Sharing knowledge for the art of artificial craft pumpkins.
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By oSpriteo
#77158
It looks like Michaels has these in the add this week for 40% off. There is also a 15% off your entire purchase including sale items coupon on the front page of their website. The coupon expires today.
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By St0ney
#77338
Elllo Fellow Pumpkin Nutz !!!

Okay I have Some Really Good news when it comes to these Micheal's Foam Pumpkins.
A lot of this I have to hold back, for it's Confidential (Ryan I will PM you the Deets) Can't make some of this Public.

I had an Hour Conversation with the CEO of the company that makes these foam Pumpkins.
He is willing to work with me to create a pumpkin that we all can enjoy and carve, (Both Shaded and Cut-Out designs).

And I already expressed the concerns from a Shaded stand Point, I really need to Hear from you guys, that are carving these 2013 pumpkins with Cut Out Designs,
and Tell me Your Issues.

Any Issues Using ...............
Dremel ?
Hot Knife ?
Ryan's Pro Pumpkin Carving Tool .
Pumpkin Master Saws ........

This New Foam does not work well for shaded designs, and this foam actually cost more, than the foam from years past.
So this is why the price went up.

There is Nothing that can be done this year, 100's of thousands of foam pumpkins have already been made and are being distributed (or in warehouses)

We Really Need to get input, to have this company make an overall pumpkin that works for ALL Carving.
And We will get this in 2014 with your input.

St0ney
User avatar
By sloaner
#77342
I have only carved the one so far and didn't like it as much as past pumpkins. The pattern I did was a little harder than normal so maybe that was part of it.
User avatar
By SuperSonic
#77344
I've only had two issues.

One, the sturdiness VS easy-to-carve factor. Sometimes the foam is too thick, and very hard to carve through. Other times its too easy and I break parts (I did the latter with my Bat Cave carve).

Two. The infamous lines. Everyone knows what these are and I don't need to explain it.

Other than that, no I havent had too many issues. Usually my stupid mistakes XD
User avatar
By sloaner
#77346
SuperSonic wrote: The infamous lines. Everyone knows what these are and I don't need to explain it.
Not 100% sure but I think those lines are not on the new ones. This foam also has a harder shell but does not flex very much so you may break off a piece easier.
User avatar
By Raven
#77348
St0ney wrote:
This New Foam does not work well for shaded designs,
St0ney
Interesting since I see that they are selling special shading tools this year as well. I don't remember seeing those in years past, but I may have just ignored them since I don't shade.
User avatar
By St0ney
#77352
Okay a Quick Update - More Info.

1) This is a different Company making these Michael's Foam Pumpkins (This year)
The CEO emailed me hours after our talk, And YEA he wants this fixed too.

The Lines are Gone FOREVER !

The Foam is a Big Issue on this new Kin - They (the company is fully aware) after our talk today.
The Foam will be changed in next years pumpkin. (they will try a few different foams, send me sample pumpkins, and I will test them out)

Paint - What's really funny, is these new kins are not Painted, as it was explained to me, the Foam itself, makes this coating (shell).
So the Shell is also an Issue, it tears, and I made that known also.

Me Personally would like them to change the Stem, to something more curved. (than a Stump).
User avatar
By St0ney
#77363
Ryan - two years ago, you sent me this photo (or posted it - I forget) when we were trying to get that other company to fix these things.

Image

Question: Do you still have any of the 2010 pumpkins in stock (un-carved).

I'm thinking this new company could dissect it, what foam was used, make molds etc....
Also change the paint color.

let me know -

Thanks Much
User avatar
By Drayco
#77386
St0ney wrote:Ryan - two years ago, you sent me this photo (or posted it - I forget) when we were trying to get that other company to fix these things.

Question: Do you still have any of the 2010 pumpkins in stock (un-carved).

I'm thinking this new company could dissect it, what foam was used, make molds etc....
Also change the paint color.

let me know.

Thanks Much
I just checked and I have two uncarved 2010 pumpkins. You have my contact info if you're interested.
User avatar
By Zombie Pumpkins!
#77399
St0ney wrote:We Really Need to get input, to have this company make an overall pumpkin that works for ALL Carving. And We will get this in 2014 with your input.
Stoney, I know you are very committed to this issue, since you work with the Michaels foam pumpkins a lot. With your experience, you're a good liaison to speak for the pumpkin community.

I think a lot of the issues with this year's Michaels pumpkins are clear. There are common concerns that have come and gone for years. But I think the very hard foam is the biggest new complaint with this year's version, would you agree Stoney?

I'll list my thoughts, complaints, and suggestions... in my personal order of importance.

1. HARDNESS OF FOAM: In regards to the usability of the 2013 artificial pumpkins, this is the greatest concern for me. The foam on these new pumpkins is way too hard. This rigid foam is brittle and way more likely to break during carving. Small details can snap right off. One of the best things about the previous pumpkins was that the foam composition had some "give" to it. Softer foam is key, since the flexibility of the surface is more forgiving, making the process less frustrating for the consumer. Additionally, the dense foam in the 2013 pumpkin doesn't allow for light to glow through, which is a detriment to shaded designs meant to show depth.

