Kahakai Kane - Mini #3 added 09-03-05

Greetings all, I've been lurking here for over a year, reading and learning and finally have something to contribute. I have a couple of 4 foot palm logs waiting for me to let the tikis out, but I thought I should get a little practice before I go hacking away. My first is this Leroy inspired pendant. I started with a one inch hardwood dowel and a dremel tool. I stained it honey maple and put on two coats of clear polyurethane. This is the first thing I have ever attempted to carve/stain/finish.

The second is this grim little moai pendant. This one started out as a half inch dowel that I recycled from a potting bench that I dismantled. It had been outside for years and it was extremely weathered - completely greyed. I used the dremel on it, chestnut stain, one coat poly. I love how the grain looks on this one.


I have a third one coming - a little more complex, but I really have so much to learn. Thanks to everyone who posts on this forum you all have helped me get involved in a really cool hobby!
--KK

[ Edited by: Kahakai Kane 2005-09-03 10:45 ]

Welcome to TC, KK! They all look great and your talent will surely improve with each new attempt. I'd be honored if you added your first one to my old "Leroy" post. It's always great to see a new emerging artist on the board. Keep it up, keep sharing!

A-A

I think these are great! Fantastic job, especially for a first effort -- I especially like that you turned to traditional sources for inspiration (the world has enough Chicklet-teeth tikis!). The glaze on that first tiki makes me hungry for Cracker Jacks. Look forward to seeing your future efforts.

your moai rocks. Seriously. I too love how the grain pattern worked out and his expression is priceless. Nice job!

recycled wood yields all kinds of beautiful results.

Nice start you have there. Good style and quality is pretty good too. Cool. More!

Kahakai Kane, sweet work on the little ones. Welcome to TC. Your at home now.

MAHALO

Well KahakaiKane, you have Reallyout done youirself. Excellent first 2 tikis. Welcome to TC from lurkerdom, we're Glad to have you here to show us just How you created these great tikis.. come on in and stay awhile.

E komo mai!

Very well done pieces you have there Kahakai Kane. I am impressed.

I have been doing my own size progression with my carvings and I think the fact that you started small is a great way to learn the dimensions of the kind of tikis you will have in mind's vision.

Keep checking this board for more motivation and please share more of your progression.

Mahalo to you for sharing - - -

[ Edited by: ManoKoa 2005-08-30 21:11 ]

Thanks for all the kind words! Humuhumu, my #1 now has a name, I introduce him to my friends as "Cracker Jack". Ben & ManoKoa, it was your threads that inspired me to start small and to persue traditional designs. AA I think the advice "go deep" is probably the most helpful, and the most challenging. Being new, timidity is a problem, so I make a bunch of shallow cuts and then think "What would AA do" then carve twice as deep and like the results...
The latest results - Mini #3, 3" tall, the same 1" dowel that Cracker Jack came from. Carved with a dremel tool (gotta get some knives...), two coats chestnut stain, no clear coat - just a light buffing - going for a vintage look. I think this might have been a little too ambitious for my skill level, but I'm pretty happy with the results


The last shot is just a low angle trying to look huge...
-KK

That's gorgeous, well done!

On 2005-09-03 10:44, Kahakai Kane wrote:
I think this might have been a little too ambitious for my skill level, but I'm pretty happy with the results

I think you are wrong about being too ambitious!!! I think it came out great!! Good Job!! Thanks for posting pic's. I hope you get too ambitious again.

On 2005-09-03 11:48, The Sperm Whale wrote:

On 2005-09-03 10:44, Kahakai Kane wrote:
I think this might have been a little too ambitious for my skill level, but I'm pretty happy with the results

I think you are wrong about being too ambitious!!! I think it came out great!! Good Job!! Thanks for posting pic's. I hope you get too ambitious again.

I agree. It is your ambition that drives your skill to higher levels. Wherever you are getting your ambition is your aloha. Never lose touch with it. It radiates in your work.

Thats it. Your addicted.
These are great! You should be psyched on such results! And psyched to start the next. Big, small, carve 'em all!

Definatley Not above your skill level. I guess you have to keep going up the skill ladder to find out where your level is. Anyway, keep carving, you are doing Great. I wish my first pieces were as good as these!.
Here is the knife blade I use the most:
http://www.treelineusa.com/cgi-bin/shopper?preadd=action&key=290-0302
And here is the handle for it and various other blades:
http://www.treelineusa.com/cgi-bin/shopper?preadd=action&key=290-0501
I get a Lot of my tools there and they are very good at standing behind their products. Tell them Ben from Port Saint Lucie sent you.
One suggestion, are you using varnish or poly to coat your pendants? It looks fairly heavy and thick. I usually use lacquer from a spray can, just a few bucks at Home Depot. It dries to touch in a few minutes and goes on in very thin coats. It doesn't end up looking too heavy.
Bring on # 4 and # 5, we're waiting.