A-A… Some Stuff I'm Working On

AA your work is beyond words, your attention to detail is incredible.It must be frustrating to see the cracks develop but some things are out of our control.I know you put your heart and soul into your work and it really shows.looking forward to more great things from you!capotiki

A.A.,

Whenever I get logs that split after I carve them, they get a little watering action. The water will make pine and redwood snap back into place. After I finish a carving, I will often hose it down. Then it's time to drink a beer and listen to them fizzle and snap. It is like they are talking to you. The next day when the surface is dry, sealing them with a thick coat of marine varnish tends to trap in some moisture thus preventing many of the cracks from re-forming.

By the way sweet tiki, I guess it is time for me to put down the chainsaw and retire.

Will

WOW!!! looking GREAT aaron!! i can't wait to see him finished. seeing that is making me want to get going on carving again soon. keep the updates coming.

Danged luck with the cracking there. I recall one of your other guys cracked on ya too. The water trick sctiki's talkin 'bout sounds good, maybe you should show the process on that. Anyway, killer lookin tiki, love the detail. Top notch there chief.

Wes: Looking forward to meeting you at Swanky's carving seminar if all works out.

Doubravski: Thanks for the tip - I'll check that book out for sure. Just the quick browse I had through your copy of "Oceanic Arts" had me hooked.

Capo: Likewise I'm sure. The thing that impresses me most about your built-up tikis is the amount of detail for the short window of opportunity that you have before the mortar sets. I'm really interested in the method - they look killer.

Will: Yeah, I think it's just the wood type I'm using. Again no big deal, but nonetheless, I'm going to switch to something more stable. My ficus supply has run out anyway. The next tiki will be redwood from that mask blank you gave me. And BTW, when the tikis start talkin', it's time to set the bottle down!

5-0: What's up, Bro? Have not heard much from you lately, it's time for you to start carving again. Let's hook up for a carving session sometime - I keep forgetting how close you are. Better yet, let's go out to Spermy's place, drink all his beer and leave a pile of wood chips - I'm sure he wouldn't mind!

Surfintiki, thanks for the props! That Leroy of yours is looking world class.

A-A

Just back from Maui and adjusting to the mainland time zone and the harsh reality of returning to work. My head is still in Maui, though. Here is where we stayed, Napili Bay.

The last time we hit Maui was 6 years ago. I have to say, hanging out at Tiki Central the last 2 years or so has sharpened my tiki radar. This time I had a plan to seek out some of the local tiki carvers.

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**
First Tongan Carver
**
I quickly stumbled across a Tongan carver across the street from the big Banyan tree park in Lahaina.

I honestly don't remember his name, but he was a very laid back and pleasant to talk with. This was just my second day on the island and it was really nice to hang out & watch a native carver doing his craft out in the open market with the sun and a nice island breeze. This is what I call a vacation!

Notice that all of the carvers that I met in Hawaii use pretty much the same tools - hand chisels, a small wood club for a mallet, and a surform to round the edges and smooth it out (no sanding - I like it!).

Here's some of his work - a really nice style.

I introduced myself as a carver and we chatted for awhile about the tiki carving thing. I learned a bit about the local woods and asked him if I could buy a blank piece. No problem - I got the "haole carver's discount", and happily walked away with a nice piece of "Milo" wood.

Milo is a nice hard wood with beautiful variations of dark and light brown with bands or reddish and even purplish color through the heartwood. I'm saving this one for a house tiki.

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**
Ma'ake
**
The next day I met another local carver in Napili Center at a crafts fair. His name is Ma'ake (pronounced Ma-a-kay). Coincidentally, Ma'ake was also a Tongan carver. I later found out that virtually all of the carvers on the island were Tongans, and pretty much all related, being cousins or 2nd cousins of the same carving clan.

