Carving Post

I really like Leroy Schmaltz designs too. In fact the image I posted on "Primordial Times" thread has a tiki that I carved from his design. I hope this doesn't get me in trouble, I'd love to apprentice under him. You're right, he's the man. JTV

Here's a question for the people...there are two of my design sketches on this page...one on the left I have already carved as visible here in this topic...(working on another one now that may form with it's mate to form some grand tiki thatched archway supports in Swanky and Kiliki's hut should it come out okay!). The other is a Cali cartoon interpretation of an Asaro figure from the New Guinea Highlands. I dig this personally but probably only carve it if some other folks dig it. Does anybody like these N.G. type of designs enough that they'd have them in their house? (note:these are copyrighted)

[ Edited by: Basement Kahuna on 2003-02-03 21:19 ]

[ Edited by: Basement Kahuna on 2003-02-03 21:21 ]

[ Edited by: tikifreak on 2004-12-20 11:58 ]

Nice TF. Got that Elvis sneer going on I see!

Very Nice TF - Great job!

7

Heee Haww!

Neato...kind of has a wild hair to it.

Basement Kahuna,
You bet I'd have a tiki like the one you are designing in my tiki room. Tastes vary and I think as long as you continue to carve quality pieces you will find a demand for your work.

On 2003-01-19 12:13, Basement Kahuna wrote:
I seal those things from top to bottom to slow drying (that's an oil finish on that tiki pole). All wood will crack if it dries too fast...the trick is to get it to only do this at the core and not at the surface. Fact from Brad Fisher, a buddy of mine who builds timberframes: a log loses 85% of it's moisture through the cut ends. Buy a can of pruning seal while working and tar the crap out of both ends of your log. The tiki will thank you!

Carvers! Help me get started. I have a 3 foot alder log from a tree cut down yesterday. It weighs in at 160 lbs. and I have managed to get the bark off with garden tools. (Don't ask.)
From what I gather, I should seal the ends.
This thing must be almost half water. Should I start carving on it right away or let it dry a bit? Should I score a side to encourage checking away from the face side? Or perhaps I should go the firewood route. I want my tiki to thank me but don't want to make foolish start up errors. Help.
mrtikiscars

If it was cut yesterday give it a couple or three weeks to see what it's gonna do. Seal both ends with prunng seal. No two logs are alike.

Here's a picture of one I'm working on for a friend.
The wood is Liquidamber from a tree that was cut down in front of the house. Fairly easy to carve on. Also picked up some palm poles the other day.

:tiki:Mark :tiki:

[ Edited by: MrkCat on 2003-02-08 14:05 ]

That looks fantastic! You all are so inspiring, keep up the good work!

O.K. Here is a few pics of my second attempt at carving. I did not use pruning seal so it is cracking and splitting already. I used a Eucalyptus stump that was left over from the gnarly storms that downed quite a few trees a while back. It was nice to carve, but I think that wood is prone to cracking. I called it quits after the wood really started showing signs of splittin' . I need to find a good piece of wood. My first attempt is in worse shape. Turns out I am using kiln dried construction grade wood used for beams and such. I already broke a router bit, so I am pretty close to calling it finished also. I just got to finish giving it a face. The moral of the story.....
use your prunning seal and dont do drugs.
Paying the dues,
Chongolio

[ Edited by: Chongolio on 2003-02-09 19:05 ]

Yea, spray the crap out of them at both ends. I just lost a poplar log to fast drying because I had to go out of town on an emergency and didn't get a chance to seal the ends. Winters are as dry as a bone up here. I may try to utilize the cracks make some sort of witco-ish fountain out of it now. Switching to white pine to try it soon...just got four nice, straight, clear 7-foot logs.

Here's four views of some new clubs I have just finished...one is a Cook Islands Akatara, or serrated club. This is a formidable weapon, five feet eight inches long with sharp serrations. It is carved in solid old growth walnut. There is a similar example (another style and without the artificial aging) in the book NIGHT OF THE TIKI. The other is a Fijian Sali club. It was a deadly fulcrum-type weapon made to snap necks and with a blunt punch on the reverse side for the backswing. This one is carved in solid cherry. All of the checkering front and back on this club is parted line by line by hand. This type of club is one of the most commonly seen on the walls of the old places..there were several in Steven Crane's Luau that can be seen in old photos.

[ Edited by: Basement Kahuna on 2003-02-09 21:06 ]

By the way, Chongolio...I like that tiki. Kinda different looking. Looks like an old tahitian tiki we have in the room. The cracks may in fact (in my humble opinion) kind of add some charm and aging to it...If you want to add age you can also char these slightly with a blowtorch. Pickle juice works, too (leaves no residual smell after a couple of days but oxidizes the wood really fast...that's an old trick we used to use in the antique business for aging secondary replacement woods in furniture!)....and that's a hot tiki MrkCat!

[ Edited by: Basement Kahuna on 2003-02-10 12:43 ]

Another great tiki carving! Way to go MrKat! Looks good!

