Jack-o-Lanterns go with Halloween like chips go with fish.  It is part and parcel of the whole thing but did you know, there is a significant increase to the number of people admitted to the hospital for lacerations due carving a pumpkin .  The fact is, when you are carving a slippery surface, such as the face of a pumpkin, the knife can slip.

Sadly, many of the lacerations can be avoided if people follow a few guidelines surrounding pumpkin carvings. And this is why we have taken the time to outline some standard safety practices for carving a pumpkin.

Sure, this isn’t going to be the most enjoyable article about pumpkin carving, but it will be enjoyable to make it through the holiday without an injury or two and a trip to the emergency room.  So before you start carving your pumpkin sit back and review the few tips that I have outlined before.

Looking at the tools:

Before you actually start carving, you will need to have the proper tools.  Although the little kits that you can buy in the grocery store seem pretty convenient, try to avoid them.  Generally the tools are very low quality and tend to break in mid carve, something I learned from experience when I had a little pumpkin saw snap while carving and almost had it sent through my palm. 

If you are looking to create a pumpkin with several layers, I would recommend reading our article on Secrets to a Perfect Jack-o-Lantern but whether you are going all out or simply cutting a traditional Jack, I would strongly recommend purchasing a large clay loop tool.  These are great for thinning the skin and work much better than a spoon.

Knives should be kept small.  Usually a sturdy paring knife works perfectly and so does a sturdy steak knife.  Make sure that the blade is strong and doesn’t bend when it meets resistance.  If you can find good quality pumpkin carving tools, invest the few extra dollars in some.  Having smaller tools that won’t bend or break is great for carving out the finer details safely.  Never use large cutting knives.

The Grand Design:

As we all know, the design of a pumpkin is very important; it is, after all, what gives the Jack personality.  It is very important, when you are carving a pumpkin, to never allow children to carve.  Instead, have them draw the design onto the pumpkin and have an adult handle all the carving. 

Drawing the design first is also an excellent way for adults to stay safe and focused on what they are doing and the end result is often much better than if you just started hacking away at a pumpkin.

Setting the Stage:

Where you carve your pumpkin is just as important as carving it.  Personally, I prefer to carve a pumpkin on the floor.  I lay large garbage bags and newspaper around the area; the tools up on a high counter behind me where the kids can’t get to them.  I find that I avoid more slips, and the risk of the pumpkin falling off the table.  The only problem that I have ever had with carving on the floor is my dog stealing pumpkin guts before I thought to sequester him to a different room.

If you choose to work on a table, make sure it is sturdy enough to take the weight of the pumpkin and also make sure your tools will be out of the way of children.  Also make sure the area is clean and dry when you are working.

Getting to the Guts of the Situation:

Now let’s get to the actual guts of the situation, the carving.  When you are carving, it is important to start with a clean and dry pumpkin.  Also make sure that everything else is dry so your hands are less likely to slip on the knife. 

You will want to pull out the guts of the pumpkin first.  Make sure you dispose of them before you start anything else with the pumpkin.  Clean up the floor to avoid any spills that will cause a slip.  Once the area is clean, your pumpkin is cleaned out and the design is on, you can start carving.

Many times, you will find that the pumpkin skin and flesh is very thick.  The best way to deal with this is to scrap the inside on the side you will be carving.  Use the clay loop tool and it will pull off the flesh easily until you have about ½ in. to 1 in. thickness to the area.  Having a thinner skin to work with will make cutting much easier and there will be less chance of the blade bending.

When you are carving work in small areas.  Don’t carve out large pieces, such as a mouth and make sure that you take your time. Don’t rush since that is when you will start being careless.

Another tip to follow is to keep your free hand away from the inside of the pumpkin.  The knife will be going through the pumpkin and if you are holding it with your hand either grasping the top or right inside, you could easily hit a finger.  Instead, place your hand on the side of the pumpkin to steady it. 

Lastly, cut in small strokes and if it is possible, cut away in layers.  You can do this by using shallow, short cuts and then using a spoon to lift the first layer of flesh –usually the skin—from the pumpkin.  Once you remove the skin, you have only soft pumpkin flesh to remove and you won’t need as much force.

After following the tips above, you should have an excellent pumpkin and all your digits still happily intact.

