Halloween Jack-o’-lantern project

bill — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 05:45:58 +0000

It’s less than two weeks until Halloween and I thought I’d share a little DIY project I came up with last year. Basically the idea was to decorate the exterior of the house with jack-o’-lanterns that look realistic enough without being real… That is, I can re-use them every year if I want (not to mention they won’t rot!) First, let me show the finished result so that you get an idea of where I’m going with this:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Craft pumpkin after carving

I started with craft pumpkins from Michaels, which I carved using those little carving knives that come in the pumpkin carving kits you find in the grocery store this time of year.

I wanted to light them up with orange lights that could be connected to a regular household circuit (so that all of them could be plugged into a timer, like Christmas lights.) But I also wanted the light to flicker, and I wasn’t satisfied with any of the “flicker lights” that are readily available.

So, drawing inspiration from several Web sites, I came up with a design for a “pumpkin lighting system” that I’m very happy with. I installed two C7 lampholders into a small project box, to which I also attached a fluorescent starter holder. I wired this up using a standard extension cord, with one orange C7 lamp connected directly to power and one lamp connected in series with the fluorescent starter.

Interior view of "pumpkin lighting system"

Ready for installation of light bulbs and starter

Finished "pumpkin lighting assembly"

Some links to where I found the materials:
Project box (http://www.action-electronics.com)
C7 Lampholders (http://www.homedepot.com)
Socket for fluorescent starter (http://www.happ.com/lighting/91003800.htm)
FS2 fluorescent starters (http://www.happ.com/lighting/91200000.htm)

Materials for Jack-o'-Lantern project

Bill Lodin » DIY

Halloween Jack-o’-lantern project