Who makes the best Jack-o-Lanterns?

It has to be because the tools of our trade so easily convert to the carving of pumpkin flesh. Plus, we are wildly creative individuals!  Bailey Pottery has put together a set of professional pumpkin carving tools for creative adults to use. With the amazing selection of carving templates available online today, everybody and their mother can carve a pumpkin to be proud of this year. Here are some pumpkin carving tips that will make you a pumpkin carving pro in no time!

Large pumpkins are usually easier to carve. Look over the entire outer surface carefully for signs of bruising or rot. Avoid moldy stems or pumpkins without stems. Pie or cheese pumpkins are very easy to carve but have a short shelf life once carved.  Although after the Halloween party, they could have a second career in the soup pot.

First choose where you want to put the opening in your pumpkin. Traditionally the stem end becomes the lid with a notch cut for a chimney. Some prefer to cut the hole in the bottom. It is much easier to lower a pumpkin over a light source than to lower a light, such as a candle into a pumpkin.

The Bailey Serrated Saw works well to cut the opening. Keep the knife at an angle to give the lid a ledge to rest on for a top opening. Remove the bulk of the seeds and strings with a large metal serving spoon straight into a garbage can. The Bailey Large Loop Trim Tool is used to cut the stringy membranes from the interior wall. Follow up with scraping the interior walls to a thickness of approximately 1 inch with the Bailey Curvy Steel Scraper Rib. Make the interior walls as smooth as possible as they will reflect the light source.

To extend the life of your pumpkin, take a break now and soak your partially carved pumpkin in a large bucket of a bleach water solution (1 teaspoon bleach to 1 gallon water) for a few hours or overnight. Let dry by draining for an hour and then patting dry. After the pumpkin is fully carved, use your fingers to spread vegetable oil or petroleum jelly all over the pumpkin paying particularly close attention to the raw carved surfaces.

Ready to carve? Beginners should start with simple patterns. Once the simple patterns are mastered the sky’s the limit. There is a template resource listed below. Either print out a template you like or draw your own on a piece of paper.  Cut slits around the edges of your paper pattern to help it conform to the pumpkin’s shape. Tape the pattern securely onto the face of your pumpkin. Using the pin tool, prick the pumpkin flesh along the lines to be carved.

The Bailey Clay Knife is a sharp, narrow blade perfect for connecting the dots along your carve lines. Make the first cuts only about a ¼ inch deep. The subsequent cuts, with either the Bailey Clay Knife or the Bailey Saw Tool can go all the way through. Take your time. There are no easy re-dos in pumpkin carving!

More advanced carving is frequently carved in layers. The two smaller Trim Tools are useful for carving details and thinning the walls in areas to make them translucent, a technique particularly effective for creepy eyes. The Bailey Hole Cutter Set in the Deluxe Pumpkin Carving Set makes great pupils in those creepy eyes or for a random overall dot pattern.

If you plan on lighting your jack-o-lantern with a candle, make sure the bottom opening fits over the candle and that you have a fire-proof plate or platter big enough for the candle and the pumpkin. If you have a stem lid, only use votive candles in a glass holder or tea lights in a metal holder. Both bottom and top opening jack-o-lanterns require an open hole near the top rear to act as a chimney when using a candle.  Never, ever leave a jack-o-lantern with a lit candle unattended for any length of time.

A battery-operated candle is a much safer choice. There are many varieties these days, some even flicker like flames. Save yourself the worry!

The Bailey Pumpkin Carving Sets are for ADULT USE ONLY.  These tools are sharp! They should not be used by children. Be careful! Have a spooky, creepy, safe Halloween!