Trading tips for gutting, transferring, and carving the real thing.
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By vaderknightrider
#2887
Did anyone get the new Pumpkin Carving kits yet? I just picked up the PM Deluxe kit, and I gotta say...

Whose the dumb <censored> who decided to change the format around?!?!?! :shock: :x

The carvings look good, but instead of the traditional carving text, saying what to carve first and what to carve last, they have these little drawings showing what areas should be carved first. I hate the new format!!!!! :x :x :x
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By Tkaraoke
#2895
vaderknightrider wrote:Did anyone get the new Pumpkin Carving kits yet?
I'm still waiting for mine from Yankeehalloween.com. When I ordered it (on of the first days they had it on their website) I got a notice saying it was on back order.

The one thing I'm concerned about is the handles on the new saws. According to what I was reading, they are now "softer" which I take it to mean that they are kind of "squishy"?
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By vaderknightrider
#2897
Mine's different, but then, I got mine at Wal Mart last night. It doesn't have the soft handled saws. In the pics, I removed the crayon only (I don't need no stinkin' crayon, but my kids love 'em), but left the other tools in the plastic.

Image

After looking at my kit and comparing it to the kits at yankeeharvest.com, my kit must be a mutation of some sort.

Image

http://www.yankeeharvest.com/pumpkin/ca ... lx-lg.html

http://www.yankeeharvest.com/pumpkin/ca ... 06-lg.html
By Joey
#2900
I picked up one of the standard sets the other day. I rarely use their patterns anyway, and when I do I never pay attention to their directions anyway. So I'm not too miffed about that.

As for the saws, nothing too out of the ordinary. The short saw is still the same old thing, and the longer has that weird black and orange handle that they had last year. The poker handle has been slightly redesigned to be more comfortable I guess, but it's still hard plastic like everything else. No squishy action in my kit.

Ah well, always good to have a new set of tools. I kept breaking saws last year.
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By Tkaraoke
#2904
vaderknightrider wrote:After looking at my kit and comparing it to the kits at yankeeharvest.com, my kit must be a mutation of some sort.
Your set is an older one...not sure which year but the one that is in the picture on your monitor is the new one. The two smaller saws now have pretty much identical handles where as last years kits had only one with the black & orange handle. I lost all my tools from last year so I've been trying to get them all back so I can buy a craft box and put them in so I don't lose them. Then again, I really don't know how many pumpkins you can carve with the saws before they dull down. My favorite tool in those sets is the "poker" tool which makes transferring your patter a lot faster than just doing it one hole at a time.
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By Mister_JP
#2906
No, that is a 2006 kit, the patterns are all new. For some reason he has the older style of saws. No big deal, they all work the same.
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By Tkaraoke
#2907
Perhaps they are trying to get rid of all of thier older style saws?

One thing that has kind of made me wonder...

Looking at all of these really cool and interesting pumpkins people have carved makes me wonder if they really do use those tools from those kits or if they use different tools. I'm sure some people like to keep their secrets but I'd really like to know if there are better (and more precise) tools out there to achieve maximum results when carving.
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By Mister_JP
#2912
I know a lot of "scrapers" that use various attachments, bits and whatnot with a Dremmel rotary tool, but they don't do single color designs. They do the multiple color (non carve-through) style of carvings

Single color being the Zombie Pumpkin style, as well as my personal favorite style.
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By vaderknightrider
#2914
Joey wrote:Ah well, always good to have a new set of tools. I kept breaking saws last year.
I've never broken any tools yet, and I hope to keep that record.
Mister_JP wrote:Single color being the Zombie Pumpkin style, as well as my personal favorite style.
I gotta try out some ZP designs. They look so cool!!!
By Joey
#2917
I wonder if I told that story... it was 04, and I was trying to saw the top of a pumpkin off with one of the smaller saws, rather then a heavy duty one like I usually would. Snapped the thing right at the base and sliced two fingers while doing it. Still got the scar, it's a neat one to tell stories about.

I also broke a second one that year, on a regular type of cut. No blood from that one though.

My best guess is that they were just old ones that had too much wear and tear.
By Pumpkingrower
#2919
I haven't broken any blades but I have worked the saws until they came out of the the plastic bases...x2 I don't know if my curvy patterns are too much for the PM saws or what but I switched to a hand made blade holder made from a wooden handle and a screw in blade stop/hold. I put in a stiff small tooth scroll saw blade. works like a charm I should patent it. lol :P
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By amandap80
#2924
I have also broken several PM saws. I need beefier tools. I am a fan of the good old fashioned steak knife, exacto knife and big spoon. Call me old-school.

Heh Heh , someone said 'squishy action'....heh heh