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Halloween Guide and Ideas
 
Halloween Guide and Ideas

PUMPKIN LIGHT POSTS


Below is how we created a lighted pumpkin walkway running down our driveway and to our front porch. It is easy to make and most of the materials are inexpensive. The Pumpkin Lights are the most expensive items, but are worth it. And remember, you only have to buy them once and you have them forever.

Make sure you use translucent plastic pumpkins as the foam type will not show light through the body, only the carved portions, and don't look as impressive.

The advantage of using independent battery operated lights instead of AC powered ones to illuminate the plastic pumpkins is that you don't have to worry about extension cords for people to trip over and the effort of trying to string them all together over a large distance.

Materials List

16 - Plastic Pumpkin Pails
16 - Pumpkin Lights (and batteries)
16 - 5 foot sections of 3" ABS pipe
  1 - Glue gun and glue sticks
  1 - Medium Grit Sand Paper

Cut and Prepare the Pipe
We use ABS pipe to make the posts for the pumpkin pail lights, four feet above ground and one foot buried. This plastic pipe usually comes in ten foot sections from the hardware store, so you will need to cut them into pieces five foot pieces.

You can cut the pipe with a handsaw, table saw or chop saw. If you cut them by hand make sure you get a least one end straight so that the pumpkin pail will sit on it flat. Sand down the end that you will be gluing the pumpkin pail to so that the glue adheres evenly.

ABS pipe is naturally black in color, but tends to look a little bit shiny. It also has the pipe specifications printed on one side. While you don't have to, you can spray paint the post with flat black spray paint to make it dull and cover up the printing.

Prepare the Pumpkin Pails
Remove the plastic handles from the pumpkin pails by pulling them out with pliers or snipping them off with scissors. Roughen up the bottom of the pumpkin pail with sand paper so that the hot glue will adhere to it better.

Glue Them Together
Using a hot glue gun, glue a pumpkin pail onto a section of the plastic pipe and let dry. Be sure they are centered and flat on the post. Repeat this process until all sixteen are glued together. Remember, the tip of the glue gun and the glue that comes out is very hot, so use caution and be careful.

Bury Them In The Ground
You must decide what distance you want the lights to be from each other. This will depend on the length of your driveway. We separated ours six feet apart giving us a forty-eight foot long row of light posts, but you can distance them any amount you like.

Next, dig a one foot deep hole large enough in diameter for the base of the mast to fit into. You can use either a shovel or a post hole digger like we did to dig the hole. Slide the base into the hole making sure that the face on the pail is pointed in the direction you want it to be and then fill with dirt around the post. Tamp the dirt down around the board firmly to make a secure foundation.

Plastic Chain Addition
If you want to connect the light posts together, you can use 2 inch black plastic chain. We used metal screw-in eyelets screwed into the posts to connect the chain to. Plastic chain can sometimes be found at hardware store, but can be ordered online at www.mrchain.com.

On Halloween Night
Place a Pumpkin Light in each pumpkin pail and switch on just before sundown for a great driveway display!

 

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