week. I'm going to carve about 3 pumpkins per day throughout the week.

What I would like to know is how long will delicate patterns last (think Groot or Creature from the Black Lagoon)? Could they last 4 or 5 days, or should they be carved one or two days beforehand?

Thanks
Brook
#94366
I think a lot depends on how detailed they are and how you can store the carved 'kins. I'm SoCal and I only get a day or so out of most carves, just because it's so warm during the day. I remember Boise this time of year being pretty pleasant during the day, but cool overnight. If you can store them in a garage or basement you might get a few days out them.
#94367
I' do my real kins in the 4 days before Halloween. I make sure I rinse them well so they stay hydrated, I put Vaseline on the cut edges, I give the inside and around the top cut a spritz with bleach spray and when not on display I cover the carving with press n seal or plastic wrap. I also put them in the garage so squirrels or critters don't bug tem or if it's warmer than usual. I could probably carve them sooner but I'm always working.
#94369
Smart idea to carve less delicate designs first, since the simple bold ones last longer.  The thinner the lines (dark lines between cut holes) the more the shriveling will show.

I use all the same advice Lala mentioned.  With that, even delicate carvings might last half a week with little show of aging.  

Still, I obviously try to carve as close as I can to the big day.  And also, I photograph them almost immediately after carving, so the images will be forever preserved at their ultimate appearance.
#94371
Thanks for the advice. I'm going to spray them with bleach to help preserve them. I read an article about the best methods of preservation at http://www.myscienceproject.org/pumpkin.html. It was informative, but they use very simple designs. Last year, I carved a vulture in a cage and the vulture started to fall off his perch after two days.

Image
#94377
That My Science Project test is pretty good, but like a lot of pumpkin preservation advice you find online, it seems to focus more on mold growth.

In my opinion, eventual molding is going to happen no matter what. You're not only exposing all the cut edges to microscopic critters, but the entire inside surfaces too. Unless you keep spraying or dipping in chemicals like bleach, the spots and fuzz is inevitable.

For me, it's more about maintaining the appearance of the carved design. If my pumpkin gets a moldy spot inside, I don't care as long as the cut design looks as it should. What good is a heavily bleached pumpkin if the character's delicately carved eyes shrivel and cave in, making the character unrecognizable?

This is why I'm such a proponent of the Vaseline method (or white Elmer's type glue can work). It seals the moisture in, so the design can't easily dry out. I've carved similar designs, Vaselined only one, and displayed them side by side for several days. The treated one really resisted wilting.

Maybe I should do my own study and post the progress pics. Of course, I'd have to put up with rotting moldy pumpkins in my home for many days. Ah, but its for science!
#94392
That would be awesome if you did that. I guess the focus could be on keeping carved edges preserved as long as possible and not about general deterioration of the pumpkin itself. Perhaps lower the expectations of keeping a pumpkin looking good to 6 days or less. Although the edges on the bleached pumpkin in the article still looked very sharp. I wished the author would have taken more pictures of the other pumpkins during the process.
#94394
I put a rubbermaid container or 3 behind my display. Fill with water and a couple of capfuls of bleach. Soak over night, every night, and they will last for 2 to 3 weeks. They always come out fresh and plump as the day they were carved.

This works too for a severely wilted kin.
#94396
For me a lot of it depends on how thin I shave the pumpkin before I carve. Typically the more intricate and complicated the pattern, the thinner I scrape it for ease of carving. However, this means that the carve will dehydrate faster. A nice daily soaking in cold water will help with that as well as some diluted bleach in water to keep it from molding. These types of patterns I tend to carve the four days or so before Halloween so that I'll have them for display on the big night!
#94397
Doh wrote:I put a rubbermaid container or 3 behind my display. Fill with water and a couple of capfuls of bleach. Soak over night, every night, and they will last for 2 to 3 weeks. They always come out fresh and plump as the day they were carved.

This works too for a severely wilted kin.
This is exactly what I do also. It really makes a world of difference!
#94408
Doh wrote:I put a rubbermaid container or 3 behind my display. Fill with water and a couple of capfuls of bleach. Soak over night, every night, and they will last for 2 to 3 weeks. They always come out fresh and plump as the day they were carved.

This works too for a severely wilted kin.
Ditto, in fact I'm just about to post for uk carvers on the finer detail & typical size for average US pumpkins (which are XXL in the uk) :?
look it up.
#94410
BrookR1 wrote:I'm planning on carving 15 pumpkins, so I'm not sure I'll be able to soak them without buying several trash cans. Maybe an hour per day will have benefits? What about just a daily spraying of bleach water?
I have soaked them in small batches, for an hour or so at a time, and it really helps too. Some years this is all I can do, with space limitations,
#94413
BrookR1 wrote:I'm planning on carving 15 pumpkins, so I'm not sure I'll be able to soak them without buying several trash cans. Maybe an hour per day will have benefits? What about just a daily spraying of bleach water?

I have found that spritzing them with water does absolutely zero. They must be soaked.

I would be willing to bet that an hour a day keeps the mold and wilt away.

Just keep the chlorine up. Chlorine diminishes rapidly in water.