Tiki Carving Methodology - Tiki Carving

BK Basement Kahuna Tiki Socialite Jawja Province, Isle of North America Joined: Oct 14, 2002 Posts: 3618	BK Basement Kahuna Posted posted on Mon, Nov 24, 2003 12:37 PM (from an old Carving Post sequence): A Maori piece.....I wanted him to be large so it came down to large figural with more inlay or smaller panelized figure with less inlay (pressed for time and wanted to demo this piece at Hukilau); I opted for the first. In the first photo you see the blank (which burned out a 1/2 hp radial jigsaw...I mean literally on fire). In the second you see my Abalone inlay pieces. The eyes I did by reversing a black fossil shell, cutting out of it two black pupils, and then inlaying them into abalone circles. I use a rotozip with a tile bit for this and a respirator (Bob Van Oosting told me the abalone dust can be very dangerous, like asbestos). The third is the view from my beat up old chair! Note the white glove on the floor...My dear sweet wife just bought that for me...Steel filament wrapped in polyester fiber. Guess she's had enough of my carving related E.R. visits! The last two are of the progress so far. Maori "scaling" relief effects...here's my method, for what it's worth. First I complete the plunge, or guide cuts. You must use a very thin flat bladed chisel (in this case a small one). Mark your depth on the blade with a magic marker so you'll have consistency. In this case all the plunges are 90 degrees. Tap carefully to avoid a grain split. Next, begin angling the scales in. Be mindful of the direction you want them to flow in. The best way to avoid damage is to proceed in layers, working just a little wood off each scale at a time, until you have a nice, clean slope which stops just above the guide cut depth (for a clean cut). Viola...a complete scale. Here is Hei Tiki as he appears today...getting his Moko right now. Upper body complete, palm parting tool work and all. The palm chisel work is something that you just have to do to learn...it can't really be explained, but requires good control of a parting tool; no slipping! All that is left is the legs and the inlay work! I stuck the eyes on with some floral clay for the photo. It will have abalone inlaid eyes, teeth, and knuckles. Here is the finished Maori meeting house image. I thought it turned out nice...what do you all think? It looks like a very old piece which was my goal. Each time I tackle a Maori piece I become more and more in awe of the craftsmanship in their carvings and the power of their imagery...it blows me away. I only hope I do them any justice at all. I'm going to put a pic on a regular thread so someone besides us carving nerds can see. [ Edited by: Basement Kahuna on 2003-11-24 12:41 ]

(from an old Carving Post sequence): A Maori piece.....I wanted him to be large so it came down to large figural with more inlay or smaller panelized figure with less inlay (pressed for time and wanted to demo this piece at Hukilau); I opted for the first. In the first photo you see the blank (which burned out a 1/2 hp radial jigsaw...I mean literally on fire). In the second you see my Abalone inlay pieces. The eyes I did by reversing a black fossil shell, cutting out of it two black pupils, and then inlaying them into abalone circles. I use a rotozip with a tile bit for this and a respirator (Bob Van Oosting told me the abalone dust can be very dangerous, like asbestos). The third is the view from my beat up old chair! Note the white glove on the floor...My dear sweet wife just bought that for me...Steel filament wrapped in polyester fiber. Guess she's had enough of my carving related E.R. visits! The last two are of the progress so far. Maori "scaling" relief effects...here's my method, for what it's worth. First I complete the plunge, or guide cuts. You must use a very thin flat bladed chisel (in this case a small one). Mark your depth on the blade with a magic marker so you'll have consistency. In this case all the plunges are 90 degrees. Tap carefully to avoid a grain split. Next, begin angling the scales in. Be mindful of the direction you want them to flow in. The best way to avoid damage is to proceed in layers, working just a little wood off each scale at a time, until you have a nice, clean slope which stops just above the guide cut depth (for a clean cut). Viola...a complete scale. Here is Hei Tiki as he appears today...getting his Moko right now. Upper body complete, palm parting tool work and all. The palm chisel work is something that you just have to do to learn...it can't really be explained, but requires good control of a parting tool; no slipping! All that is left is the legs and the inlay work! I stuck the eyes on with some floral clay for the photo. It will have abalone inlaid eyes, teeth, and knuckles. Here is the finished Maori meeting house image. I thought it turned out nice...what do you all think? It looks like a very old piece which was my goal. Each time I tackle a Maori piece I become more and more in awe of the craftsmanship in their carvings and the power of their imagery...it blows me away. I only hope I do them any justice at all. I'm going to put a pic on a regular thread so someone besides us carving nerds can see.

[ Edited by: Basement Kahuna on 2003-11-24 12:41 ]

Post #61877 by Basement Kahuna on Mon, Nov 24, 2003 12:37 PM