2. THICKNESS OF FOAM: A consistent thickness is important. For cut-out carving, we need to know how deep to cut. And that depth should be practical for the tools we use. And for shaded carving, a consistent thickness is even more crucial because we need to have enough depth for varied levels of shading, and be able to trust that we know how deep to go. Some of my favorite foam pumpkins of the past had a thickness of around 1/4 of an inch. In my opinion that is easy to cut through, but thick enough to have some stability.

3. INTERIOR RIDGE LINES: Some foam pumpkins of the past have had a grid of ridges inside like a ribcage. Presumably this is meant to give added structural support. I'm not an engineer, but I don't feel it provides an important purpose. Any strength it adds to the pumpkin surface is far outweighed by the negatives. If lit with a bright enough light to make the pumpkin glow from within, the ridges reveal dark lines which are unattractive and make the pumpkin look unnatural. These ridges also make the thickness inconsistent, so they are harder to cut through.

4. PAINT/COATING QUALITY: In the past we've seen artificial pumpkins with an exterior color coating that either chips/flakes at the cut edges, or peels/tears away in a "rubbery" way. The color should be adhered in a way that stops this from happening. Tests should be done to make sure the paint stays in place along the cut edges, using all the main tools we use - carving saw blades with fine teeth, straight razor blades like X-actos, and rotatory power tools like Dremels with various bits for cutting/sanding.

5. COLOR: I'm not too picky about the particular shade of orange, as long as it seems somewhat realistic (not boring brown or neon orange). There's been variation among the pumpkins I've collected over the years, but that's not too much of a concern for me, as real pumpkins also vary in shade. I also really enjoy the black and white colored pumpkins, which are classy and go with anything. Personally, I'm don't really care for any crazy colors like pink or green (artists and crafters can paint their pumpkins if they need these colors).

5. PUMPKIN SHAPE AND STEM: The size and shape of past artificial pumpkins has been generally good. I appreciate that the large pumpkins are more tall than they are squat - a good ratio for portrait designs. They are also well sized for carving patterns that come on a standard size sheet of paper. Vertical ridges add some realism, but shouldn't be too deep, which makes pattern transferring and carving more difficult. As for stem shape, most in the past have been very stumpy. Longer stems with a slight whimsical curve would be more attractive. I realize having longer stems sticking out could make storage, shipping, and display a little more complicated. But it would be nice to at least have a little more stem for holding on to.
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By Zombie Pumpkins!
#77400
St0ney wrote:Ryan - Do you still have any of the 2010 pumpkins in stock (un-carved).
Aw, you know what... I DID have a 2010 version, but it was the oddball of my collection of uncarved pumpkins. So to keep my own personal display looking consistent, I used that 2010 pumpkin to carve a custom pumpkin for someone, which I've since given to them. I might have another somewhere in storage, but not so sure. Sounds like Drayco might have you covered though!
#77403
As if giving the pumpkins at Michaels a quick squeeze or a knock wasn't enough to instantly tell the difference between the rock hard and forgiving soft pumpkins, these are the differences I noticed in the 'kins at the stores I've been to.

Image

The hard pumpkins have no date on the bottom, but if you check the hang tag you'll see the date numbers next to the barcode. Note the numbers on the tag. "2013-03" on the hard ones, "2013-04" on the soft ones. You might see a different number if yours was manufactured later. Do those numbers on the end represent the date they were made? In any case, there clearly seems to be two different varieties of pumpkins. And my advice is... if you see one like the one pictured on the right, I'd consider grabbing while you can. Especially if the too-hard ones are all you'll be able to find for the rest of the season.

Interestingly, my local Michaels had NO large size pumpkins of any sort when I was there last. Scary to think that there might not be a readily available supply of (usable) artificial pumpkins.
User avatar
By oSpriteo
#77411
I haven't carved any of the ones i bought yet but the 3 i got this year all have 2013-05 on the bottom and tag.
Hopefully they are the same as the 2013-04 pumpkins.
User avatar
By St0ney
#77417
Zombie Pumpkins! wrote:
St0ney wrote:Ryan - Do you still have any of the 2010 pumpkins in stock (un-carved).
Aw, you know what... I DID have a 2010 version, but it was the oddball of my collection of uncarved pumpkins. So to keep my own personal display looking consistent, I used that 2010 pumpkin to carve a custom pumpkin for someone, which I've since given to them. I might have another somewhere in storage, but not so sure. Sounds like Drayco might have you covered though!
I just woke up - LOL

So I'll reply to this first, then read everything else after I had my Coffee,

Thanks anyway Ryan, I have a member on my site that Stock Piled those, I'll contact him and see if he has any Left.
This 2010, Has no Lines inside, a nice curved stem, and was Great for BOTH shading and Cut-Out carving.
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