BENZARTs Carvings, FIRST thread 04-09-2006

oh i held on to the battery for reference...i'll just match it and snap it...for now it hangs from my rear view mirror in my truck...it's good luck for my travels!

i'm serious about getting in line for one of these guys brother...let me in!

Ben-
#59 is a gem! I'd say that it's one of your best. He's larger than the others too isn't he? Pretty soon, you'll be doing huge casino tikis again! :)

On 2005-04-29 09:38, Chongolio wrote:
Benz, Your lono is radiating mana. That is so bitchin lookin. The whole look of it is great and that tongue is perfect!

Ben, the Lono tiki's are lookin' great. I need to wonder over to the back of this long line for a BenzArt Lono.

Hope all is well,
Dave

Thanks again kooch, got you back on the list too.
Sam thanks, he was only about 6" tall, but he had 12" worth of detail. I realy liked him a lot. It was hard to let him go.
I have also started a 12" Tangaroa beer tap handlefor TikiBird who has been patiently waiting. !2" is as big as I can go for now I think.
The lono's are 4", 6", and 71/2" tall.

[ Edited by: Benzart on 2005-05-02 18:51 ]

Here are pix of the 12" tangaroa




I'll be working on this guy this week too and will upload progress shots.

OK, Heres day 2 working on the next Lono's headdress.
Start out marking out all the corners and centerlines so I'll know where the headdress support 'Sticks" are and how large they will be.
Then Start with the 1/2, #5 gouge hooked to the recripricating power chisel. (Its like a little jackhammer in your hands!)




Then define the center of each side with the Power V-liner





Then using a small sanding drum, smoothe out each section of the headdress




Then lay out all the pointed "banana" parts of the headdress(since the headdress looks sort of like a stalk of bananas)


One thing important here, when layong this out, it is Very imperative hat all the points line up vertically and horizantally. If they don't it will be Very obvious and will look like crap. Don't count on the ancient ones to help much here cuz they were poor in the math skilz and you will do better alone if you have this book.

Then with a mini 3/16th straight chisel and the hook knife, begin to remove the notches between each "bananna" part of the headdress


There you have it.

[ Edited by: Benzart on 2005-05-03 19:48 ]

JESUS CHR*ST that is a lot of hard work...watch those digits man... we are all made of water you know...

looks awesome man...thanks for the cool tutorial!

http://www.kooch-e-koo.com

[ Edited by: kooche on 2005-05-03 17:46 ]

Fascinating, Ben. Do you use the power chisel a lot? I find myself chiseling by hand without the mallet a fair amount of the time. I guess that's the next logical step. Does it just sort of vibrate, or have a bit more kick? These step by steps are great. The more detail the better!

Mahalo,

A-A

Thanks for the pics, Ben. It's great to see a master at work, and your step by step pics do just that. It's amazing to me how you pull a finely detailed tiki out of a block of wood!

http://www.samgambino.com

[ Edited by: Sam Gambino on 2005-05-03 22:03 ]

You need to put this on dvd and sell it , I would buy it for sure. Those look great so far Ben.

Thanks for sharing.

I have to agree, this stuff is great.

One thing that I must mention is that not only are your carving skills amazing but so are your photographs. All of those extreme close up macro shots are well done! Thank you so much for taking the time to step by step document your art.

Truly breathtaking!

I now find myself suffering from chisel envy. Mine are not the right size, shape and none of them have a jackhammer action.

Does the chisel tool fit onto a Dremel or is that just for other flexshaft tools?

very nice... very nice...

Added anoter 1 or 2 lono's





Sorry there are no step by step but the work I did today was pretty much the same.

the idol is already in the wood ben...you just have to take away the pieces that aren't a part of the god contained within the wood...

man that looks tough...these are going to be beautiful!!!!

Now I gotta get a band saw.

We learn something new every day. Thanks Ben.

