BENZART's Carvings Second original thread

Geesh! Fine jewelry from wood. No one but you would attempt this, Ben. You're the best mana in this wedding party! Er... get it? ** Best MANA!!?? **

Okay, beautiful work...

Now there is art if ever posted here. Glad to see ya back at. I hope that I can get to visit with you in march when were there.

Ben-
Those rings are true keepsakes. Amazing artwork.
How is you eye healing?

Aloha Ben!!!!!
I love that wedding band but I was kind of hoping for some HORSE TEETH or would that be wrong. HA HA HA (I like horse teeth I see them every time I look into the mirrior) aloha for now your friend , Mooney

It really feels great to be able to chop wood again. Thanks to everyone for the well wishes during my eye fix recovery. It is a simple procedure but the last one was Way better than the first.

Polynesiac, thanks. That small scale detail is definitely the most difficult to do.

Aarons, thanks to you too. Yes jewelry. I didn't think of it as jewelry while I was carving it, just another piece of wood. I didn't think about being the best Mana but you are Right. HappyHappy

Thanks Rodeo, It will be great to finally meet you and see who you are! Same for everyone else who will be there, I Can't wait.

Moondance, thanks, I hope they last forever and their marrige does the same. This was a special commission that I will always remember.

Jimmy, Thanks bro. I had no room for horse teeth, maybe next time..

What to do next..... I have to finish a X-mas carving for my son and his new wife. I have to finish 2 tap handles for Tiki bird. I owe Tiki Toa a carving, and a bunch more on the list I need to get out of the way, but first I may do another BigBenzArt, ant suggestions??

How about a Marquesan Ben? Good to hear you are doing well.

Alright Ben, I am very glad to hear things are on the mend and your chisels are doing their thing. The ring is a knock out. I am always blown away at the intricacies of your stylins'

Chongolio

It makes me almost want to take on a second wife, but really, it's the mark of a true master to redo something that was already accepted whole-heartedly, because you were not 100% satisfied.

Tiki Diablo, thanks. I have never done a large marq so I think I'll wait awhile. Looking forward to the Carving sessions with you!!

Thanks Chongolio, I am feeling Much better.. Doing the small intricate pieces is easy when you have magnifyers and small tools. Heck, you could do it if you wanted??

Thanks to you too Raffer. Well, you know, being a wedding ring and all, it HAs to be just right and be able to last forever, and I had to do the right thing.

I have this piece of Real, True Ebony that has been staring at me for a long time. Well, I couldn't stand it any longer and had to cut into it. It is Solid black and very hard. Also it is difficult to photograph, but here is the start. I HAD to see how it polished up.

[ Edited by: Benzart 2005-11-22 16:40 ]

Ben,

That is some awesome looking wood. Wow, that tiki is gonna look great. It sure shines up nice. Will you show us more tomorrow?

Ben-
That ebony looks sweet! Are you using carbide bits because of it's hardness??
Does that piece have a potential home??
Moon

Ben, great to here you are doing well. Those wedding bands are beautiful!

Mehalos GMAN, If I work on it omorrow, I will show pix. I have a set of 3 Cat scans to have done tomorrow morning at 2 hours each (so they say) so, not sure how I'l feel afterward. Ebony does buff up great and it shows every nick and scratch so those have to be hidden.

Moondance, Yes I'm using carbide for the most part. I have some diamond dusted tips and some hi speed steel bits too. The carbide will not dull out as quick as the steel. I tried my hook blade and it took chunks out of it and made it look like a serrated blade. This is a homeless guy I just picked up off the street. no one has claimed him yet.

Thanks Swampfire. Missed you at Hukilau. So far I be doing greatexcept for the normal junk. Thanks for the comps on the rings, I Really enjoyed doing them.

This ebony machines Very well and sands OK, but Cuts Terrible!

Ben,
Can you sends me a PM on that ebony fellow?
moon
Hope the CAT scan goes fast

[ Edited by: Moondance 2005-11-22 20:06 ]

now i feel even more honored to be in toms wedding....hope i dont "misplace" the rings !(wink.wink....lol!)

[ Edited by: hala bullhiki 2005-11-22 21:29 ]

He's comming along great, Ben! Not only do I love your carvings, but your experience, and your tool supply too. Can't wait to see more. :D

Go get'em Ben! Hope everything turn's out cool on the CATS. Don't eat to much tomorrow. Hope you and Mrs. Sherry have a Happy, Happy, Happy, day tomorrow!

Thanks Bullhiki, I don't think you could get away with misplacing Those rings. melissa seems to be pretu much on top of things there and I would not want to deal with her should the rings dissapear while I had them.

Finky, thanks, yo only love me for my tools :( but it's OK, I'll show you the progress pix anyway.

Thanks Tiki G, I Plan on eating way too much tomorrow, can't wait. The easy part of the cats are done for now.

Heres the update on the ebony piece.

Hope you can see this little bugger, the camera will not see it very well.

Cool Ben! I love the rings, the detail in them is so sweet. It just blows me away.

That new guy is looking pretty sweet too, cool lines to him.

Hey Ben,

I'm in Chicago and it's bloody cold! This is no place for a Florida boy! That New piece is looking mighty nice. When you put the polish to it it's gonna look magnificent. Your work always amazes me.

-Gman

Oooooooh, I bet you got somethin' special planned for his face! Can't wait.

that is already a beautiful piece, ben. Can't wait for the updates.

hows carving ebony? looks like a really hard wood...is it?

If you try to cut it with a knife it is too hard, but if you use the metal working bits on it it seems fairly soft. It has a grain bit yuo don't see it unles you get up against it. You can see the grain when it's polished too. It machines nicely with metal working tools, but as you will see the finish needs to be perfect or it will stick out like a sore thumb. Polynesiac, it is Very hard wood and it makes a very fine black dust that goes everywhere.