As soon as I introduced myself as a carver, Ma'ake gestured for me to take a seat on the ground next to him and we were soon deep into a discussion of the art of carving. It was really fascinating. These Tongan carvers have a way about them that is difficult to describe. They are all big guys, but softspoken with an air of tranquility and peacefulness about them. He told me of his heritage as a carver, being 5th generation of a line of carvers, each one learning the craft from father to son. He told me how in the old days the wood was carved using sharpened shells, before chisels were available (something I've often wondered about). I asked him why all of the local carvers were Tongans, not Hawaiians. The short answer was that Hawaiians own land, and Tongans pay mortgages - Tongans being a very hardworking people. And why are all the Tongans carving Hawaiian tikis, not Tongan? Short answer: People who come to Hawaii want Hawaiian tikis, people who go to Tonga want Tongan tikis.

Ma'ake's style, like the others that I met, was a mix of Tongan & Hawaiian. The dieties are Hawaiian, the detailing is Tongan. I really like this style.

I bought this little guy, which is carved from "Hau" wood. He inscribed it with his name on the back as a keepsake. Ma'ake was really interested in my mainland wood supply, and I promised to bring some redwood logs for a trade on my next trip.

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**
Tevita
**
Later I ran into Tevita, another Tongan who sells at The Cannery Mall in Lahaina. We really struck a chord, and talked lots about tools. He was very interested in chainsaw carving bars and the Arbortech reciprocating grinder/chisel, and I promised to mail him a catalog and some web printouts (he has no internet access). I told Tevita about my "Haole Carver's Discount" on the Milo wood. He thought for a moment and then told me to come back a few days later for a log. No problem, I said!

This is the same "Hau" wood as the tiki that I got from Ma'ake. It is very hard and has a beautiful wavy grain. This piece came with the "Carver Ohana Discount", which means FREE OF CHARGE. Nice!

I also bought this Monkeypod tiki from Tevita, and he tapped his name on the back for me. We bought most of our groceries from the Safeway at that mall, so I ended up hanging out with Tevita several times over the course of the week.

BTW, this is what a monkeypod tree looks like, they are all over the place in Maui.

Here's some of Tevita's work.

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At first glance most of the Tongan Carver Ohana's work looked pretty similar. But take a closer look and you will see the unique style of each. They all draw on the same roots, but every member of the clan had taken their art down a slightly different path. Brouse these photos a second time and you will get a feel for it. I also noticed that just a couple of the pieces were decidedly "non-traditional". (Just thought I'd mention that in light of our recent discussions here at TC).

Here is my shameless offspring photo. Nathan actually cried when we left Maui. He thought we had moved there. This is a boy after my own heart.

It is hard to relay to all of you what an authentic (for lack of a better word) and rewarding experience it was to hang out and share perspectives with these guys. It was really natural and I did not feel so much like a tourist as a brother carver.

I returned to the world of daily internet access to find a deep discussion of what is TIKI happening on my favorite website. It is hard to think that hard. **Keep the Island Spirit, TC Ohana!

Aloha!

A-A
**

Looks like a neat place to visit.

Great to see someone enjoy the experience. Thanks much for sharing the great photos. I pulled inspiration from several of the little guys. Can't wait to see what you have in store from those pieces. I always feel that the wood communicates what it wants to become. Those should have plenty of mojo.

P.S. Do you have other shots posted somewhere on the web?

Hey Aaron-
Thanks for sharing!!! I love Maui Too!!! I am glad you had a great time!! I have some great shots of some other Tiki's that the Tongan carvers did. If I have time I'll post some of my Pics!! Welcome Back Bro!!
Later,
Spermy

Aaron, you were definitely blessed to be able to learn from those carving brothers!

i guess you'll be raising the bar for all of us once again! :)

great pics aaron!! i wish when we were over there a couple years ago i would've hung around some of the carvers more. i bought a tiki from tevita, but the guy in your pics looks different than the guy i bought one from. i got mine at a farmers market in kihei, but it's very similar to the ones you took pics of. can't wait to see what you do with the wood you brought back. i'm sure it'll be something great!

Nice post...Man, those guys are second nature...the real deal all the way..They don't even have to t h i n k about carving, much like Jimmy Hendrix or Stevie Ray or Dick Dale didn't have to think about playing the guitar. It just happens... open channel. I'd love to sit down with some of those cats and chisel sometime..Although I'd definitely be out of my league and in the student seat.