Great Job Chongolio, looks good from here, I'm with BK on the chex and crax, try staining the wood with a minwax stain to darken the deep areas, combined with the crax it may have a really neat 'aged' look.

BK - what are you doing with all of these great tools; story boards and carvings you are doing? Your house must be filling up with all the neat stuff you are carving... full yet? If so, you can put a few on display down here in FL if you want. :lol:

7

There's nothing like a sharp tool!

[ Edited by: 7TiKiS on 2003-02-10 10:14 ]

Actually I'm kind of stockpiling for Hukilau, I hope to have a bunch of my stuff there for sale for the first time....and I'm gonna try to keep it reasonable for the folks. All of you guys ought to sell down there...you can sell out of your room all weekend.

Hey all, thanks for the input. I think everybody is putting out great work regardless of style, influence , etc. The ritual and process of creativity is what it all about. The pics everybody keeps posting keep me motivate to learn this skill.
Has anybody else ever carved a eucalyptus? I am not too bummed about the cracks, I kinda thought it made it look a little more aged also. I just hope it doesnt split to badly. Do you think it is to late to use pruning seal on it now? I will try the pickle juice trick since I dont have a torch. There is an abundance of redwoods around my parts, I think I will try to hunt down a redwood log for my next effort. Although I do think I remember a post about that being a harder wood.
Better pick up that stropping cloth while I am getting the pruning seal. Allright Mrkcat nice job! I like the way you worked out the mouth. Be sure to post some finished shots. Maybe you can get a profile too. BK the weapons are awesome! I dig the tapa you have them on too. Florida may still happen for me. If so I would definately want to browse your goods. The only thing I would be selling though would be decals and bar signs!
Thanks again everone for the replys, advice and of course the pics.
Chongolio

Basement Kahuna, the weapons look awesome! I would love to try my hand at creating one for my bar - any pointers?

I guess get the best photos you can (there's a big hardbound set I use called OCEANIC ARTS by Anthony J.P. Meyer) and have patience!

BK - would that be the same book currrently retailing on Amazon for a whopping $195.00 ?

Man that's an expensive "show n tell" item...

:lol:

7

Well, I tried the pikcle juice trick but didn't darken it up too much. I did find a little propane torch for $13.00 at the hardware hut. So I am going to take the flame to it tomorrow. Any suggestions or tips for burnin' a tiki? Oh yeah Check this out. We got a little rain this morning so I left the carving out in it. When I looked at it later on, the major cracks had swollen shut again. So I am going to get the pruning seal and put it on in the morning and will see what happens.
cheers,
Chongolio

[ Edited by: Chongolio on 2003-02-12 22:38 ]

Try this....brush soak that sucker full of tung oil while it's still damp...it may force that water to dry a little slower or go a different way out....

Tung oil huh? what would that do for color? Would it darken or go glossy? Also, I am inclined to think that if I took the torch to it after the tung oil the tiki and my eyebrows may run the risk of incineration. I am more inclined to go the least caustic route. Less noxious chemicals is mo' bettah.
Thanks,
Chongolio

Just an idea (had been suggested here by much more experianced carvers than me)...all tung is is linseed oil and a little varnish...dries in about 24 hours and seals from inside the wood as well as filling in the spaces left by water. Like I said before, though, I dig the cracks...think it makes them look vintage.

Watch out for that linseed oil, rags; brushes etc. will spontaneously ignite - not a pretty sight at 3 am while you're dreaming about warm tropical breezes.

Spar Varnish appears to work at sealing the wood and preventing cracks as well.

Also.. just finished Tiki #5, currently on loan to a local restaraunt in Tarpon Springs.

7

7tiKis,
That is one disturbing tiki. Instead of pink elephants this may be what some of us will be seeing as we climb the walls in the latter stages of alcoholism, or what some of us may wake up with after a binge. This could be the poster-tiki of bigbro's "lay off the sauce kids" movement.
That said, nice tiki!

Don't know about y'all, but I dig it! I have been saving a pair of coconuts to do the exact same thing. I have been working on some very atypical tikis lately. The first will be debuted at the Maikai Gents/chiki show on the 18th.

That scene can easily greet you in bed in the morning after a night of binge drinking and you may have NO idea how it got there. I like it. The tiki world needs a good change of bathwater right now...and atypical is just the rosepetal we ought to float therein!

Well...

it wasn't my idea to put boobs on a tiki. The owner of the restaraunt insisted they needed a "woman" tiki to go with their man tiki...

The restaraunt resides on the same property as a high and dry marina, frequented by lots of familys (children)...

When I explained that all my research indicated there were few if any female tiki icons created, it resulted in some peculiar stares...

"Just put boobs on a man tiki he said".

So... a Scallop Shell bra got her back to a 'G' rating again...

Of course, I was cleaning up my tools, packing everything in the car, sat to drink a beer and admire the sunset, and watched two heavy equipment operators walk over and hoist her skirt to gander at what lies beneath.

Sheesh!

Now I need some 151.

Here's to dreams!

:lol:

7

HA! Those darn heavy equipment operaters, nothing is sacred.
Nice carving.

