Tips for candles, LED lights, electric, batteries, bulbs and beyond.
#409
What's all the different ways you've seen lighting? From store bought stuff to homemade...

For instance I have a 'strobe' light this year. I've also seen the guy on here that has the fog/light thing going on. Were instructions ever posted on that?
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By Zombie Pumpkins!
#459
First, let me say that I'm a purist when it comes to lighting my jack-o-lanterns. There's nothing like the brightness and flicker of a real flame. And there's just something "Halloweeny" about the smell of pumpkins gently cooking from the inside.

But to keep things safe for the kids you might want another option. And if you're using an artificial pumpkin, a non-candle lighting method is a must! Here are some of the lights I use:

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1. Streetlight LED light stick
These are the items I'm selling this year. While not the brightest option, they're probably the most versatile. They have 3 different settings (chase, strobe, and steady). Besides putting in pumpkins, they're great for kids. They have a hole on the end so you can string them around your neck for trick-or-treating. And when Halloween is over, you raver types could always swing these around at the club. :P

2. LED tea light
Made to resemble candles, these LED lights actually have a slight flicker to mimic a real flame. I've seen a few different brands of these, with the Fun-kins ones being common and affordable. They're small and the candle shape is cool, but out of all the choices, they give off the least amount of light. :( They might be cool in small lanterns or just sitting on a shelf. But I think they lack the power to light up a full size pumpkin.

3. Amazing Rainbow pumpkin light
This one has three bright LEDs (red, green, blue) which fade on and off in different patterns. So you get a decent range of colors fading into each other (although, it's mostly shades of red, green, blue). A pretty nice effect though. While it could be brighter, the mirrored surface on the bottom really tosses the light far (like a flashlight). So these are also great for lighting up bigger areas or just casting light/shadows on the walls.

4. Pumpkin Strobe Light
This one is put out by Pumpkin Masters. I gotta say, this is a really nice option. It's VERY bright, so this is a good choice if you're displaying your pumpkins anywhere that isn't too dark. The "strobe" name is a little misleading. It doesn't flash like a strobe light. It's got 5 bulbs (like Christmas lights) which turn on and off randomly. Since at least one light is almost always on, it doesn't go dark. It just creates a nice flicker effect. Main issue with this one is, it eats batteries in a hurry.

All of these options are portable and powered with replaceable batteries. Other lighting options might include Christmas candles (the type people put in windows) or regular ol' nightlights. But those options require you to be near an outlet. For total freedom with your pumpkin placement, battery power is a good way to go.
Last edited by Zombie Pumpkins! on Thu Nov 17, 2011 1:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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By Dragon
#463
I have number 4 and I must agree. I originally bought it because I thought it would be like a strobe light but it only has lights that turn off randomly for seconds at a time. It's not fast, you can't control how fast it can go, etc etc. And I do agree that it lights up a pumpkin very well.

I also have this light that I've had for about three years now. I believe it came from a dollar store. It has no company name on it and I have no idea where it came from. Would anyone happen to recognize it (picture)? It's really bright. I bought it on sale after Halloween and used it for the first time when a hurricane knocked the lights out. Boy was it bright!

And my third pumpkin will be using an old fashioned candle since I have no other 'nifty' lights.
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By GeologySage
#508
I have the 'Rainbow pumpkin light' and the 'Pumpkin Strobe Light'.

The rainbow light looks great and I've heard someone say it looks great with a Tiki design. I'm gunna use it with a certain design from here this year and I think it'll look great.

I figured they wouldn't have bothered to time the little Xmas lights on the strobe and figured they just had flicker bulbs in there (same as you have in glittering snowflake Xmas decorations etc.) Mine does stay off for good amounts of time and I think it'll work great for a design I'm gunna use with it.
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By Nikki
#520
I bought a pumpkin carving kit to day for the tools and they included an eletric light. I haven't tried it out yet.

I'm also a bit on the 'purist' side. There's nothing like old fashioned flickers to get the goosebumps going.
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By Dans banana Loafcake
#575
I got the rainbow Lights off ebay and they look good for the simpler designs like Micheal Mysers and Oggie Boogie, but I was wondering if there is anything similar to those that just have the one colour or have the option of fixing it to just blue or just red say for example?