Aaron, Thanks for sharing your adventures! Love the pictures and the personal stories. "Tongan Tikis Rock!"
When my parents went to Hawaii last year I of course asked them to look for such carvers and craft booths but they didn't find me ANYTHING there. Maybe they just didn't look in the right places??? Next time they go I swear I am going to insist that they need me to go just to carry their luggage or remind them to take their pills. BTW, Great pictures too!

Well done man! Thanks for documenting that for us, I felt like I was there (I'm gonna cry like Nathan too that we gotta go back to the mainland!) That wood looks beautiful, so exotic to me. I was really hoping to get to the islands this winter, but a move to the west coast may be in store for me, so maybe next year.
So cool you got to sit down with these Tongans, frickin' COOL!

Good Lord...I just looked on page 12 at that Lono. Now THAT's raising the bar, man, no words needed. Detail, detail, detail.. Clean, precise chisel work. Dripping in Tiki mana..I got respect, dude (right fist over heart, left hand chakka brah). That's the kind of guy you want in your platoon .. As for cracks, when people are picky about them any more, I just say "Welcome to the world of wood". I used to obsess over them for hours, shooting superglue into every tiny check that appeared. But I started to like them. And now, a tiki without at least one good crack just isn't a tiki. Look at Paul's Place Of Refuge photos. Shoot a little spray of Matte Black in them and it'll make a piece that good look like it cracked in Don The Beachcomber's 60 years ago...mana!

Thanks for the pics and the background. And what BK said about your Lono. You have definately reached the next plateau or two.

Awesome photos dude. I love it.

Looks like you had a good time too (even passing this damn tiki infection onto the kids :) ).

Aloha A2,
Those pics are killer. It looks like you guys had a great time and you scored some pretty unique souveneirs. I bet the carvers don't get many visitors asking them for uncarved wood chunks. I bet you made a couple of good friends talkin story with them fellas and your interest in them. Great post thanks for sharing your adventures. Next time I want to go.

Chongolio

AA-
Great pics, when we were in Maui in July I met the first carver you posted pics of across from the banyan tree. We scored a large mask and I had him sign it, I will post pics and his name when I get home from work. He had some incredibly intricate carvings, he was also 4th generation tongan carver and had a 13 ft monster he, his father, uncles and brothers carved together for 3 months. (I'll post pics)
We are heading back to Napili point in January, can't wait.

Mahalo for sharing AA - -

I am planning a family trip for next year and am hoping to fit a similar adventure within the trip.

ALOHA

Aloha Aaron!!!!!!!
That lono is SWEET so SWEET i think I'm getting Cavities just looking at it . I love seeing your own individualities in your carvings Keep carving and having fun with it Aloha Your Friend Mooney

AA-
Here are the phots of the first Tongan carver you posted, his name is Hia Lavaka.

the big tiki is one he carved with his family over a period of months, the intricate detail was amazing, and I loved how he worked with the natural shape of the wood and incorparated branches etc.. into the final peice.




the last image is a mask we picked up from him.

Really nine vacation pix Fink. Makes me very jealous. Those Tongan carvers look to have micronesia carving background, I wonder if they would say if asked what Island they really come from??
What a vacation.

Mahalo, my friends!

Alientiki: Which island are you on? We will probably return next year, not sure which island. Probably the big island or Kauai. It would be cool to look you up.

PCT: No pics up yet, but I will try to do it soon. The wood should have some mojo for me - coming from the islands and all. They will be for special tikis for my wife & son.

Spermy: Great pics! That looks like the open-air crafts market in Lahaina. I meant to stop by there, but didn't think dragging the whole family around looking at tikis all day would be wise! It was vacation after all. Those tikis in your picture are quite a bit different than the others that I saw, although the same basic style.

Palama, 5-0, 8 FT., Surfintiki & BK: I really enjoyed hanging out with the carvers for a short while. They are not used to tourists with much knowledge of tiki and carving, I could tell. It was a highlight of the trip for sure, and I think they also were pretty curious about the mainland carvers, tools, & other stuff we talked about.

