[Nightwatchman]

It is from Mona Lisa Products.

[Zombie Pumpkins!]

Hello, I'm new and I'm probably going to get flamed for creating this

We're all here to help. If you have questions related to pumpkins, any posts are welcome. We'd never flame you... unless you were a pumpkin and we wanted to experiment with extreme fire effects for lighting you.

if I ordered a roll of saral paper today, would I get it during this week? If so, roughly what day?

Most orders are shipped out the next business day (doesn't include Saturday and Sunday). Then it's in the hands of the postal services. Supposedly Priority mail takes 2 days. And since you mention being on the east coast of the US (I am also) you'd probably have your package within 3 days of ordering. But there's no guarantee.

Also, I found some "yellow" saral paper at a local store, would this work as well as the blue? (if i'm unable to get the blue from the shop on time that is).

If it's Saral brand paper, it should work just as well. I've never tried yellow transfer paper, I don't know how well it will show up on the pumpkin, but my guess is that it would be effective. The reason I sell the blue is - going back to art class for a moment, blue and orange are direct opposites on the color wheel. So in theory, blue lines are the highest contrast for visibility on pumpkin.

So far all I've been able to find near me is graphite paper. I don't know how this would work?

I've used graphite paper (found at Michaels) in the past. If under time pressure, in a pinch, it should work fine. In my experience the lines transferred by graphite paper were a bit light and easier to smudge. So far Saral Transfer Paper is the best item I've found, because it doesn't take much pressure to transfer nice solid lines that stay put (until you intentionally rub them off with a damp cloth). Not trying to make a sale, just speaking of my preference.

I sent Ryan a message, but not a PM. Should I do both?

Sending a message through the contact form is the quickest way to reach me. Those messages can be easily replied to from my phone in an emergency. Also, the message go to my inbox which is open all day, so your message will be staring me in the face.

PMing me on the forum will eventually get a reply too, but on busy days I sometimes only get to check the forum once at the end of the day, so PMs usually won't get seen or replied to as quickly.

[urbancowboy]

I've decided to kind of nix the carving party. however, I still really want to create some of these pumpkins for myself, so I'm ordering the saral today.

Also, can someone please tell me what is the most effective way to carve? I'm strapped on money, or I would order the carving kit here. Can anyone suggest something? I plan on doing some of the twilight, and the thriller one.

[mudd]

You can try exacto blades


tomato knifes


various coping saw blades with tape on one end for a handle


these are the kinds of things people use, with care, when they dont want to use the carveing kits sold in stores. Hopefully this helps out a bit.Or at least gives you ideas.

[urbancowboy]

would the exacto blades be better than a kit sold in the store? thanks so much for everyone's help! a lot of good stuff here.

[S.A.M]

If you're carving real pumpkins you really need a serrated (jagged) blade to saw through and carve the pumpkin. I'm almost certain the exacto blade wouldn't be much good on a cut through pattern (on a real pumpkin)

The carving tools sold on this site are perfect for the job and are a very wise investment if you plan to carve loads of pumpkins now or in the future

BUT if you're only planning on doing a couple of pumpkins and don't have $19 spare then I think a Pumpkin Masters carving kit would be the next best thing and are really quite cheap ($5). I think a lot of us used these before the Zombie Pumpkins carving kit and they'll suffice if you're on a tight budget. But they are very cheap and easy to break/bend out of shape and can get a little uncomfortable after extended use.

If it was me I would choose the Zombie Pumkins! carving kit every time, seriously they are the best carving blades I've ever used.

[SuperSonic]

If you're carving real pumpkins you really need a serrated (jagged) blade to saw through and carve the pumpkin. I'm almost certain the exacto blade wouldn't be much good on a cut through pattern (on a real pumpkin)

The carving tools sold on this site are perfect for the job and are a very wise investment if you plan to carve loads of pumpkins now or in the future

BUT if you're only planning on doing a couple of pumpkins and don't have $19 spare then I think a Pumpkin Masters carving kit would be the next best thing and are really quite cheap ($5). I think a lot of us used these before the Zombie Pumpkins carving kit and they'll suffice if you're on a tight budget. But they are very cheap and easy to break/bend out of shape and can get a little uncomfortable after extended use.

If it was me I would choose the Zombie Pumkins! carving kit every time, seriously they are the best carving blades I've ever used.

I concur with this statement I have two sets of the carving tools and they are AWESOME!!!

[GUS]

You could easily use & break 20 cheapy carving blades set on that horrible plastic in the time it takes to even start wearing down 1 zp sets blade, it's a fantastic investment.

(a good steak knife at a push & some hobby blades, however you'd still want & need the zp kit)!

It's time served & trusted!
(..if in doubt blag some cash till payday,seriously)

[mudd]

just remember, safety first. if you have the money to buy one of the pattern books with the lil saws, buy it and disregard the non-compiant OSHA utensils i mentioned earlier.

[Nightwatchman]

Now why did you have to go and bring OSHA into pumpkin carving!

We will all need to get all of our PPE before we can carve.
Gloves
Safety glasses
Saftey shoes
Hearing protection
Respiratory protection

Pumpkin carving just got a lot more complicated.