Surfer, I don't have anything planned yet for the face, it will evole as it is uncovered. I'm not even sure how it will look when its done.

Thanks GMAN, I have a sneekin' suspicion, it is gonna look great when it is done. I have enough True black ebony to do a few small pieces..

Hewey, Thanks man, I'm very glad I got the chance to do the rings. Those people were Purple Jades customers and she sent them to me for the Wood carvings. I Owe her big time. Everybody buy her mugs they really look great. I'm gonna get a set.

This guy will be a pendant and I may keep him I'm not sure. He will also stand on my desk and guard my mouse.
Hope everyone had a great Turky day, I know I did so will be useless tomorrow.
Goodnight all

Like that piece, Ben...I always wanted to try some ebony...can only find it in old clarinets around here; not enough there to carve!

Hey Thanks BK.
You can get ebony at Woodcraft online or at local stores
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?DeptID=1073&FamilyID=683
And it is Fairly reasonable.

Aloha Ben!!!!!!!!!!
That Tangaroa is looking Sweet !!! But I know they look even better in person, Aloha , Your friend ,Mooney

Thanks Mooney, I appreciate your props.

Here is the latest update. Found what I believe is Pink Ebony ( in a grab bag from Woodcraft) that I figured would look cool in the tang.

[ Edited by: Benzart 2005-11-26 15:01 ]

OH SNAP! That is too cool. I want it! Man, just when I think I've seen evrything in your toolbox....Dang!

Now thats cool. The red is a very nice touch. You take such great detailed photos. I have saved most of them for reference and insperation.

lookin great benz...cant wait to see it done...

Those eyes! It's beautiful!

GMAN, Thanks, My tool box holds MANYunseen strange things. Yhey're all in there just waiting for the opportunity to sneek out.

Rodeo, Thanks, I'm using an old Nikon CoolPix 950 with 2.1 MP that happens to take great Macro shots. The camera does it not me, I just point and shoot.

Kirby, thanks for the props, I guess you'll have to wait,now, Won't you. I'll try ti finish it as soon as I can in say the next 6 months??

Ookoo Lady, If Anyone else told me he had beautiful eyes, I would say"gee thanks" but now coming from you, the eye authority, it's a real compliment. I just hope it turns out as well as I have planned. Any time youtransplant an eye there are many complications to overcome. Thanks again!
Sweet dreams and dont go dreaming abut some demonic, red eyed tiki prowling around at night time looking for the un-wary poor souls who might be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Man you r so unpredictable. I think I am reading you flow of work then ...its shifts. Each style is so different yet your style shows through on every one.

RESPECT.

Great to see that you r healed and back in action.

Another righteous carving . Mahalo

Amazing as always Ben. Perhaps the tiki with the cool eyes was inspired by your recent visual ordeal?

ben it's nice to see you back to work....the red eyes really stand out on this guy. Remember to keep
me moving up the list.

Ben,

Do you have an update for today? It's gotta be close now......

-Gman

Hey Palm City, thanks for the comps, I hate being predictable. I like that ou can see My style showing thru. It feels great to be back to work, although I still have lots of work to do around the house.

Finkers, I'm not sure what inspired the red eyes, but I think it was more that red wood looking at me and seeing the giant eyes on this tiki, they just had to be red. Deep down, it could have been the surgery on the eyes. Thanks

Thanks Conga, I appreciate your comments. I will tackle the list big time after the first of the year.

GMAN, Sorry, no update today, I did homey things with Sherry today, like grocery shopping, getting the X-mas tree and all that junk, but tomorrow I should have a petty good update for ya'.

Again, big Mahalos to everyone, you keep me going.

Must have been like cutting stone, ebony seems very hard.

I realy like the eyes. So pink it looks unreal.

Great job.

Doggone, that's nice looking, and he's not even done. Uh, does he have a home? If not, I have one for him. If 'e does, then Ben, I think I need to be on the afore mentioned list. Officially.

Ebony Tang? I thought we were going way off topic here for a second! Very cool piece Ben. I like it!

Thanks for the inspiration. When I stumbled onto Tiki Central and found your posts, I took a hard look at my own carvings and decided I needed to put much more effort into them. Your carvings are so incredibly precise and look like every shaving and chip came off the piece just perfectly as intended. I can only dream of being as good. Thanks again for the needed incentive and step by steps along the way.

JohnnyP

Thanks Foamy. I believe he is spoken fora couple times. I'll put you on the mile long list.

Swanky, no, I'm trying to stay on topic but?? Anyway thanks for the props.

JohnnyP, Welcome to TC! Thanks for the props and finding perfection in my stuff, although very few of the chips came off exactly as planned, I have to figure a lot of this out as I go, chip by chip. Thanks and you're welcome.

Here is todays update. He is almost done, just needs a few toes, a few fingernails and a Lot of cleanup and sanding. HE may be done tomorrow I hope since I have already put too much time into him
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More tomorrow.

Ben,

That is sick! I need one of those. I can't stand it. ARGGGG!

Aw man! The only word that comes to mind is Bitchin, Ben!

Haven't been here in a while, but you continue to astound me with your craft.

Beautiful work once again, Ben friend.

Masterful piece of carving.I am in awe!!!Capo

Righteous! I hope you don't get tired of all the praise, Ben.

BEN-
The evolution of a piece of ebony into another Benzart masterpiece is incredible. I hope we are still on the list. I can't believe how this is turning out.
I'm assuming your eye is healing fine??
AMAZING PIECE.
Wes

That little guy is fantastic...mucho kudos..
if there is any room on your mile long list i'd love to take up the rear...