Dan
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By pumpkinwoman
#8057
I bought wire that is used with stereo systems. I measure the wire and place my own light sockets where I want them. I then buy candle shaped light bulbs that are painted orange and red. I put all the bulbs in and plug in the wire. I have 6-7 strands of wire. I light 60+ pumpkins. If a light burns out, I replace it.
I also cut the bottom out of my pumpkins. There are no holes on the top for rain water to get into the pumpkin.
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By 2manyferrets
#8065
Of course there is nothing like using candles in real pumpkins, but I try to preserve them a little bit and use light bulbs. I use the Rainbow color changing light and the strobe lights in the cut through patterns and on shaded patterns I bought in the x-mas section at wallmart...

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Theres 5 bulbs spaced out at about a foot apart.
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By CorpseBride
#8086
awww....sorry this is off topic....but I love you stencil book...I love you obsession with ferrets. I think its adorable.

As for lights...I use the "strobe" lights and these cheap ass lights from the dollar store that give off an amazing color of orange. They even are made to look like real candles.
By PumpkinNutz
#10039
Like most here, I prefer good ole fashioned candles... love the smell! but, I do use electric lights sometimes, and of course, always use them for my artifical pumpkins.

I have some "flicker" amber LED lights which are adeqaute, but IMO, you really need 2 of them to get enough lights in anything larger than a small pumpkin.

I also have some of the "rainbow" Coloe-changing LED lights. I like these a lot, especially for use with some of the patterns I use for my daughter. IMO, they aren't quite bright enough for detailed patterns.

My favorite, for detailed patterns, or photographs, are some homemade ones. I use modified christmas window candle lights... the kind with a "night light" bulb, not the kind with the dim flicker bulb. They are made of a cream-colored plastic, and the "candle" portion has molded on drips. The "candle" portion just snaps into the base and is easy to unsnap. Once done, you use a long rod (I used a meat skewer) to push the light bulb socket out of the end. Then use some strong scissors to cut along the length of the "candle", trying to leave the bottom area as undamaged as possible. Once you've cut along the entire length, just pull the cord out. then use a fine-toothed sae (or very sharp serrated knife) to cut off the very bottom potion of the candle (where will be obvious). Push that portion back into the base and glue it there (I used gorrilla glue). Untie any knots in the corp (not sure why they put them there), and pull the socket into the base. glue it there. Voila, the perfect pumpkin light! It's only down side IMO, is that it doesn;t have an flicker. I'm thnking of adding a "Flicker" LED light in there and see if that imrpoves the ambience.

I have pics if anyone is interested.
By reignman40
#10049
The rainbow LED light works great. I use it for one of my Insane Clown Posse stencils. The colors look better then your standard flame color. They last a long time as well. Which is crucial for me since I display mine every night all October. (My fake ones that is)

The Pumpkin Strobe light from Pumpkin Masters is bright but BEWARE! These things take 2 C size batteries and for me only lasted maybe 6 hours. Good enough for 2 nights.

The best battery operated I've found is the ones Ryan is selling this year. They are also sold in Spirit Halloween stores here locally. They last a long time and have plenty of light for even my larger foam pumpkins.

Of course with real pumpkins I too am a purist. I have to have real candles. This year I went out and bought cinnamon candles so it should give off a nice scent along with the slowly cooking pumpkins.
By dkev
#10323
I'm considering using those shake sticks. They are extremely bright.
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By Kittie
#10326
Last year I went to the dollar store and bought 60 glass tea light holders. They are about 2 inches tall and fit a tea light. I did this so that wind couldn't blow out my candles. It worked awesome! I used to use battery lights, but one year we left our pumpkins out a bit after trick or treating so people could still enjoy them and they got smashed to bits. . and broke most of my lights. .

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Pretty much all of those are lit with candles.
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By Nikki
#10360
Kittie wrote:Last year I went to the dollar store and bought 60 glass tea light holders. They are about 2 inches tall and fit a tea light. I did this so that wind couldn't blow out my candles. It worked awesome! I used to use battery lights, but one year we left our pumpkins out a bit after trick or treating so people could still enjoy them and they got smashed to bits. . and broke most of my lights. .

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Pretty much all of those are lit with candles.
Omg how long did it take you to carve all those pumpkins? It looks awesome.