Aaron’s New Akua (Done!) - Tiki Carving

AA Aaron's Akua Member Rancho Santa Margarita, CA Joined: Jul 09, 2004 Posts: 1596	AA Aaron's Akua Posted posted on Sat, Sep 11, 2004 6:44 PM ON JASCO: +++++++++++++++++++++ Hi all, I lifted this quote from 8FT Tiki's post, because it is really informative & also answers one of my questions from the first page of this string. Hope you don't mind, 8FT! On 2004-09-11 00:40, 8FT Tiki wrote: Thanks Aaron. The Jasco product that I am using is not oily but rather is a liquid as thin as water. It absorbs quickly into dry wood. I hope that it will protect my carvings which are outside in the elements. It does darken the tone of the wood quite a bit though and gives it a sort of dark rusty look. Not a problem if you are going to follow it with a dark stain but I wouldn't recommend it if you want the finished project to be a lighter color. The wood just needs to dry for a day after applying JASCO. Then you can apply a stain or sealer. JASCO is available at Lowes and I think it is about $7.00 for a quart. Comes in a plastic container that looks like a bottle of auto antifreeze in shape but quite a bit smaller. One container lasted me for 2 carvings. Hope this helps. +++++++++++++++++++++ Rodeotiki: I used chisels only to start with. I soon grew frustrated, and my supportive wife was kind enough to purchase for me a Dremel Flexshaft kit which was a vast improvement. I had to buy a Dremel wood carving bit because although the kit comes with about 70 accessories, none of them are the slightest bit useful for wood carving. I ran these bits at way too high RPM's & burnt through 2 of them before Benzart set me on the right path. I now know that the ONLY kind of bits worth buying are the Tungsten Carbide bits, which pretty much last forever. Or at least I've had no problems so far. The package for the bit will list the max RPM's for the bit. Now, as soon as you get comfortable with the carving and pretty much know how much and where the wood needs to come off, the Dremel starts feeling a little too small. As Benzart put it "It's like cleaning your garage floor with a toothbrush." The rough out is pretty much complete for this tiki, but the next one I do will be with a new set of pneumatic tools that I just acquired (too late for this tiki). The rest of the work on this one will be with small Flexcut palm tools, files, rifflers, and sandpaper. I may pick up a conical sanding bit for the Dremel or the Pneumatics. +++++++++++++++++++++ Cheeky: I think I'm giving up on the shells, at least for this project. I picked up some really nice bright blue porcelain tile with varying tones that I'm planning to inlay into the ears and eyes. I'll cut the tile with a dremel diamond bit. I'll post some pics on this process as I go. hopefully I'll get some tiki carving time tomorrow afternoon. I'm still going to attempt the 2-tone stain by doing the dark areas first & leaving the light areas natural, then apply the polyurethane when everything looks nice. If I screw up & some of the stain bleeds over, I'll just stain the whole thing dark & call it a 1-tone. Tikifreak Gary PM'd me with some tips on the 2-tone. I'll post his comments here if he lets me know that it's O.K. w/ him (it was a PM after all). +++++++++++++++++++++ TNTiki: Thanks for the correction. Long weekends really mess me up! +++++++++++++++++++++ Chongolio: The shells are out but the inlay is still in. Hopefully it won't be too much, but I wanted to take my time with this one & maybe do something that's unique and different from all the other great tiki styles here on TC. We'll see when it's done! I figured a play-by-play thread from a new carver like me would be helpful for the other new guys or maybe even a few lurkers that are thinking about starting, but don't know how. I'm sure there's a few out there. This way everone will learn from my mistakes as I go! Thanks for the PM. Hope to see you at TC SoCal events in the future. That other thread is great. Thanks for the cross-referencing. +++++++++++++++++++++ Mahalo All, A-A

ON JASCO:
+++++++++++++++++++++
Hi all,
I lifted this quote from 8FT Tiki's post, because it is really informative & also answers one of my questions from the first page of this string. Hope you don't mind, 8FT!

On 2004-09-11 00:40, 8FT Tiki wrote:
Thanks Aaron. The Jasco product that I am using is not oily but rather is a liquid as thin as water. It absorbs quickly into dry wood. I hope that it will protect my carvings which are outside in the elements. It does darken the tone of the wood quite a bit though and gives it a sort of dark rusty look. Not a problem if you are going to follow it with a dark stain but I wouldn't recommend it if you want the finished project to be a lighter color. The wood just needs to dry for a day after applying JASCO. Then you can apply a stain or sealer. JASCO is available at Lowes and I think it is about $7.00 for a quart. Comes in a plastic container that looks like a bottle of auto antifreeze in shape but quite a bit smaller. One container lasted me for 2 carvings. Hope this helps.

+++++++++++++++++++++

Rodeotiki: I used chisels only to start with. I soon grew frustrated, and my supportive wife was kind enough to purchase for me a Dremel Flexshaft kit which was a vast improvement. I had to buy a Dremel wood carving bit because although the kit comes with about 70 accessories, none of them are the slightest bit useful for wood carving. I ran these bits at way too high RPM's & burnt through 2 of them before Benzart set me on the right path. I now know that the ONLY kind of bits worth buying are the Tungsten Carbide bits, which pretty much last forever. Or at least I've had no problems so far. The package for the bit will list the max RPM's for the bit.

Now, as soon as you get comfortable with the carving and pretty much know how much and where the wood needs to come off, the Dremel starts feeling a little too small. As Benzart put it "It's like cleaning your garage floor with a toothbrush." The rough out is pretty much complete for this tiki, but the next one I do will be with a new set of pneumatic tools that I just acquired (too late for this tiki). The rest of the work on this one will be with small Flexcut palm tools, files, rifflers, and sandpaper. I may pick up a conical sanding bit for the Dremel or the Pneumatics.
+++++++++++++++++++++

Cheeky: I think I'm giving up on the shells, at least for this project. I picked up some really nice bright blue porcelain tile with varying tones that I'm planning to inlay into the ears and eyes. I'll cut the tile with a dremel diamond bit. I'll post some pics on this process as I go. hopefully I'll get some tiki carving time tomorrow afternoon.

I'm still going to attempt the 2-tone stain by doing the dark areas first & leaving the light areas natural, then apply the polyurethane when everything looks nice. If I screw up & some of the stain bleeds over, I'll just stain the whole thing dark & call it a 1-tone. Tikifreak Gary PM'd me with some tips on the 2-tone. I'll post his comments here if he lets me know that it's O.K. w/ him (it was a PM after all).
+++++++++++++++++++++

TNTiki: Thanks for the correction. Long weekends really mess me up!
+++++++++++++++++++++

Chongolio: The shells are out but the inlay is still in. Hopefully it won't be too much, but I wanted to take my time with this one & maybe do something that's unique and different from all the other great tiki styles here on TC. We'll see when it's done!

I figured a play-by-play thread from a new carver like me would be helpful for the other new guys or maybe even a few lurkers that are thinking about starting, but don't know how. I'm sure there's a few out there. This way everone will learn from my mistakes as I go! Thanks for the PM. Hope to see you at TC SoCal events in the future.

That other thread is great. Thanks for the cross-referencing.
+++++++++++++++++++++

Mahalo All,

A-A

Post #113959 by Aaron's Akua on Sat, Sep 11, 2004 6:44 PM