BK & Raffertiki: Thanks for the comps. Well, I've posted about a zillion pics of this tiki from start to finish, so what's one or two more? BK, we're thinking alike. I'm doing a 3-tone stain job on this guy for an "ancient relic" sort of look. I hosed him down with ebony stain, even used a spray bottle to spray it into all of the cracks. Then I sanded it all down again so I could apply the next color. I have a few mores steps to go. Here's a sneak peak (I will do a little step-by-step on the finishing later):

Hewey: My son may be immune. After the 3rd or 4th stop he told me "no more tikis" (sternly)! He just wanted to go to the beach and play in the sand.

Chongo: Yeah, the first guy seemed a bit taken aback when I asked to buy a wood blank - not a common request. I forgot to mention, that "Hau" wood is also known as "Wild Hibiscus". It is hard as a rock, but should look pretty nice all sanded up.

Sirginn: Thanks for posting the great pics. Those particular carvers seemed like the most talented of the clan in my opinion. I saw a few similar pieces with the limbs incorporated into the piece like in your pictures.

Manokoa: Yes, definitely look these guys up. Any of the local carvers would spend some time talking with you I'm sure. Suggestion: If you have any decent mainland wood that is scarce in the islands, bring some along for a possible trade.

Mooney: Thank for the comps! Much appreciated!

Ben: I don't have that much knowledge of Tonga, but the style just looked cool to me. Tevita promised to carve me an authentic Tonga style tiki (not Hawaiian) if I let him know in advance before coming out next trip. I think that would be really cool.

Now I've gotta start thinking about the next carve.

**Thanks for all the great comments!

Mahalo,

A-A**

Man, Aaron, that's an incredible job... i'm liking the stain work! i would definitely be interested in the step by step stain tutorial.

Oooooooooooh AA, that looks like serious fun, playin with stains like that. That Lono is so cool.
I love those Tongan carvers stuff, and I'm wondering who might of carved this guy I bought 2 years ago (Lamo-ebay) from Hawaii. Maui, I think. But I notice resemblances to the styles you showed. Pretty contrasting colors in the wood too. Thought you'd want to see.

Palama: I'll get the step-by-step together shortly. Be advised - there will be some "what not to do" stuff in there too. Stay posted!

Surfintiki: Thanks for posting your tiki. Nice piece! It definitely bears the mark of the Tongans. It's hard to tell, but I think the wood is "Hau" (Wild Hibiscus). It looks too dark to be Monkeypod. Next time we go back, maybe I can score you a small piece of that same wood.

A-A

Not if I beat you there first my friend!
Wait, get me a piece too, then I can stop by on the way back and pick up another piece from you!!! :)

The carvers for the site below are using that Tongan style as well.

They also have some pretty cool weapons on there.

http://www.tikimaster.com/c=kaxMlqZcFWs4x0UttoBakQSYX/

Antique Staining & Finishing Step-By-Step

First I finished all of the sanding down to 60 grit. Unlike some of my previous tikis, this one did not want to be fine-sanded.

I dumped the idea of using tile for the eyes, and carved them out instead. The first mock-up for the staining didn’t turn out all that well, so I tried again and settled on my final stain combination. I was shooting for an aged, vintage sort of look. Benzart had given me some tips on one of his methods of using a dark stain then hitting the rough spots with sandpaper to age it up.

Here’s the final sample stain piece.

Step One: I started with a heavy coat of Ebony, so heavy it looked like I had dipped it in a big can of stain. I also used a plastic spray bottle to spray the stain into all of the cracks so the light wood would not show through.

Step Two: Once the stain had dried well, I sanded the whole thing back down with 60 grit. This is where I deviated a bit from how Ben did his finish on his big palm pieces. With Ficus wood, the contrast is a bit much between the light wood and dark stain. So instead of just roughing the high spots, I took it all down as much as I could for a second color coat. At this stage you can see every spot that you missed sanding. But with this approach, every missed spot is an asset, and helps with the antique look. The relief carving gets a torched look in all of the deep spots.

Step Three: A coat of "Provincial" for the torso, face, eyes, hair tie, and middle parts of the headpiece.

Step Four: A coat of "Red Mahogany" for the hair, mask, and uprights for the headpiece.

One minor setback was the "Liquid Rawhide Redwood" stain that I used for the pedestal. It turns out to be a tacky thick kind of stain that is meant to be used on fences and sets up without any wiping. I had tried it on a sample, but for some reason it came out all wrong on the piece – really orangey and thick. After I did the pedestal, I switched to the Red Mahogany for the headpiece.

