From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Aldie, VA

I have a few questions that relate to carving huge pumpkins:

1. Is there a ratio of skin thickness to pumpkin size? Can anyone give me an idea? Regular pumpkins seem to be from 2-4" thick and I've seen pics of AGs that are 8" thick

2. What fraction of the entire pumpkin weight is usually devoted to seeds and pumpkin mushy/stringy/Idunnowhatyoucallit stuff?

2. Assuming the mushy/stringy stuff and the seeds in a 200 pound pumpkin weighs . . .20 pounds (I have no idea, I'm just guessing). Does anyone have an idea as to how thin that skin can be scraped so it can still support its frame without falling apart if it's picked up/rolled around/handled roughly?

In other words, if I had a 200 pound pumpkin and cleaned out the skin was about 6" thick and it weighed 180 pounds, how thin can I scrap that pumpkin and still have it support its own frame? 3"? 4"?

Desperate to know the above and I'm sure many of you have tried carving your monsters. I'm starting to dream of an extremely detailed carving on at least a 200 pound pumpkin but I sure don't wanna have to use a chainsaw. I'd cut my leg off :) I was thinking more along the lines of a keyhole saw.

Thanks,
Roan

8/21/2004 4:41:27 PM

Md/ Usa

well i carved one only and that one was about 600 lbs.
IT was as thin as 2 inches in some places and 4 in others.
my bet is there is no hard and fast rule to thickness or pumpkin toughness. All i use was a good carving knife and alot hard work.

8/21/2004 4:48:26 PM

[email protected]

Sheet rock saws do wonders, and are the most manueverable. If you get out of carving and into sculpting, then you have a chore ahead. Scultping is an awesome looking piece of artwork, but painstakingly hard to do, and takes several hours to complete one. There are some great websites with sculptings out there, grumpkins.com is one I believe. What are some of the others for people like ROan to look at? I used to have a listing, but when I got the new puter, I lost a lot of my websites I had in favorites.

8/21/2004 8:24:33 PM

[email protected]

I like to do the rough work with my 18 Volt Milwaukee cordless Sawzall.

8/21/2004 8:31:18 PM

Aldie, VA

ROFL! You guys kill me :)

From what you are saying, Matfox, it's pretty much random and "take yer chances". Sounds like the type of challenge I'd like to take.

Rock, I do sculpting now, 'tis my favorite. Takes me hours to get the flesh down far enough so the light can shine through but it's really worth it. That's what's with my questions. I wanna know how much shaving work there is.

Tremor: hrm, wonder if it will kill my Dremmel? That is if I can find a bit long enough -- there's a thought and a half! Gonna check that out! Thanks for prompting an idea.

Roan

8/21/2004 8:43:24 PM

North Ga

Dremmel! You better think about a sawz-all for 6-10" of pumpkin flesh! LOL! I saw your images Roan. You do very nice work! Keep it up.

8/21/2004 10:33:15 PM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

Roan for telling how thick the skin is you are going to want to get a really thin piece of wire( I use a brazing rod). Push and feel when it goes through. Then mark your rod for how thick it is in that area. For large pumpkins you need to remove a lots of surface. The best thing I have found it some thin galvinized pipes of varying diameters. With an angle cut on both ends. Lathe tools and wood carving tools work great also. An old quality Carrot peeler that swivels and a cheese shaver. Once done I spray mine down with a solution of citric acid. To more or less pickle it. See last years Diary for MR. SMILEY..Picture did this guy no justice. This year if I sculto on again like him it will have a 600 watt flourecent spot light to reduce the heat inside the pumpkin.

8/22/2004 8:50:33 AM

Aldie, VA

I love Mr. Smiley, awesome! To be honest, I have never seen a full pumpkin sculpture before and I am really impressed. I misunderstood what kind of sculpture Rock was referring to. I went to that grumpkins.com site and am now enlightened! Not my kind of sculpture, but totally awesome stuff.

I also went to extremepumpkins.com Heh
Gives me ideas for this year, yessireeee!

Writing down all the information I can get.

Thanks!

8/22/2004 8:41:37 PM