How Can I Reverse Engineer and Create a DIY Halloween Pumpkin Pulp Replica?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the challenge of reverse engineering a Halloween product designed to mimic pumpkin pulp. Participants explore the composition and properties of the product, which is described as a tacky, mushy substance that hardens and becomes waterproof when applied to props. The focus is on creating a DIY alternative that achieves similar characteristics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Experimental/applied

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes the product as having raw loose cotton mixed with an orange color and a gel-like material that provides tackiness and a slick feel.
  • Another participant inquires about the product's name and where it was purchased, suggesting that this information could lead to better advice.
  • Participants express frustration over the lack of ingredient transparency from the seller, which complicates the reverse engineering process.
  • Some participants suggest that creating a DIY version is possible but acknowledge difficulties in achieving the same hardness and waterproof qualities.
  • One participant humorously suggests disguising oneself to obtain information from the shop selling the product.
  • Another participant proposes that making actual pumpkin pulp could be a straightforward process, but questions remain about how to stabilize it for storage.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the challenges of replicating the product but do not reach a consensus on specific methods or ingredients that would lead to a successful DIY alternative. Multiple competing views on how to approach the problem remain unresolved.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the absence of ingredient information from the original product and the uncertainty regarding the specific properties needed for the DIY version to match the original's performance.

raider
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I purchased a product and I'm trying to reverse engineer it. It has raw loose cotton mixed with Orange color and something else. It's mushy and has a tackiness to it and a slick feel.you can pick up this product out of the can and it stays together and doesn't drip, the liquid is thick and has a smell like a acrylic medium ,But when you spread this product on a halloween prop it resembles pumpkin pulp and dries in 24 hours very hard . I can take the product after it dries and it stays hard under water. I tries acrylic medium .....and it just ends up softening, I can't duplicate this product. I took the product and placed it in a bowl of water and moved it around in the water and washed out the color and what ever else was in it to expose the cotton. The oder is not strong its a combination of maybe a sealer and a acrylic medium. But what ever gel material is mixed with cotton it makes it tacky and mushy, any help would be appreciated.
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What is the product? Where did you purchase it?
 
It's from a shop that sells a few different halloween products . It's to look like the inside of a pumpkin , the pulp and you spread it on props.... it becomes hard and waterproof .
 
I'm trying to create my own for my own use. I know I can't remake it but I'm trying to make my own product to use on my props.
 
raider said:
It's from a shop that sells a few different halloween products
Have you asked them where they get it or how to make it?
 
Yes, they won't tell me so I decided to try to make it
 
raider said:
Yes, they won't tell me so I decided to try to make it
Maybe put on a disguise and apply for a job there... :wink:
 
Yeah I wish
 
I would like to make my own but tried everything I could think of with no luck. I can get the mushy and stickiness of the product but the hardest and waterproof I can't get.
 
  • #10
Somebody might find a suggestion or two if you would say the exact name of the product you bought and tell the ingredients list or description as given on the label.
 
  • #11
symbolipoint said:
Somebody might find a suggestion or two if you would say the exact name of the product you bought and tell the ingredients list or description as given on the label.
There are no ingredients listed , it's for halloween to have fake pumpkin pulp. They won't te.l me the ingredients. So I'm trying to make my own and tried a lot of different things .
 
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  • #12
There are no ingredients listed , it's for halloween to have fake pumpkin pulp. They won't te.l me the ingredients. So I'm trying to make my own and tried a lot of different things .

You could literally make it (cook and mechanical process) pumpkin pulp yourself. Making the pulp should be easy. Not certain what to say about how to make it stable for storing.