Ok, I was going to keep this secret but I need some help. I just finished carving a 2 foot palm log (courtesy of Chiki). Prior to staining it, I gave it a moderate sanding with my power sander to smooth it out as much as possible.

Here's my problem: Some areas of the log have patches of hairlike fibers (similar to a brillo pad) that sanding doesn't seem to eliminate or smooth out. I (wrongly) assumed that once I began to stain it, the stain would hold the fibers together onto the log. However, that was not the case. The stain is about halfway dry and some areas are glossy while other areas are flat (I used a satin-finish polyurethane stain).

Here's where I need help: What do I need to do to smooth out these fibers? How can I get the stain to coat evenly?

I used 150 grit to sand it prior to staining. The next coarsest sandpaper I have is 80 grit. I didn't use that one because I was afraid of tearing up the tiki with it. The next smoothest sandpaper I have is 220 grit. This sandpaper was way too smooth to make any difference.

I've sanded and re-stained other tikis in my collection (using 40 grit to remove the old stain) in the past with fabulous results. However, this is the first one I've stained from absolute scratch and I'm having trouble getting the stain to look even.

I noticed that Leroy at Oceanic Arts normally paints his tikis as opposed to staining them. Other than the indoor masks and table top tikis, I noticed everything else in OA (including their rental tikis) seems to be painted rather than stained. Does anyone know if he does this to keep the finish even?

Any tips or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

*** * * The Polynesian Popster * * ***

[ Edited by: PolynesianPop on 2003-02-15 21:12 ]

Hmmm, sounds like you have a green palm log. Too much water in the log. I don't know the answer to that. Sorry Poly Pop.

Actually, I did hit some moisture at about 1 1/2 inches deep. Maybe I should sand the stain off and let it dry more before I restain it? The log was rather dry when I carved it. Just some patchy areas of husk like fibers gave me problems.

Not all palm logs are created equal. And you never know what you have till you cut into it. That's why I wait 6 months to a year before I cut, leaving the bark on it. Since it's not how I make my living, I can afford to do it. Just keep piling them up and waiting, and waiting. Try redwood too. You can cut into it right away and it's not as heavy.

[ Edited by: jungletrader on 2003-02-16 12:14 ]

[ Edited by: jungletrader on 2003-02-16 16:15 ]

Here are few of my most recent carvings...

This first one is a table top torch holder that is a carved volcano with three tikis dancing around the base with surfboards... sorry, kinda blurry...

This is a pole I carved out of a chunk of basswood and stained with a polystain mix...

I found a 5 foot piece of driftwood on the beach in November, I think it was a chunk of pine tree, very dry... so I thought... Basement Kahuna, you should love this one... CRACKS! It made me upset though how bad it started cracking... I carved it in the basement which is not heated. The temp. is around 40 degrees down there. Could bringing it into the warmer air in the house cause the cracks? Like I said, it seemed to be very dry wood, all I did was remove the bark off the front to carve... the cracks started small, but began to grow... I haven't decided to finish this one... stain or maybe a little torch work...

I like that tiki....

I am working on my first tiki.
After a couple days of chistling away on this piece of alder I brought home, I have a question. Do any of you carvers notice a heavy intake of advil and glucosamoine? Geez, my elbow feels like I just went 12 innings throwing fastballs. I have a long way to go and I don't see anyone warming up in the bullpen.

Just wait till you notice the numbness in your right hand and cut yourself for the first time....building woodcarvings builds character!

I think the tendon that I sliced into has finally healed internally... one slip of the chisel and I could see into the space between my thumb and fingers...

I found a pair of padded gloves that seems to help a little.

But then, so too does doing most of the carving with a 10,000 rpm right angle grinder.

Hey mrtikibar, since I'm a girl, and a whimpy one at that, my right forearm was aching perpetually when I carved. Somehow I acquired a dead blow hammer. It's a polyurethane exterior (neon orange at that) with lead shot interior. It's visually the antithesis of classic carving, but since it's made for autobody/metal work it really absorbs the shock. I think it was less than $20 too. Just an idea. My lower back aches after a day of carving, nonetheless.

With me, my back definitely feels tired after carving palm tikis, but it so happens that my back hurts after sculpting mugs. It's the little things that getcha.

Tikifille, we wanna see, we wanna see! All have heard of your legend and exquisite work but none have seen! Post some pictures!

I guess any physical activity is going to take its toll. Actually the Advil helped.
I may have to check out some other tools. So far, I am using almost exclusively a 20oz. carpentry hammer and a standard 3/4inch Stanley chisel.

Basement Kahuna-If I can live up to this "legend" it will be an act of God...a tiki God that is. I'm humbled by the work I see here. I've taken some recent photos and will soon appeal to the kindness of someone with a scanner to post them for me.

Mrtiki-a framing or finish hammer on a chisel with metal running through is brutal on the forearms (and the ears). I can relate. However, I stand by my cheapo Stanley chisels.

[ Edited by: tikifille on 2003-02-19 07:15 ]