Real Pumpkin Carving Tips and Tricks

 
 


Carving a Real Pumpkin can be a fun experience and will help put you in the holiday spirit. Save the seeds for toasting or for planting next year’s pumpkins! Real pumpkins will last between 2-5 days after being carved.

Things You Will Need:

  • 1 Pumpkin
  • 1 Pumpkin Carving Pattern
  • 2 Pumpkin Carving Saws
  • 1 Pattern Poker
  • 1 Traditional Candle or Battery-Operated or Plug-In Pumpkin Light

 

  
 

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Step 1

Clear a large work area and cover surface with several layers of news paper to collect the pieces of pumpkin. Get a large bowl to collect the pumpkin guts and pieces. Clean the outside of the pumpkin with a rag moistened with water to remove dirt and grime. Dry Pumpkin well.

 		  
 

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Step 2

Before you make any cuts make sure you include a tooth in the cut to help you identify how the lid goes back on. Cut a six-sided lid, big enough so you can reach in and clean out all of the pumpkin guts and seeds. Angle a saw or knife toward the center of the pumpkin to create a ledge that supports the lid. Make sure the hole is large enough to reach in and pull out the seeds and stringy membrane. The bottom of the pumpkin can be cut off instead which would allow the pumpkin to sit up straight and also allow you to remove the seeds.

 		  
 

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Step 3

Using an ice cream scoop, large spoon, or pumpkin scoop, clean out the seeds and strings from inside the pumpkin. Pick a side of the pumpkin that your pattern fits on and scrape the inside pumpkin wall until it's about one inch thick. If carving an advanced pattern, scrape the inside pumpkin wall until it is about one-half inch thick.

 		  
 

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Step 4

Attach the pattern with tape to your pumpkin. Make incisions along the dotted lines on the pattern and fold the pattern to fit on your rounded pumpkin. Fold the pattern so that the lines match up or touch them up with a pencil. If the pattern is too large or small use a copier the resize the image.

 		  
 

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Step 5

Attach the pattern with tape to your pumpkin. Make incisions along the dotted lines on the pattern and fold the pattern to fit on your rounded pumpkin. Fold the pattern so that the lines match up or touch them up with a pencil. If the pattern is too large or small use a copier the resize the image.

 		  
 

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Step 6

Using the carving saws saw dot-to-dot using a gentle up and down motion. Saw gently, the saws can break if they are forced. Saw dot-to-dot, following your pattern.

  • Work from the center of the design outward.
  • Remove and reinsert the saw to make corners.
  • Saw and remove smallest pieces first.
  • Push the cut pieces out with your finger, not the saw blade.
  • Small holes should be drilled, not sawed.

 		  
 

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Step 7

Locate and cut a chimney for the candle by lighting candle and placing it inside the pumpkin with the lid attached. If candle does not stand on its own, place it on a small, non-flammable plate or bore a small hole in the bottom of the pumpkin to hold the candle. Remove the lid after 5 to 10 minutes and saw/drill a chimney in the lid where the blackened area is.

 		  
 


Tips & Warnings

  • Start with simple patterns to practice using the carving saw on a few pumpkins then move up to a more complicated design.
  • Read the special instructions on the pattern to insure that you cut specific items in order.
  • Err on the side of carving inside the dotted lines when using your carving saw. It's easy to carve some more if you undercut, but much harder to fix if you overcut!
  • The best way to make a carved pumpkin last longer is to slow down the dehydration process and prevent mold.
    • One technique is to coat all cut surfaces of the pumpkin with petroleum jelly immediately after they have been carved. This includes a light coating of the entire inside of the pumpkin.
    • In high heat areas, store the carved pumpkin in the refrigerator to slow the decomposition.
    • Submerge the carved pumpkin in a bath of water for 5 or more hours to rehydrate the pumpkin.
    • Use a spray-on preserver like Pumpkin Fresh, a low cost, environmentally friendly product that impedes the deterioration of jack-o’-lanterns by deterring mold, rot and bugs