The pedestal woyuld probably have looked okay, but after all of the work so far, I decided to do a little redo rather than settle. After all, this thing is going in my living room.

Sanded the base back down…

More Ebony stain…

More sanding, then a coat of Red Mahogany….

And what would have been Step Five Final lettering with the Provincial stain.

A while back, Ben gave me some advice on finishing, which I decided to take.

On 2005-06-26 07:05, Benzart wrote:
I use that Deft lacquer too and it is a great finish. If you want a nice sealer that is quick drying and easily sanded, try using plain old shellack. they make some that is pretty clear and you can build up 3 or four coats in an hour and have a beautiful finish with it in no time. After it dries thoroughly (couple hours), then go with a couple coats of the deft for a glass smoothe finish.

Step Six: Four coats of shellac, one every 15 minutes.

Step Seven: Waited one hour, then applied three coats of lacquer, one every 30 minutes.

Ben’s finishing combination worked out great. I am so stoked! My old method was to
Brush on Spar Varnish, wait 48 hours between coats, sand with 220 to get out all of the brush marks and drips, then repeat the whole thing again for four more coats. This method worked twice as well and took just one afternoon without any sanding between coats.

I was just browsing through this post and noticed how many peeps offered up tips. Thanks for all the tips, especially to you Ben.

Here’s the finished project if anyone wants a look-see.

Cheers,

A-A

Thanks for the step by step. I cant that good anyway, but if I did, thats how i would stain my next piece. Awesome

Aaron: thanks for the great step-by-step and what an incredible finished work of art!

when applying the stain, did you brush on, wipe or sponge on the stain?

Thanks very much Hewey! Try it on your next carving for sure.

On 2005-11-22 05:51, Palama Tiki wrote:
...when applying the stain, did you brush on, wipe or sponge on the stain?

Palama: I applied a very heavy first coat of ebony first and didn't bother wiping it off too much - just let it dry before sanding it all back down. I used those little cheap throw away sponge brushes for all of the staining. The second coat, provincial stain, was transparent enough for the ebony undercoat to show through. I just painted it over the first coat of ebony after the sanding, then wiped it off good with a rag. But the third coat, red mahogany, tended to really cover up the ebony. If I ever use the red mahogany stain again this way, I will dap it very lightly over the detail areas, taking care that it doesn't go down into the cracks. The dark red of the stain tended to cover up the ebony as it seeped down. In hindsight it would look better if the black of the ebony showed up better in all of the recesses instead of being covered by up with the mahogany stain. The ebony still showed through, but not quite as strongly as I would have liked. Did that make sense?

I started prepping my next log today - a piece of Cedar that I got from Will at SCTikishack. I picked this log because there was barely a glimmer of cracks and it's been curing for quite a while. Besides, it smells really, really nice.

To procure the log, I had to venture into my below-porch storage, which has become a veritable nightmare of spiders and creepy crawlies. I'm tempted to hose all of my wood down with insecticide.

I've got way too much wood crammed under my porch, and I'm planning on culling out any pieces with cracks by converting them to firewood this weekend. At my slow rate of carving, it would take me years to get through what I've got, and I've found it's best to start with the least cracked wood possible, as it just gets worse from then on.

I've got a few questions on wood storage:

Is it better to remove all of the bark for long-term storage? Will this cut down on all the bugs & spiders that have moved in and multiplied? I'm also concerned about termites (and possible spread to my home), though I have not seen any yet. Will the bark removal hasten or increase cracking of the wood?

Thanks,

A-A

AA I know that some termites are subterranean in our area.I have had termite issues at my house.The other type migrate from the nest at certain times of the year,usually on hot days looking for new wood to eat.Keep the wood off the earth and the subterranean type will not be a problem.Are far as other pests you can get some granular insecticide and treat the ground under the porch for long term eradication.As far as what to do with the bark??

Thanks, Capo. The storage area under my porch has a concrete slab, so I guess I don't have to worry about subterranean termites.

Hi Aaron...how's it going?