Joined: Jan 09, 2004
Posts: 2092
From: Port Saint Lucie, Florida
Posted: 2005-05-04 19:54

Aaron, the power tool is more powerful than just a vibrator, The action to make it work is Just like Hand-pushing a tool through the wood.
When the chisel is not touching nthe wood, it doesn't move. Press it into the woodand it begins to work. Very easy to control. This tool is made for the fordham flexshaft. There are several standalone models that are very powerful and are the size of a dremel or similar tool. I use it quite often beause it makes the work so easy. Enjoy.

[ Edited by: Benzart on 2005-05-04 20:22 ]

benz, how did you get the tikis playin poker screen saver???....the new pieces look ace as always!!

Thanks everyone, HalaB, that pic was painted by one of our TC artists and I opened it and right clicked on it and chose to "Set as desktop background".
Surfintiki, a bandsaw Really helps a lot, But it can take off too much wood if you aren't careful.
Kooch, I know the tiki is in there, but sometimes it is hard to know which parts to take off. What you have in your head to remove may be different from what the Tiki sees and wants you Not to remove. But you are right, the tiki is there, it just needs to be unwrapped.
Here is todays work, Not much.
This is the most teidious part of carving a Lono. Cutting out all these little holes. It is very difficult and is hard on the hands and fingers. It takes a lot of strength and control, but its nice to have 1 of these guys headdress roughed out.




Here are the tools I used to make all thos little holes

Here are the tools along with the toothpicks used to strengthen eash little point. Those dots are not just decorations and the toothpicks go in about 3/4".

[ Edited by: Benzart on 2005-05-05 15:11 ]

the philosophy about the solid spirit being within dates back to lord knows when...before David that is for sure...addressing that technique was just my attempt at a joke really...like i have the patience to say the ENTIRE alphabet any more...your stuff is so well planned it makes my jaw drop...

you rock sir!

Love the Lono's Benz!
BTW-I'm flattered you're using my painting as yr screensaver.

Hey Slacks, Its YOU, Ever since Bula hiltiki noticed it in the post i have been trying to find the post from where I copied it for a desktop. That pic has SO Much inspiration for me anyway and I love seeing it all day on my twin desktops. Thanks,

Here is the latest update of this bloodthirsty tiki. He has bitten me only 6 times in the last 3 days. Nothing major, bandaids only for some and none for others.

myspace

[ Edited by: Benzart 2009-06-18 03:32 ]

I think it's the radical curvature that's going to set this one apart. Still, it's too soon to tell. I can't wait to see it finished, but love seeing the progression of pics as well.

Watching this tiki come to life is a wonderful thing. Thanks Benzart for sharing your progress and educating us.

Benz...you have the patience of a saint. These are wonderful. Your work is so small and detailed. Really fabulous. I looked for you this weekend...you weren't there? Anyway. Terrific little tikis!

Benzart,

Excellent tiki, I love how animated the latest one looks. So far it could be a tiki cartoon character. The detail you get out of such a small piece is amazing. The wood you are using must be very hard and seasoned.
Have you ever tried seasoning a log under vacuum? I heard that in a vacuum chamber you can dry a log in a week. Keep on carving I know you have orders to fill.

Will

Raffertiki, Thanks for the props. Here is the #'s 61 and 62 progress reports. They are both coming along slowly it seems

No Clue, thanks , I imagine if this is your first time watching a tiki being born, it is magical and special


BEachin Thanks for the props, patience is one thing I get stretched thin at times, These small pendants Have to have a lot of detail on them because they are seen from so close that everything shows up rather rargely so I need a high degree of finish and deep detail


Thanks SCTikiShackI appreciate your comments. Most of the wood I use has been Kiln dried and is faairly hard. These are mahogany which is called a Hardwood, but is actually fairly soft and "Chippy" and difficult to get detail from, but it can be done with sharp tools and being always aware of wherre the grain of the wood is going. I usually try to get a bit of animation going as I prefer not to have the piece standingnstraight at attention with no movement. Sometimes that is all you can have and if you work at it there will be no issues,.

