Pumpkin Carving

[Flix 5,116]

Anyone taking part in this hallowed tradition this year?  We're having a contest at my work and for whatever reason my competitive side has come out and I really want to make something good.

Thing is I haven't carved a Jack'o'lantern in probably 20 years, and that was just the old triangle-eye, snaggletooth one you always see.

I'm trying to temper my ambition with realistic expectations on what I could actually be able to pull off in one evening, I'm kind of thinking I want to try to make this design:

 

Any pumpkin carving tips out there?

[Hooyaah 2,817]

Purchase a very good set of pumpkin carving tools. There are stencils but many might consider that cheating.

[gogoblender 3,068]

13 hours ago, Flix said:

Anyone taking part in this hallowed tradition this year?  We're having a contest at my work and for whatever reason my competitive side has come out and I really want to make something good.

Thing is I haven't carved a Jack'o'lantern in probably 20 years, and that was just the old triangle-eye, snaggletooth one you always see.

I'm trying to temper my ambition with realistic expectations on what I could actually be able to pull off in one evening, I'm kind of thinking I want to try to make this design:

 

Any pumpkin carving tips out there?

wow...pumpkin carving... and a great design ...mister oogie boogie?  good luck, lol... I think the only ones I did were the ones my parents helped me with when I was a kid... nothing glorious, and no real artistic hands here... I like what Hooyah said, pumpkin stencils?

Please, if you get a design up would love to see it

gogo

[chattius 2,522]

We use Zuckerrüben, fodder beets, Mangelwurzel or however it is called for carving. The shape of our fodder beets is more like a dark red pointed cylinder and not like an orange ball. The beets have to be selected carefully and it is best looking if the smaller roots make beards and bigger roots ears and noses.

Halloween has no tradition here. The same day is reformation day (Martin Luther nailed his papers at a door) which is considered a silent day with no music, dancing or other fun activities. So it is a compromise. Families who want to spent the day silent place no pumpkin or beets at their door, people who allow halloween kids do. 

We do a Halloween like thing when farmers have harvested the last beets, most end of November. It has a century long tradition that kids from poorer families walked with face like lanterns to the farmers do beg for some food. The lanterns it is said, are for the spirits/ghosts of the kids who would starve to death in winter if not getting food. (Rübengeister = beet ghosts) Nowadays all kids here consider them self  poor and beg at every door for sweets and not for food , be it a farmers door or not

 

 

[gogoblender 3,068]

6 hours ago, chattius said:

We use Zuckerrüben, fodder beets, Mangelwurzel or however it is called for carving. The shape of our fodder beets is more like a dark red pointed cylinder and not like an orange ball. The beets have to be selected carefully and it is best looking if the smaller roots make beards and bigger roots ears and noses.

Halloween has no tradition here. The same day is reformation day (Martin Luther nailed his papers at a door) which is considered a silent day with no music, dancing or other fun activities. So it is a compromise. Families who want to spent the day silent place no pumpkin or beets at their door, people who allow halloween kids do. 

We do a Halloween like thing when farmers have harvested the last beets, most end of November. It has a century long tradition that kids from poorer families walked with face like lanterns to the farmers do beg for some food. The lanterns it is said, are for the spirits/ghosts of the kids who would starve to death in winter if not getting food. (Rübengeister = beet ghosts) Nowadays all kids here consider them self  poor and beg at every door for sweets and not for food , be it a farmers door or not

 

 

Terrific post 

really loved the read chattius 

with everyone here now chatting this holiday I feel the spirit again

Gogo

[gogoblender 3,068]

13 hours ago, Hooyaah said:

Purchase a very good set of pumpkin carving tools. There are stencils but many might consider that cheating.

I first saw those stencils a few years back ... so mixed feeings about this hahah

😆

Gogo

[chattius 2,522]

Deep freezing a pumpkin, powdering it, mix it with a special glue and then use a 3D printer to make the perfect pumpkin... that would be cheating

We use old scalpels from my wife for carving the outer skin, still sharp as hell. I have also some chain gloves which I use for butchering.

[Flix 5,116]

Alright I did my best.  Took about 3 hours.

 

Kind of thinking about this for my new avatar.

[gogoblender 3,068]

6 hours ago, Flix said:

Alright I did my best.  Took about 3 hours.

 

Kind of thinking about this for my new avatar.

Flix, this is awesome!!! Getting that shart slopey end point of his hat must have been insane... good job... yah, it deserving of Avatar Material!

gogo