As far as de-barking is concerned, I don't know much about non-palm wood questions (though I beliece BK talks at length about prep and storage in the carving thread, and lake may have some great inshight too) but as far as palm is concerned, I'ver noticed that if you husk off all the extra "frond" pieces and make the log look like these:

then they don't tend to get as stringy as if you leave all the exra frond pieces on. (these are from a 100+ foot mexican fan, so they were already de-froned years ago by tree trimmers)
DEFINATELY keep the logs waiting to carved off the ground (just throw a few 2x2's benieth them to raise them aoff the ground for air circulation) and laying down. also - don't stack them ontop of one another either, unless you put something betweent he logs (more 2x2's work great). I don't know how they will react to being in an enclosed area that gets very little air flow, though. all my palm is outside. I ususally try and carve the palm while it's still a little wet (like 3-7 months into the drying process) as the palm is like buttah.

For termites, unless your house is already infested (or the wood you recieve is already infested) you really have nothing to worry about. the little buggers don't prefer palm, but will enter if there is nothing else better around. REdwood also naturally repels termites (to some extent - once again only if there is nothing else better around), but ceder can be a magnet if termites are in your area. Once again, because you have a storage area next to your garage with a concrete slab - I don't believe you have much to worry about. Black widows, however, do enjoy dark areas and wood piles. There's usually always one in my wood piles. They're a little easier to see and take care of, though.

I hope that helped, aaron. keep carvin', bro! I can't wait to see the next one!

I was pleasantly surpised to get a call from one of my Carver friends from Maui yesterday.

On 2005-11-15 00:19, Aaron's Akua wrote:
**
Tevita
**

I mailed of a letter to Tevita a while back with some pictures of some of my carvings and some web printouts for tools that he was interested in. I also ordered some catalogs & had them sent to his place, since he doesn't have web access yet.

Anyways, he did get a chance to see this thread on his friend's computer, and wants me to post some pictures of his better carvings. So as soon as he gets them mailed over, I'll be sure to scan them in and post them up for everyone to check out. Apparently he also won a first place award for a club (weapon) that he carved and entered in a local contest. I'm looking forward to seeing that one as well.

It turns out his son just won a full college football scholarship, and it looks like he'll be going to San Diego State next year. So Tevita will be coming out to the mainland with his son early next year, and I will try to do a little get together at one of the local tiki bars. All local TCers will be welcome to join us.

Other than that, I am putting the final touches on my next design. I will post something once I get the lines on the log and a little progress to show.

Aloha,

A-A

Sorry, Polynesiac! I guess I totally missed your reply. I got everything all straightened out with the wood storage/bug/potential termite issue. Thanks for the tips. Good luck with all your carving deadlines!

Aaron

AA
That step by step aged look finishing was wonderful. I am going to give it a try on my next tiki. I hope it comes out as good as yours.
JP

Thanks JP. If the tiki is going to go outside, you might want to substitute spray-on Spar Varnish instead of the Deft Laquer for the topcoats. Spar Varnish is totally compatible with the Shellac as a topcoat.

I just got started on a new tiki. It's a stylized Ku from a redwood log. I had to tweak the design a lot to make use of the white sapwood vs. the red heartwood. It's the same challenge that Mr. 8 FT and Gman have been dealing with lately.

I'm looking forward to a carving session with Doubravski this weekend, and hopefully will have some good progress to share.

Cheers!

A-A

Great rough out so far Aaron. I'm liking the design. It sure helps to carve with other people.

looks like you're gonna have another great piece of work with this guy. you've done some great work and i'm sure this one will be no exception. keep us updated with the progress!

Dang AA, looks like you put a LOT of time into drawing that one out! Man, all the power to ya. I just can't bring myself to do that. I'll mark a center line and rough out one side, then make saw hits where I want to hit my "marks" on the other, but that's as much planning as I can handle :) It's neat to see a totally different approach. He looks wicked already...I can't wait to see him once you dive into that heartwood. Let us see more soon.

-Gman

Aaron, it's about time you posted a carving. This one is shaping up to look like the typical, Precision cut Aaron's Akua Piece. Take plenty of pictures since we are Starving for your work.
Thanks.