[ Edited by: Benzart on 2005-05-09 18:52 ]

[ Edited by: Benzart 2009-06-18 03:22 ]

Benz,,, It looks great. We really got to get together one day for drinks....

Ben - I love the curve that these guys have. It seems to give them motion... VERY cool!

One word "WOW"

Utter sweetness Ben. I Love these. Facinating detail and sharpness! Thank you sir!

Mahalo

Benz,
Once again your work is incredible. If somehow, sometime I can make it on to your mile long list, please add me.

On 2005-05-06 15:52, Benzart wrote:
Here is the latest update of this bloodthirsty tiki. He has bitten me only 6 times in the last 3 days.

Hey Ben, I asked you to put some excellent Benzart carving mana in my tiki, but don't get caried away. Blood sacrifice is not required!

It's a real pleasure watching them take shape. A lesson in itself for us, well, less advanced carvers... When you think you're done, you're not done. Add a little more detail, the twinkle in the eye, the snarl in the lip, the bloodthirsty twitch... this is what we should all do to make our tiki gods more godlike. Mahalo for the fine step by step examples, Ben.

A-A

Wow, and the scary thing is that we know you can do this kind of detailed work on a larger scale as well. As large as you want or as large as your body will let you I might add.......

Awesome looking stuff Benz. You are a very talented man.

Thanks Thantos, Maybe we can get together at Hukilau or sooner we'l see what comes 'round

Thanks to you too Sam, I Love adding a twist and turn when I can, Uusally I am limited by the size of the wood but this time I said screw it I'm gonna make it smaller than the wood but add more interest.

Rodeo, thanks for the "WOW"

McTiki,thanks I'm a real sewwtaholic I guess and it is so much more fun to really dig into the detail.

Thanks Turbogod, on my list you are, much appreatited.

Aarojn, what can I say. I was never 1 to make hundreds of the same face. They all have to outdo each other for some reason, I think the ancien ones are playing around with me just for their amusement.

TikiG, looks like you may find out about the larger ones. I have 3 5' palm logs that I Hope to take to Hukilau all carved up.
Thanks to everyone for your response.
I may have to take a few days off with severly bruised ribs. Nothing major. i'll be fine after a weeks rest.

I need to be added to the list. Would love to get something from ya... Your detail is great. I want to try small but I still am learning to handle the tools...

Awesome. Can't wait to see some "new" big stuff from you. I'm thinking seriously about coming dowm to the Hukilau this year to exhibit some stuff....Any room for me?

Wow is the word! :)

Ben, love those latest carvings. I still need to add some more benzart pendants to my collection. I finally got a couple of Tiki Tony pendants at Oasis, long overdue.

Thanks Thantos, you are On the list, Thanks.
TikiG, OK, You Will see probably 4 5' masks and 1 4' tiki in the round at hukilau And YES theres room for you if you Act fast

Susane, funny that WOW is the word I used to describe your work on your website, Beautiful, very nice. And I could go on..Thanks big time

Swampfire, thanks for wanting to be back on my list you ARE Theretonight. Enjoyed seeing your new stuff today too, great.
Here are pix of the updates made to this Lono. HE's coming down the home stretch now and If I don't break anything else maybe he'll be done this week by thursday or so.

The detail in that piece is so awesome! Really like it (as you probably can guess)

So Ben... which museum are these pieces going to? :)
Beautiful craftsmanship, to say the least!

http://www.samgambino.com

Love the curve to the head and the facial expression, great piece Ben.

Excellent as usual! Keep posting them pics Ben - it never gets old!

Such clean lines and amazing detail.
These do truely deserve to be in a museaum as Sam said.

Thanks for sharing and giving us all inspiration to create more..

My God Ben... I shouldn't be so suprised everytime I look at this thread, but damn, that's amazing!!