[Sinister Sid]

Well I had to do some repairs to the giant jack-o-lantern this year. Last year we came home from my sons little league game the day after Halloween and several of my props were damaged. My giant jack-o-lantern and both of my cemetery columns were blown or pushed over. I'm not sure if the wind blew them over or if someone intentionally damaged them while I wasn't home (angry neighbor, but that a whole different story)? The columns were severely damaged and major repairs were done. Now they look great again and the added cracks just give them more character.

The jack-o-lantern was also severely damaged. About one third of it was broken off. Major repair work was also completed on this prop as well. So in the process of repairs it was necessary to repaint the prop. I decided I would also hard coat the thing since it is made out of styrofoam. Hard coating it is definately going to help protect it in the future.

Anyway....I decided to change the paint job this year. This is the third alteration of this particular prop over the years. I am posting photos of all three stages. I decided to go with the current paint job because the wife "Loved it". She hasn't been a big fan of the pumpkin over the past few years and has a lot of fun complaining to all her Facebook friends and neighbors about it. I think she secretly likes it but needed a reason to change her stance on it. I think the new paint job gave her the perfect opportunity to switch her opinion. We have this little game we play regarding the pumpkin. Or I should say I have a little game. Every year I tell her "I think this is going to be the last year for the pumpkin, I'm kinda getting tired of it". Of course I am not tired of it and I have no intention of getting rid of it. I just tell her that and it has become a big joke amongst us. Even the neighbors chime in and ask if it's the last year for the pumpkin. Hehe.... It is a fun game I assure you.

So here are the pics. What do you think of the new paint job?



This is the pumpkin in its original phase.



Once I grew tired of the carriage I altered it to look like this.



This is me hard coating it.



This is the new pain job




Another close up to show the detail



This is how it looks now. I'm not completely finished. I still need to paint the stem and maybe give it a little depth.

 

[Frankie's Girl]

I loved the carriage, but the new JoL is pretty awesome. Great job!

 

[lizzyborden]

Looks awesome! While I do like the carriage, His last makeover is my favorite!

 

[spookydave]

That is so cool, such talent, thx for sharing that with us!!

 

[aero4ever]

Looks great!!!! Gotta ask, where the heck do you store that????

 

[djm902]

Mind if I ask what you used to to hard coat it with? It almost looks like drylok in thinned downed form.

 

[Sinister Sid]

Looks great!!!! Gotta ask, where the heck do you store that????

I have stored it in my garage in the past. But more recently I have been keeping it in a friends storage unit.

 

[Sinister Sid]

Mind if I ask what you used to to hard coat it with? It almost looks like drylok in thinned downed form.

I actually used Portland cement mixed with titebond glue and water. No real recipe. I just mixed it until it was the consistency of thin pancake batter. I have never used this as a hard coat until now. But it appears to be working really well. It dried very hard. The thicker it is applied, the harder it dries. The only issue is that it adds a lot of weight to the prop. I used to be able to get inside the pumpkin and lift it into my truck bed by myself. It used to only weigh about 75 lbs, now it probably weighs between 150 to 200 lbs. I can still lift it by myself, but I'm not sure I will be able to maneuver it into my truck with out help?