Pumpkin Illumination 101: CFLs, LEDs, and Lasers, Oh My

Yesterday we showed you some great ways to carve the ultimate pumpkin, but what good is the ultimate pumpkin without some awesome illumination? Today we take a look at different ways you can illuminate your Halloween masterpiece.

The traditional method of pumpkin illumination is the tiny tea light candle. While there's nothing wrong with tea lights for brief and temporary illumination, they have their limitations. Read over the following list for some ideas on how you can illuminate your pumpkins.

Candles:

If you'll only be lighting your pumpkin on Halloween night, you'll be fine to use a candle. It has that warm flickering glow that everyone loves. You can even rub ground cinnamon and nutmeg onto the roof and lid of your pumpkin so it wafts a great fall scent out as the candle burns. The downside to candles is that they are unsuitable for extended use (if you burn candles in your pumpkins for every night of the week leading up to Halloween the heat will dry out your pumpkin and char the inside of the flesh) and they're a potential fire hazard (however remote a risk they pose).

Commercial LED lights

Whether you buy a Halloween-specific light like this battery powered LED puck or you just grab some LED tap lights from the lighting aisle of the hardware store, LEDs offer a great way to get bright light safely, cheaply, and without the risk of heating up your pumpkin. White LEDs are the brightest and best suited for pumpkins where the surface has been carved away but the carving hasn't penetrated into the inner cavity of the pumpkin (the bright light will glow nicely through the pumpkin flesh). If you have a pumpkin with traditional all-the-way-through carving, look for Halloween-specific lights that are yellow-tinted and/or flickering to create a real-candle illusion.

Glow Sticks

Glow sticks are a cheap way to get intense color. Don't buy your glow sticks one at a time in Halloween-themed packs, however. They're sold at a ridiculous markup around Halloween. $3.99 for a glow stick? Buy them online for a buck or less a piece.

CFL Bulbs

If you've invested the energy to carve an epic pumpkin you don't want to display it just on Halloween night. CFL bulbs are cool enough and bright enough to really show off your masterpiece. You'll need to do some basic wiring to wire up a socket inside the pumpkin but other than that, it's as easy as screwing in a light bulb. Check out this Instructables tutorial on basic light socket wiring. Pick a bulb you'd be happy using in your house, that way when Halloween is over you can take advantage of the longevity and power savings of the CFL bulb.

Advanced Pumpkin Lighting

If buying a commercial LED light or just wiring a light socket into your pumpkin seems like too little DIY fun for you, the internet is filled with tutorials on taking things to the next level. You could set up your pumpkin with a light-sensitive LED array controlled by an Arduino or even wire your pumpkin to synchronize its lights to music. If you're feeling particular adventurous you can even load your pumpkin up with lasers.

Have a particular method you swear by when it comes to illuminating your pumpkin masterpieces? Let's hear about it in the comments. Include links if possible, so your fellow readers can find/order the tools they need in time for Halloween.

via LifeHacker