New stuff added!!

Here's the Headhunter pen That I enteredinto the Woodcraft show recently. The pen and holder were carved from Paduak, while the hair is Rafia, and the skulls were made from Sculpy. The base was a truly inspired idea. Each pen in the future will have a base.


I had a lot of really good responce from all of the people that were at the show; "how creative","unique"... Unfortunatley I did not even come close to competing with most of the other stuff at the show - hand turned bowls, unbeleivable sculptures, a lot of talent out there.

AS,
Did you show them at the Woodcraft in Pompano show a few weeks ago? If so i must have left before you showed them. Awesome work my friend...keep it up

Loki, yes. I had 2 pens in the show. However, I took them home with me after the judging was done. They wanted everyone to leave their stuff at the store for the entire day but I couldn't stay and did not want to leave them there. I met a few of the teachers and spoke with almost everyone that was there (after my third trip around the store there wasn't much else to do). I was really not in that great of a mood because my camera crapped out on me at the show - all of my pictures were scrambled.

awesome stuff~!!! i'd have no problem paying $50 for a pen with a base work of art like that....you can also carve an original in wood, and sell resin casting copies for a lower end product...check out crazy al's finishes on his resin tikis...you can easily get that brown color. Then you will always have mold of you original designs and can sell the original wood carved pen at a higher cost...of course, after i buy a couple first.....

Exquisite pens. I favor-covet this one:

Keep on carving!

Glad to see you posing your work again. I Heard a little about the Woodcraft show, But I couldn;t attend. To many last minute stuff w/ my teenagers. Hope to meet ya soon.

Definttely getting more awesome AS. I really like the base idea. That last one was really outta sight.

Thanks for all of the compliments. I haven't posted anything lately because of my camera, but that issue has been resolved. I love doing the pens because its such a portable project - I can carry them with me almost anywhere. All of my carving is done with a #11 Xacto blade. I've tried other blades but its the one blade that I feel most comfortable with. I also love working with the exotic woods. I picked up a package of mixed wood from Woodcraft and have tried all of them with mixed degrees of success (even used Deer Antler). Most have been turned into normal wood pens while others you have already seen.

A funny story - since using the lathe I have tried many woods, native and exotic. About 6 months ago I developed a strange rash - all over! I thought it was a heat rash or something similar (at the same time we were fighting head lice with my daughters). I was itchy from head to toe - I reaked of Calamine lotion. One night I was so itchy in some private places that I accused my lovely wife of giving me the crabs. She wasn't amused! Then I did some research and discovered that not only do some wood species cause sinus and lung infections but they also cause skin irritation. Mystery solved. It was an expensive lesson because I had to make up with the wife and that wasn't cheap. So be aware and carve smart.

LOL...woops...your lucky she didnt stab you with one of those pens....

Here are two pens that I have been working on and hestitant to finish (see previous post). both are made of Cocobolo and still require a final buffing. The stand was a project I started a long time ago out of Butternut and converted into a stand for the pens. It looks great on the desk.

Those pens you're carving are great! I like the base idea as well, kind'a the finishing touch. Now, and this is just me of course, but I'd like to see some as fountain-type pens, perhaps with gold wire or enameled inlays. Fine work!

Here's a little guy I've been playing with. He's 4 inches tall and made from basswood. i'm not sure what I'm going to do with him yet but thought I would post him. Any suggestions?

[ Edited by: AlohaStation 2006-01-20 13:38 ]

Sure I have a Great suggestion,,,Send it too me and let me think about for a few years. I Love this guy.

That's a damn fine pocket tiki. I like your style. For such a small tiki, the carving is really crisp. What tools do you use?

He really has a ton of personality...Could he hold an AlohaStation Pen in his mouth?

Cool looking tiki pen.

Large pendant? I don't know - I'd probably put him in a display case under the LED lights and leave him there for awhile. You've taken these small tikis to an amazing level, Aloha.

It looks great just as it is. That is my suggestion.
JP

Thanks for all the props. Aaron actually came up with the idea I was leaning towards. I will be mounting him on a frame and mounting him on the wall with some other little buddies.

Foamy - most of my carving ois done with an Xacto and #11 blade. I have tried alot of other tools but, as a graphic designer I feel most comfortable with the Xacto.

I was busy this weekend on a tiki that I started at the S.FL Tiki Jam. I will post pictures tomorrow.

This is my second big tiki. I spent a lot of time just working with the differnt tools. Chisels, Angle Grinder, electric chainsaw, and Dremel - trying to get a feel for what I like the best. This guy is has progressed since the pictures and is ready for final sanding and finishing. My question is: The log is still pretty frsh with a lot of moisture still inside - should I wait till it dries a bit before sealing it with epoxy? I'm a bit concerned because mold has been growing on it at an alarming rate.

[ Edited by: AlohaStation 2006-01-23 06:57 ]

Here's the updated image with my little apprentice.

[ Edited by: AlohaStation 2006-01-24 08:22 ]

AlohaStation, He really looks wonderful. I have been waiting to see him finished.

I have been having the same mold issues too, every now and then , i spray a 1:1 bleach/water mix and let it sit. After my final sanding i stain it and seal it, I've had no problems yet.

