Conga....Wisconsin stuff!

One of my bosses (we have several) gave me four large
basswood logs...and says more are on the way! This means
back to work with another attempt at tikis...around four
hours into the first one...this guy popped out of the wood



Will post progress pics as things develop. thanks for
peeking.

[ Edited by: congatiki 2005-08-14 20:47 ]

Great stuff Conga!

[ Edited by: FreakBear 2005-08-14 20:56 ]

Cool. I love the despair of this guy. I'm guessing his holding his head freaking out? Cool

Lookin fine, conga! He looks intimidating... :)

Thanks Freakbear, Hewey and Sam. He does look a little
like he's holding his head and freaking out...but on the
next pics you'll see that it's a head-dress that extends
to his shoulders....the arms are still waiting to be
carved. Thanks again...appreciate the nice comments.

Nice stuff Conga. I'm looking forward to the next update.

Great stuff Conga! I can't believe how short of a time it takes for you to make good looking faces. It takes me two weeks to get that far on a piece of wood I can fit in the palm of my hand. Can't wait to see more pics of this one!

Thanks for the painting Conga, we all love it here and it will soon adorn the walls of the new tiki bar! :D

Conga, this guy looks really great. Are you done yet? Well then Hurry up, I'm waiting and can't wait, so hurry on up there. I Really like this one.

I like it , the face looks great so far.
Like Ben said cant wait to see it done.

Thanks Raffertiki...Rodeo...Fink and Ben...now I'm really
inspired to keep chipping away and bring this guy to life.
Will post a couple more pics when I finish the headdress
and decide what to do for arms.

Great tikis & great progress on that log. Much aloha to your future cuts into it.

Why is it near impossible to get a good basswood log in Chicago?

[ Edited by: ManoKoa 2005-08-17 12:32 ]

Looks good, Conga! I've heard that Basswood is about the easiest stuff around to carve. We don't have Basswood trees around here that I know of, but I've seen chunks of it for sale at Rockler's. Nice score on the logs.

thanks ManoKoa and A-A...yes the basswood is really nice
for carving...and my supplier has a lot of logs left...
he just finished building a garage out of basswood logs...
the best part is...they're not only big..but also de-barked and ready to go. Here's a little update...NewTiki
has been working out

[ Edited by: congatiki 2005-08-19 18:29 ]

very nice work, he's shaping up quite nicely...I wish I had a ready supply of wood. Lucky You!!

Very Cool Conga!! Keep it up!!!

tiki loves the compliments Tammy and Spermy...and now he
wants to join me in the congatiki lounge...this is as
far as I will get for the next week..going away on vacation
to even more northern Wisconsin...will get back to work
next weekend...promise! thanks everyone...your feedback
really drives the chisels.

[ Edited by: congatiki 2005-08-20 20:47 ]

Conga , that looks great. I love the expression on his face . I am sure he will stand gaurd while your away.

Hes gone from despair to being a tuff little unit. Looks cool. Hurry up and get back from that holiday so you can finish him!

Yeah Conga, Hurry back and finish this guy. I Love the neck and muscular chest and arms. The face is cool too. This is gonna be one Killer tiki when you are through. Ifff you ever get back home to work on him. Hurry, whats the hold up.

wow...i had my first motorcycle crash today...what a
rush...had to make a quick stop on the highway and
dumped it when i went from pavement to the gravel!
no serious injuries but muscle spasms in the back and
ribs that will slow work on the latest tiki. please
offer prayers of thanks that congatiki lives on to finish
tiki carvings and continue drumming.

Take it easy Conga. These tikis can't carve themselves. They need you.

Great to hear you're alright, conga. You are in my prayers...

Ouch... Take it easy, Conga. The tiki can wait, there's lots more where he came from. Rest a bit, you'll be carving again soon I'm sure. Glad you came out of it with only minor injuries.

Aaron

Hey Conga, glad to here you not too badly injured. Take it easy and rest up. What kinda speed were you going when you stacked?

How did the bike pull up? Got any pics?

Get well soon mate

hi guys...thanks for the good wishes...did something
really stupid...only been riding around 4 years...
one of my highway pegs fell off and i decided to make
a quick stop to retrieve it...first mistake...was going
about 55 and hit the brakes...but because of traffic
behind me I moved over to the gravel too soon...probably
20 or so...and hit the deck right away...but since I'm
a fairly aggressive skiier...I know how to fall...did a
little tuck and dropped on my left side...pretty
sore ribs and back but reasonably happy with the minor
injuries. My Suzuki Volusia suffered a cracked front
fender...many scrapes on the windshield...broken left
mirror...and bent shifter. But I'm a tough tiki..
i got back on and rode the last 22 miles home.
thanks again. will get back to carving later in the
week.

