Reviews of specific carving products by those who've used them.
#67381
I've noticed that a lot of people have been asking about a scoop to get rid of those nasty guts. Well, I come bearing a solution.

Heres what I've used since being a ZP member and after the fact.

The Aftermath (the blessed Aftermath)

The Gutter

Since I have alot of drills, this tool proves effective to getting the guts clear, but thats not what this is about now is it? I seriously think alot of people however should invest in the gutter, as it will save you SOOO much time.


Since being a Member:

Next, the Pasta Spoon. A Steel one to be exact. Not those crappy plastic ones. This helps clear anything left by the aforementioned Pumpkin Gutter, the reason it was mentioned in this post was for this very tool alone. The Pasta Scoop REALLY helps getting things out of that kin.

Now, for the stubborn remains. I use a regular old black garbage bag, double bagged to make sure nothing falls out. Incuding the pumpkin. I dump the pumpkin into the bag and shake it around a bit, just to get those nasty remains out.

Thats my two cents :)
#67415
The Gutter... Oh yes. I use the gutter, starting at the top and working my way down, thinning into the walls as I go. But what I love most for after the gutter, is a quart size mason jar lid. It's edges are sharp enough to easily and perfectly scrape those walls with precision. It is a beautiful thing.
#67923
I love the gutter, I open the pumpkin, take it to the garage 2-3 good passes and I have it cleanned out and shaved down to thinner walls. Less than 5-6 minutes and a perfect pumpkin. I use rubber gloves to scoop out the innards right into a plastic lined garbage bag - no mess! (And what little mess there is my dog eats up)
#68380
I LOVE the gutter! I've only been using it for a few years now, and what a difference it's made. Wish I'd have had it years ago. It has saved my elbow (every year after I hit 35, I've suffered from pumpkin-elbow) and an immense amount of time, allowing me to do more carving. Before, I used to clean and scrape a pumpkin, then carve it, then clean and scrape another, then carve it, etc, etc. Now, because it's so fast, I'll gut 3 or 4 at a time, and I'm able to enjoy the carving process without being interrupted by having to clean and scrape another pumpkin before going on to the next one,

After the initial run of the gutter, which removes the strings and seeds only, I use kitchen gloves and separate the seeds from the strings. I put the seeds in a bowl to save for roasting, and toss the strings in a plastic trash bag-lined bucket. Then I use the gutter to thin the walls. Periodically I turn the pumpkin over or just scoop it out with my hand and dump the guts in the bucket. I also use a sculptor's clay loop for scraping if I need to even up some of the areas that the gutter doesn't get. The clay loop works very well with very little effort so you have to be careful you don't over-thin or break through the walls.

I definitely recommend the gutter to anyone who likes to carve a lot of pumpkins and wants to speed up and simplify the least fun part of it.
#68381
I forgot to add a neat trick to my previous post that I figured out for when the strings get wound around the stem of the gutter:

Instead of stopping to take it out of the drill to clean it off each time, I use a long, sharp kitchen knife and lay it flat against the stem up near the drill and just slide it down, slicing through the strings. They then just fall off the gutter into my bucket and I can continue on. :)