Every time you hear about the word “pumpkin,” Halloween is the first thing that comes into your mind. It is more practical to carve your pumpkin than spending money buying it. Besides making a pumpkin for your usage, you can also make it a business during the Halloween season. I know you are wondering how to make a pumpkin and what tools do you need. Here is a simple and helpful guide for you.
The Best Pumpkin Carving Tools
Once you have picked the perfect and preferred pumpkin designs, you now have to prepare the tools you need. The question is, what tools do you need to carve a pumpkin? Here are the tools you have to prepare to make a carved pumpkin.
Keyhole Saw
What tools do you need to carve a pumpkin? The keyhole saw is one of the basic tools for pumpkin cutting. Use it when you are cutting the lid at a 45-degree angle slanting inward. Make sure the top lip is larger than the bottom.
Scraper
A scraper is also one of the basic tools you need to make a carved pumpkin. Scraping out the pumpkin’s pump is the most unpleasant but the most necessary step when making a pumpkin.
Hole Cutters
Hole cutters are used to make a perfect hole of different sizes. Holes are important to achieve a beautiful and perfect pumpkin for Halloween.
Power Drill
The power drill is used to make smaller and uniform holes. If you don’t have one, you can still use other tools to make holes, but if you already have one, it is recommended to use it. Draw holes where you want to drill the holes using a pencil, then drill using a power drill.
Chisels
If you want to make your pumpkin extra special, so you can put some decoration. If you love to shave the pumpkin shell to make style and designs such as spider web, use chisels to do that. Remember that chisels are only optional and for decoration only. It might take you some practice and time to get the hang of it. Practice makes perfect so that you can practice on another pumpkin or the other side of the pumpkin.
Needle Tool
The needle tool is used to create a pumpkin design template. It can be bought in stores or online shops. If it is not available, you can opt to use a pin to plot a design template. The pin or the needle tool-prick design gives you the exact guidelines for where you should cut the pumpkin without the mark of ink or pencil left behind once the carving is finished.
Cookie Cutters
The cookie cutters are only optional. It is used to carve or to make fun and unexpected designs into a pumpkin. You can use cookie cutters with different shapes and sizes. It is very useful, especially if you want your carved pumpkin to become extra special or if you want to put an extra decoration on your masterpiece.
Speedball Linoleum Cutters
The speed linoleum cutters are an all-in-one tool that is used for shaving designs. These tools are not only comfortable to use and hold, but it also features five different types of blades. The speedball linoleum cutters are very easy to store inside the tool itself. Its different sizes and shapes allow you to make multifaceted designs.
Tips to Preserve Your Carved Pumpkin
After learning what tools you need to carve a pumpkin, it is also essential to know how to preserve your carved pumpkin. There are three ways to do it. See the following ways to preserve your carved pumpkins:
- The first thing you have to do after knowing what tools do you need to carve a pumpkin is to preserve it to extend its life. Mold and dehydration are the two main reasons why a pumpkin rot. You can both prevent it by covering the carved areas and your carved pumpkin’s interior with petroleum jelly. Petroleum jelly keeps the pumpkin from drying out and slows down the growth of mold.
- Another way to preserve or prolong your carved pumpkin is to add a small amount of bleach to a spray bottle filled with water. After that, spray the pumpkin every day with the bleach mixture. Bleach helps fight mold while the water keeps your carved pumpkin from drying out quickly.
- You can use a store-bought pumpkin preservation spray as your last option. Choose a solution that is environmental-friendly and made of non-toxic ingredients. Using this option can make your carved pumpkin last for a few days to a week.
Conclusion
Now you know what tools do you need to carve a pumpkin. You can now make it every Halloween. You can also make different designs and sizes, depending on your preference. Do not forget that it is important to have fun when you are making a carved pumpkin. Know more about carving.