Conga,

Glad you are OK. Rest up and heal up. I've been riding my whole life (road and motoX) and have paid the price. I've broken almost every bone and recently had 2 plates, 4 pins, 5 screws, and a cadaver bone graft put in my left arm. It makes carving, and life in general, difficult. Please take care and watch the loose stuff, it will bite you every time! I would hate to see you sidelined permanently.

-Gman

What a story Conga, you are a lucky dude. Glad you had the smarts or experience to fall properly. Probably saved you a stack of injuries. The one thing I Gotta know? Did you retrieve the fallen highway peg?? To go thru all that and come up empty handed is ...well, tough. Glad you're OK. Next time keep your mind on the road ahead instead of the tiki you are carving. Tikis will bite you in many ways!

hey G-Man and Ben...thanks...G-Man you must be one
tough biker...and I bet you have a few lingering aches
and pains.
Ben...yeah one of the guys who stopped to help me scurried
down the highway and found the peg in the ditch...when he
handed it to me I said "now it doesn't seem quite as
important as it did a couple of minutes ago." Feeling
a bit better today..think that might be the combination
of muscle relaxers...pain pills...and...don't tell the
doctor...a couple Mai Tais.

Just reading through the postings and read about your accident! Glad you are OK Conga! Take care!
Mel

There Are 2 types of motorcycle riders.

Those who have went down and those who will.

Glad to hear this one only caused sore ribs.

Conga, hope you get better soon. At least now if you mess up your carving, you can say "Motor skills" challenged. Just like me.

Many Mahalos!

thanks McTiki and Alien...my emergency room doctor said
I would start feeling like my old self by today...he's
frickin' nutz! I am starting to think about putting a
few more grooves in wood...but it's probably another
several days out...the tiki is giving me the evil eye
tho...so it won't be real long!

I'm glad you're still able to post and carve. Much healing mana to you.

healing slow but getting better Manokoa....thanks....need to clean-up the last one but started this guy a few days ago...getting bad when you start a new one before the last
guy is finished

[ Edited by: congatiki 2005-09-04 08:02 ]

Sweet Moai !!! Enjoy it

Conga,

Now that is TIGHT! That fall sure didn't seem to impact your carving! Man, that is going to be sweet! Keep posting pics....

-Gman

Looking good Conga! Are you carving inside?

On 2005-09-04 07:56, congatiki wrote:
getting bad when you start a new one before the last
guy is finished

Na, sounds like your getting better :)

thanks GMan...Raffertiki...Hewey...and McTiki...no...I don't carve inside but I move 'em into the tiki lounge
so I can gaze upon them under the influence of whatever...
and plan my next move...then it's outdoors again. Little
update

That is Fricking Awesome Conga!!!

Conga! That looks amazing! I leave for a week or so and all this stuff comes to life. Hope you're feeling ok. Keep it up!

thanks for the kind words rodeotiki and finkdaddy....Fink...are you back from your travels....
better get back to work on those pendants!

Very cool stuff, conga... I know what you mean- I bring a piece in and look at while I relax. That way, I can more easily see what needs to be done or changed on it before it's finished.

Really nice works Conga. Keep chipping and Posting, but take it easy. Now is when you are finding out how really Bad the fall was and how deep your injuries really are. Take it Easy and Thanks for posting and sharing.

now i know what to do to improve MY carving skills; crash a bike! :)

great stuff Conga!

thanks mucho Sam, Ben and Palama Tiki. Yer right Ben...
I didn't realize how much I smacked my ribs until my back
stopped hurting a few days ago. Now my main discomfort is
limited to a couple of ribs...which really hurt when I
sneeze (which for some reason has been often) or after
carving. Can't do much whitttling today cuz my little
exotic percussion band is actually playing a gig at a
luau...by the way Ben...your Maori posts are incredible!

Conga, that is some sweet carving. I can't wait to start again. You are all inspiring me. Damn, even cement Tikis are popping up.

Rum can aid in dampening the rib pain.

Mahaloz

Hi All and thanks McTiki...better get yourself back to
chippin'.
Here's the last update till finishing...



Any suggestions...clear...light stain or dark?