[jonmf77]

Hey everyone, It's been awhile since I've posted so I figure it's time to get back in the mix. Decided to carve a couple new ones tonight, but I'm not completely happy with how they turned out Problem was I used the transfer paper, and pressed pretty hard, but alot of the lines didn't show up clearly. The transfer paper I have is a year old but I can't imagine that would matter. But I don't remember having trouble last year. So I basically carved these by eyeballing the stencil and free handing. It took awhile. I guess all considering they aren't horrible. But Daryl deserves alot more justice. Think I may go back to hole punching or maybe order up some of those sticky sheets going forward.

But on a good note...Can't believe Halloween is right around the corner already

[Raven]

Love them both!

I've heard a few other people say they have to press really hard with the transfer paper. I've never had that problem, so it's curious to me. I usually have a roll for a few years and each year it works just fine for me. I press about as hard as I would if I was writing on regular paper..

[Pumpken]

Nice job Jon. Especially with a bad pattern transfer.

I agree with Raven. I have used old sheets that had several transfers on them from the year before, and they still work with light pressure. Are you using white paper? With that, I use even less pressure, but it shows up the best.

Keep the photos coming, and have fun.

ps. Don't give up on transfer paper. It is way easier than poking holes.

[zombombie]

Carves are great, and I've never had that issue either!

[nosferatu]

They look great to me. Excellent job and I am jealous that you have carved these two patterns already

[pagemaster1993]

I believe these two are going to be a big hit this year. They look great Jon.

[jonmf77]

Thanks everyone for the kind comments! I really appreciate it

One thing I forgot to mention. These two I did were Funkins. I'm wondering if maybe Funkins aren't so transfer paper friendly? I was running into trouble just taping the patern down so I guess it would make sense that the transfer didn't stick as well. Last year I did all Michael's pumpkins and didn't have a problem. (Making note to self The only problem is I have about 5 more blank Funkins to carve. I may just wait it out for the sticky paper. Think I'll stick to Michael's here on out

[ghostface]

They look great!

[EarthGBilly]

I think they look great.

I have the same problem with transfer paper. Maybe it is all old stock. Whatever.

I switched over to sticker paper. I'm much happier now. Plus, sometimes I can reposition without having to start completely over, or I can just move a part of the stencil by cutting it free from the rest of the sheet and placing it where it looks right on the orb-shaped pumpkin, because flat doesn't always translate to round.

[suzika]

I had the same problem on the second year with the saral paper. My husband thinks the humidity ruined it. This year, I bought enough of the Stick 'n Carve for all my pumpkins. I'm cutting back as the one year I did more than 30 was too much.

[SuperSonic]

Wonderful work Jon! The only instance I had a failed transfer was on the funkin I did this year. None of my lines showed up, so I then cut through the paper which I had taped to the Funkin.

Great carves

[jonmf77]

Thanks again guys. Hmmmm...so it seems (Funkins + Transfer Paper = No Bueno) Looks like I'll be sticking to sticky sheets or the old fashion way of hold punching.

As side note, from expierence I find the Michael's pumpkins much easier (and cleaner) to carve (using the heat knife) than carving Funkins with a dremel. Using a dremel requires a very steady hand even with the right attachments. Not to mention the pumpkin dust that gets everywhere.

[Zombie Pumpkins!]

Nice to see some carves from you, jonmf77! Those are some detailed designs you chose, so I can see where you might be critical of your success level... but... I think they look great! Even what you might consider an imperfect carve will knock the socks off spectators.

I've been using the same stock of Saral Transfer Paper for several years, and it's still working perfectly for me. Although, I store it in a cool dry place, and don't typically carve Funkins. So I can't speak about those factors.

[jonmf77]

2 more funkins that I carved about 2 weeks ago



These next 2 my wife and I just did last night on REAL pumpkins. It's been about 3 years since we've done that. I like the way they turned out....and now onto making the pumpkin seeds

Almost forgot to mention...We used the stick and carve sheets to do these. Going forward we probably wont use anything but But i can see how they wouldn't be the best choice for doing intricate patterns on real pumpkins. The pumpkins do "bleed" onto the sheet somewhat when cutting. Which can cause it to be hard to see the lines. But in our case it worked out well because we did easier patterns. I'd also recommend printing out a 2nd pattern to use for reference.



This last pic is of my entire collection of Funkins/Michael's pumpkins. About 3 years worth of carving. As you can probably see I have 6 more blank ones to do, but I'll prob save those for next year.

[zombombie]

Great group shot! I love Sam's Jack!