What tools did you end up using, liking the most with this big guy...?

Having a helper is always great...

Again, nice job with this guy.

Hey Loki,

I was going to stop by on Sunday (more swimming lessons at the Y) to see if you you were out there carving but time got away from me. Doing larger tikis is alot different than the smaller ones. I really enjoyed using the electric chainsaw and angle grinder. The next tiki will be done much faster because I now have a little bit of a technique. This guy just needs to be finish sanded - my least favorite part. That's because as I sand him I keep wanting to do more carving on him. Its a vicious cycle.

Thats the fun of it, More sanding, more detail, more sanding, more detail..... Put him in your garage and let him dry out there awhile before you seal him, or you will get mold growing Under the sealer.
Excellent looking Tiki AS. You have been Holding Out on us I see.. Excellent

That is one big pen. It was a very creative way to frame the skull with the arms. Looks good. I hate to sand to, but thats part of the process.
JP

great looking big tiki. I really dig the stylized hands holding the skull. That mouth reminds me of one I'm working on right now...too cool, AS

Yes, like ben sez, if the tiki is-a-molding, wait a little bit before stain and sealer. Feel free to blast it with mold remover too, or just let it mold, because after you blast it, the mold will continue until the outer portions of the log are dry. Mmmmm...white, fuzzy mold....

Cool looking tiki there.

Thanks for the compliments. This is actually a reproduction of one of my pens. The hands came from trying to figure out a full body in the small formats. I am finish sanding this big guy and decided to put him to the side for a few days. As I'm sanding hime it seems like all I'm doing is pushing the palm hairs one way or another. I'll give hime some time to dry before I try finishing him. More tikis to come - I've stepped up my production. I just finished putting on an addition and pool and I need some tikis for the landscape!!

Aloha Bruddah!
great work brah...very impressed with your creativity! Someday Id like to own of your "pocket" tikis brah...Maybe we work out some kine "bruddah" deal, yeah? if youre ever interested, let me know!

Keep up the good work cuz...

Malama Pono!

Seems to me that you could do just about anything tiki that you want to. Have the talent for it.
I can't carve small...drives me nuts.
Great work Mr. Aloha..

You got chops, braDDAH!

Hey Aloha Station... That's looking fine. I really like the skull in his hands and the face design on him too.

Here's a mask that I just finished from a fan palm. Its about 2.5 feet tall. This guy has a lot of personality and was a real struggle with mold. I started working on him the day the tree was cut so the wood was very wet. But I think he turned out nice.

Here are some of my "pocket tikis". Mostly, spare pieces of wood that I carry around and whittle on when I get a chance. The smallest is walnut(? - part of an old gun stock), the dark brown wood is cocobolo, and the mask is butternut. Thought I would post these guys for everyone to see.

[ Edited by: AlohaStation 2006-02-24 07:08 ]

What is this - wood rot? While carving I went deep into the log and hit this. Its looks like mold? I'm hoping the log can be salvaged because I have a too much time in it to toss. Any thoughts or suggestions

A.S.,

I've used diluted bleach. But don't try it unless someone else confirms that it is OK. The rot and mold are major buggers in palm.

-Gman

What kind of palm is it? If it's Washington, it's history.

The palm is Sabal. On the cut ends - it looks fine. I had the intention to hollow the log for hanging on a wall. Will that help?

So what do you do with a rotten tiki? You rip his guts out and put him in the sweat box for three+ days!!

I figured that that what had happened was the outside of the log dried so quickly that it sealed all of the moisture inside the log. I was right. When I split the log the entire guts of the log were like a sponge, super moist and moldy. So I took a page from Benzart's book and gutted the log - I then placed the log in my shed with the insides facing the hottest part of the shed. After a couple days I went and checked on the log to see if it split - It didn't, and the inside is dry and firm! WooHoo!! This weekend I plan on finishing him and will post more pictures later.

Good news AS. Now you have tow tikis for one or did the other side get destroyed?

The other side was not in good shape to start with. It is now mulch.

It's looking nice. Cutting it in half makes the headress really stand out. Too bad the other side is mulch, two would have been nice. You should see my "mulch" pile.
JP

The Creating Tiki thread has been very busy lately. He's my latest contribution. Salvaged from palm rot I just finished this guy. My first Lono. I've been working on him for a while, but really happy with how he turned out. Other TCer's had a hand with this log - GMan shaved the back side of the log during the S. FL Tiki Jam and Stumpgrinder made her Moai mask out of the leftover.

I had some problem with palm rot and had to hollow the log. It turned out great with no problem of rot.

[ Edited by: AlohaStation 2006-03-17 06:46 ]

He is very cool! I really like your style... great job!

Super job AS, I'm really impressed with that Lono!!
I'm really liking the smaller pieces yopu are doing too, you are Really coming on Strong.

That guy seemed to turn from palm wood to plastic super hero cartoon.

Meaning, its has so much character and is so smooth like, plastics.

I think that the rot was a good thing cause you came out with these results.

Beautiful recovery Aloha! Nice Nice.

Glad to be of service! That is a great piece! One to be very proud of. I love the damn thing!

-Gman

The finish turned out great! How did you do it? Paint, stain or flame?
JP