Despite all the new Halloween decorations that are available at stores across the country, I have found that the most important item you can have on your doorstep isn’t some screaming witch or twitching robot zombie but actually a well-carved Jack-o-Lantern. I have seen it over and over, the carefully decorated yard, the scary figures swaying on the patio and the first thing the children say is, “Look at the pumpkin.”

It is a little refreshing to hear that after years spent with high tech equipment, something as simple as a carved pumpkin is still enjoyed by the masses. But with that comforting thought, many Halloween decorators find themselves in the whole new area; how to have the perfect Jack-o-Lantern.

Thankfully, having a perfect Jack-o-Lantern really isn’t that difficult and it all comes down to a few things that you should remember; shape, size, color and carving. In this article, I will take you through the process of carving and if you are looking for more information on finding an excellent pumpkin; read our article “The Great Pumpkin Hunt.”

So you think you’re an expert carver? Yep, I’ve been there; my Jack-o-Lanterns have featured many different shapes for eyes, mouths and noses. I have even added the occasional ear. As nice as those pumpkins were, and I still carve traditional Jack-o-Lanterns now and then, I definitely wasn’t an expert carver.

And what does it take to become an expert carver? Well, actually, it isn’t a very hard thing to become. Basically, it all comes down to having the right tools and possibly the right patterns.

If you go to any store, you will probably see a handful of pumpkin carving kits. They are filled with scoops, cheap knives with orange handles and a few other instruments that you usually just toss away. These are not the tools that I was talking about. Sure, some of them come in really handy but for the most part, they either break or bend or they are simply not used.

Now, if you are serious about becoming an expert carver, by-pass all those useful pumpkin carving sets and drive over to a local craft store. There you will pick up a few of the following items and it will probably run you the same amount as the pre-made kits.

• Exacto knife and blade: If you can find a scalpel blade, all the better, but if you can’t don’t worry. A sharp exacto is fine but try to find one with a good grip since things get slippery during pumpkin carving.
• Clay Loop Tools: These are tools found in art and craft stores in the sculpting department. Basically, they are a looped blade on a wooden handle. You can buy complete sets but I have found that I only use the large loop and the small loop.
• Serrated Pumpkin Saw: Okay, this is actually not a must and I prefer to use a serrated kitchen knife but it is a matter of preference.
• Drill Bits: This is used to simply poke holes and lift out pieces of pumpkin.
There are a number of other tools that you can purchase but I have never really needed them.

After you have the tools, you will need to have a pattern to go from, or you will need to draw one onto the pumpkin if you happen to be more artistic than I am. Pumpkin patterns can be purchased at many stores or you can download them from sites such as Zombie Pumpkins or The Pumpkin Wizard.

Once you have a pumpkin pattern, it’s time to get started. Many carvers will recommend that the pattern be pricked into the pumpkin but I find it much easier to follow a pattern if I trace it onto the skin of the pumpkin with a marker – or have my husband sketch it on for me. If you choose the former, take a large needle and poke through the pattern, tracing it with pin pricks.

Remove the pattern and start cutting. Well…sort of.

It is actually a little more advanced than that, especially when you are trying to carve SpongeBob Squarepants into a pumpkin. Like all pumpkin carving, you want to start by opening up the top and scooping out the guts of the pumpkin.

Once it is cleaned, you can start carving. Most patterns are done with black and gray patterns and these designs show you where to cut through the pumpkin and where to simply carve away the pumpkin skin and part of the flesh.

The first step that you will do, following your pattern, is cut out the spaces where you are carving straight through the pumpkin. One tip that most carvers will give is to leave the pieces in the pumpkin until after everything has been cut. Once all the holes have been carved into the pumpkin, simply pop the pieces out.

After that, you will need to carve the other areas. This is done with the exacto blade, cutting down halfway through the pumpkin. Lift out pieces as you go along with the various tools at your disposal.

Lastly, using the clay tools, clean up the spots you have carved. At this point, you will want to work in a dark area with the pumpkin lit from inside. This will give you the opportunity to see where you need to thin out the pumpkin and will also show you how the image is coming out.

After that, your pumpkin will be the awe of the neighborhood and you will be able to enjoy that sentence that everyone loves, “Look at the wonderful pumpkin!”