Reviews of specific carving products by those who've used them.
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By snow2alike
#48703
This is the first picture I posted to show the lines in the new pumpkin. I used an Ott Craft light that is extremly bright to hi-lite the lines. I would never use this light to light a pumkin nor would I use a 40 watt light bulb.
If it were a shaded --- maybe. I use C9s for my shaded.

Notice that the left side of the pumpkin is thinner so the shell is lighter on that side making the dark line more prominent than on the right side. You can see this in the first 3 pictures.
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This picture was taken in late evening light on my backporch with the Precision Z amber light from "darklight" that is bright enough to light a pumpkin up in the daylight. No flash was used.
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This picture is in my hallway and it is as dark as I could get it. This pumpkin is lit with an orange C9 Christmas light --- that is what I use to light all my pumpkins in my display. Yes you can see the line --- but I see the pattern.
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This picture is the taken with the same orange C9 light and in my hallway. The only difference is I painted the inside front (carved area) with black paint. Took 2 minutes to do. Line --Gone.
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Last edited by snow2alike on Sat Aug 06, 2011 12:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
By GUS
#48705
Hmm, good idea with the paint, I can still see the main central line however.

& really these ought to be good to carve & display without further modification.
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By St0ney
#48708
Donna:

Thanks so much for posting these images. and the details of the lights used.

Of course, I'm only Joking about PATTERN vs STENCIL
Call em whatever you like :wink:

I have to say, the 2nd jaws photo would just drive me bonkers.
(as a Carver) I Just hate those DAMN Lines.


I think there is many ways, to hide or remove these lines.
As in grinding down the lines, painting as you did.
The wattage of the bulb used, the color of the bulb used.

I guess the overall point is what GUS just stated, we should not have to do any of the above, (to hide lines)
the pumpkin should be carved as is with out dealing with line issues.

Last year they finally got it right and removed ALL lines.
to bad we had that paint ripping/tearing issue.


This information you posted about dealing with the Lines is extremely Valuable, Because we all have to deal with it this season.

The wattage of the bulb I think is also a personal choice,
I think Alex uses a 40w to bring out the 4th tone.
And going by his carvings it seems to work well.

Same reason I remove the 5watt bulb that is included with clip lights I use. and replace it with a 15watt bulb. this does cost like another dollar per carving/bulb but for a shaded DESIGN. I want the overall a little brighter to bring out the 3rd tone.
User avatar
By snow2alike
#48711
I tried grinding off the black line 2 years ago to shade a sleepy hollow pattern I made and will not ever attempt to do that again.

Since last years did not have the line I have done shaded carves and really enjoyed it. I will not be shading any this year because I refuse to get out a drill, long shaft and sanding wheel just to get the pumpkin ready to carve.

Please, please Stoney, don't take this the wrong way but I look at many of the pics on your site and see a white line where the black line used to be --- I don't like that look either. See, that white line on the John Wayne carving by Andretti would drive me crazy too. Andretti is one of the best shaded carvers I know and this carve is fantastic!.

I agree that no line is wonderful and would love to see that happen and will work with everyone to get a change made from the company. So black line or white line it needs to go.
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Sorry Ryan, and ZP Forum ---- this will be my last post on this.
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By St0ney
#48713
snow2alike wrote:
Please, please Stoney, don't take this the wrong way but I look at many of the pics on your site and see a white line where the black line used to be --- I don't like that look either. See, that white line on the John Wayne carving by Andretti would drive me crazy too. Andretti is one of the best shaded carvers I know and this carve is fantastic!.

No offense taken for I AGREE wholeheartedly!
The glowing Saturn ring looks worse than the black ring.

It's possible to sand it down evenly - But it takes a lot of work and patience. More time than anyone would want to spend on prepping it.

It's very easy to make a mistake and go a little too deep when sanding down the line. Which is why we all HATE IT !
By GUS
#48714
Thanks Snow2 for all your reporting, it comes at a much needed time, i'm unlikely to suffer from this, however it doesn't mean I should ignore the issue or the chance to push for change!

Your posts & pics have been excellent & darn constructive!

Much obliged! (doffs hat)
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By Zombie Pumpkins!
#48811
I also will not beat this dead horse of a topic any further, but I just wanted to thank everyone that added their input about these new pumpkins (especially your personal experience and/or photos). While we all might have slightly different preferences, I think our discussion here really helped clarify the status of this product, and narrowed down what our main complaints are. I feel educated, at least. :)
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By Zombie Pumpkins!
#49558
I carved my first foamy from this years 2011 batch of "Michaels / Gemmy / Celebrate It" pumpkins. I carve cut-out style patterns with the heated Versa tool knife.

And I'm happy to say, it was a smooth experience. The paint did not melt or peel. The thickness was appropriate for the tool I was using. Much easier than the 2010 version of this product.

As for the thicker support bands on the inside, I didn't bother sanding them away. While carving, I could tell when I ran into one, as it slowed down my blade movement. So it takes a bit of extra pressure to go through the thick bits. Which means you also have to be careful that you don't cut too far when you get past the thick spot, and are suddenly in more shallow foam again.

You can see my carving here. And with the typical lighting conditions I use, the shadows from the thick foam bands inside doesn't really show. Not enough to detract from the design. I mean... they ARE there, and I wish they weren't. But for the most part, I'm pretty pleased with this carving experience.
By cuvers
#49617
super disappointed with them this year, first they are almost red. then i see a pic of how they are inside, not thrilled with that either. I needed one of the very large tall 1s this year and was told they do not have them anymore. I do not remember the name that was on the tag, but I will look when I go again. I am thinking it is a new vendor or something. so discouraging. we need to brainstorm and make our own.
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By CorpseBride
#49706
Thanks for the update Ryan! I am glad to hear carving the new foam kins was a pleasant experience! I picked a few up the other day and will be trying them out very soon :D I am always leery about carving foamies this early in the year because I don't want to carve it and then have another pattern released that I want to carve in eternal foamie goodness (which always happens!). I have to start to slow down on my foam pumpkins too...my last count was 9...those suckers take up a lot of space. But on the bright side, I plan on picking up a storage shed sometime in the future....there will be no limit then :lol:
By Joey
#50420
Thanks for all the info on this thread guys! I'm thinking of finally making the plunge and carving some foamies, so this is helpful.
By Tricksy Faery
#50599
Just wanted to let everyone know that Michael's craft pumpkins are 50% off this week. :D
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By sloaner
#50654
Thanks I just picked up 8 :D