Dr. Honeydew and Beaker Halloween Gourds With 3D Printing

Carving pumpkins for Halloween is a great tradition, but once cut, they often rot after only a few days. Decorating pumpkins and gourds using 3D printed and other elements lets you dress up your Halloween squashes without having to cut into them. They'll last a lot longer, and offer a little novelty for the holiday!

This Instructable shows how to create Halloween versions of the Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker Muppet characters using a pumpkin and butternut squash, some 3D printed elements, tape, paint and a little creativity.

Step 1: Components

You will need the following components:

• (1) pie-sized pumpkin
• (1) medium butternut squash
• Access to a 3D printer with with black and white PLA filament
• Orange fake fur (I found mine on Etsy)
• Clear-drying glue (I used fabric glue, but epoxy would probably work as well)
• Black duct tape or black electrical tape
• Orange paint (I used acrylic paint)

Step 2: 3D Printing

The glasses 3d glasses template comes from these Harry Potter glasses on Thingiverse: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:94441. Print them from black PLA. I printed them full size, and they fit my pumpkin perfectly, but you should check to be sure your print will fit your pumpkin.

The Harry Potter glasses are round, while the Dr. Bunsen Honeydew glasses are slightly oval, but this can be fixed after printing. To do so, print them out, then fill a bowl with hot (almost boiling) water. Drop the lens part of the glasses in, and leave them in for about 30 seconds. Remove them with tongs, and the PLA will be soft enough to press into the desired shape. I just pressed slightly on the top and the bottom of the frame with my fingers to make the lenses a more elliptical shape.

Also, the earpieces will need to be bent to wrap around the pumpkin smoothly. Perform the same hot water trick with them as with the lenses, but bend them so that they wrap around the pumpkin face. Once they set, join the ear pieces to the lens piece with some black wire or string.

Also, print out the nose/eyes for Beaker using white PLA. The STL file for the nose/eyes is attached to this step.

Step 3: Paint Beaker's Nose Orage

Take the 3D printed nose/eye piece and cover the eyes with painters tape. Use orange acrylic paint to paint the nose portion, and let it dry. Depending on your print, two coats may be needed.

Step 4: Add the Hair

Cut a piece of the orange fake fur about 2-3 inches tall and long enough to just wrap around the top of the butternut squash. Using a needle and thread, sew the ends together, so that it stays in a circle. Then with your fabric glue or epoxy, glue a ring around the top of the squash and glue the hairpiece into place.

Step 5: Beaker's Face

Once the orange paint has dried, you can attach Beakers eyes and nose. The 3D print has small holes in the back. Using wire cutter, cut some paper clips in half, and stick them into the holes. You can then push the eyepiece into the squash just below the hair as shown above.

To make Beaker's mouth, cut some electrical or duct tape into a thin strip, and tape an inverted "U" just below the nose. Using clear epoxy or fabric glue, put a few drops of glue around the edges of tape to hold it in place. Cut two small circles of black tape to make his pupils. Again, use glue to secure the tape in place.

Step 6: Dr. Bunsen Honeydew's Glasses

You can affix Dr. Honeydew's glasses using tape as shown. Wrap a bit around the ends of the glasses, and stick it to the back of the pumpkin. If you are using electrical tape, you will want to glue around the edges as well, otherwise it will probably come loose.

Step 7: The Last Step!

Using scissors, cut thin strips of tape to make the facial features. Cut and bend the tape, while sticking it to the pumpkin to make a nose and mouth. Add some clear-drying glue around the edges of the tape to help keep it in place.

Voila! Enjoy your new Halloween decorations