New stuff added!!

Thanks everyone, it feels good to hear all the nice things. The peice really was a struggle between figuring out the cuts and dealing with the rot. He came out really nice - the finish was done with a blend of stains, poly and a torch with sandpaper. A lot of sandpaper! I still have one more final sanding and a thin coat of Poly to complete. He will be the centerpiece for my bar - which I will have pictures of later. Thanks again, now its back to the garage for the next one??

Wow, that came out great!

bumped for tfisherart

Turned out sweet. I likes it;)

I haven't posted for a while, pushed all the way back to page 3! I have been busy - very busy.
First is the finished tiki from a while back. I need to take some better pictures of this one.

Next I have two more tikis. The Tang was carved one weekend at Loki's out of a fan palm. I tried using a PolyShades finish (stain and polyurethane in one - its crap). I didn't like the fact that you have no control over how it turns out. Next I did a Moai from a coconut log. the log was unique in the fact that it had been attacked by woodpeckers at one time. I tried getting most of the holes sanded down but ther were some that just went too deep. i think it adds a little character to it - like tiki acne.

Here's the latest project. I had some extra time and got some new tools for my birthday so I went back to the pens. This is a piece of cherry - very good wood for small carvings. Because of the crown, I had to try something different with the stain and it came out really nice. This is the first pen I have used polyurethane on - it will be my last. The poly just did not want to grip onto the wood and I had to do some quick fixes to get it looking and feeling right.

[ Edited by: AlohaStation 2006-04-26 17:27 ]

Aloha, Alohastation! They are all fantastic, but that last pen is really something else. I know what you mean about that stain/seal stuff. I had a similar unpleasant experience with it myself. Always great to see more of your carvings!

A-A

That is one wicked sign...very impressive..probably the coolest twist on an aloha sign yet...

Exceptional Stuff Aloha. I enjoyed seeing you last weekend at the Tiki Jam, can't wait till the next one. I see you finished up the stuff you had almost done then, The tikis are Awesome and that last pen is Really scary. I Love the base. You are the "Pen Master" and you expect ME to do one now??

Your pen would be an impressive tiki at full size with the detail, let alone the scale you did it in. I like the woodpecker holes, every piece of wood has its own story that adds to the art as a whole.

JP

Thanks everyone for the props. That base is actually a mistake, believe it or not. Its made from a scrap piece of butternut. I was actually trying to make a wall hanging and got frustrated. But it all worked out. I have more stuff in the works and will post more pictures later.

Started working on another piece of coconut palm. This one was inspired by my pen - with a few adjustments.

Sweet.
JP

I sanded him last night to get rid of alot of the rough cuts. The crown will be the focus for the rest of the week. I have a feeling that the crown will be losing alot of the mass that it has now.

I can't decide if I want the spires on the crown to remain flat w/some moko or to shape them to look like bamboo? Any suggestions are welcome.

He really looks great. I vote moko.

Awesome work Aloha. Dat Tiki looks Lolo!

Mc

Cool one AS, I'm Loving all the AIR I'm seeing. You are finding that after carving small, you put a Lot more detail in the big stuff?? Excellent. You'll have to come over to my shop and carve one day or two.

Thanks. I have made a decision and will post more pics as I progress. Busy weekend.

Ben - are you kidding - of course. I'll PM you and let you know.

For Mothers Day, I gave my wife something she had asked for a long time ago.

This was my first pen, and I gave it to my wife. She loves the pen and still uses it at work. However she often comments that it does not compare to the quality of my most recent carvings. I recently acquired some Purpleheart from pdrake and the color of the wood was perfect for the pen I wanted to give to her. Some downsides - Purpleheart is very hard to hand carve especially cross grain, also I found out as I was making this that I am allergic to this species of wood as well - I was itchy all over! The pen came out great and she loves it - so I'm in her good graces at least for a few days.

Here it is.

looks great aloha!

AlohaStation,

Your Purple heart pen is amazing!
Super cool, are you carving it with a Dremel like tool?

Will

Nice mother's day gift. I picked up a piece of purple heart the other day and was amazed how hard it was, and you did a great job on carving it clean. As far as the allergic reaction, was it handling the wood during carving or the dust from sanding?

JP

nice work.....happy day, you mother's!!

Pdrake - I hope the pencil fits your hand. And thanks for the wood.

SCTS - This was done on a lathe for shape and then a hook knife and Xacto. The Dremel actually chipped the wood as it was carving it. I have developed a techinque for carving small that has helped alot. I apply pressure to the wood and not the blade. All movement is with the wood not the blade. This way if I slip the damge is minimal.

JP - I'm not sure, probably a combination of both. I believe the rash comes because I over exposed myself. Meaning - when I work with exotic woods I tend to do many pieces at a time - to use up the wood. This time I did 3 pencils and the pen and holder. Perhaps the worst exposure comes when I sand the pieces. Everything is placed on the lathe and sanded using up to 600 grit (a very fine dust). I use a resperator and dust collector but you still get exposed. This condition is fairly common so just keep an eye on your elbow pitts and eye lids (both spots are very sensitive) - if they itch or develop a rash just stop using the wood and clean up your work area. It will clear up after a day or two. Some woods that I have found I can't work with - Paduak, Cocobolo, Ebony, and PH. Everybody is different.

A.S.,

Very nice Mother's Day gift. I'm sure she will use it for a long time. I like this one better than your first. All my wife got was the piercing sound of my saw all day long :lol:

Man, that sucks having skin allergy probs with the exotic woods. I tell you this cedar I work with is a hell of an irritant to my lungs and mucus membranes. Keep track of the bad ones so you don't go and mess with them again. That PH looks cool though....it might be worth the itch?

"The saw is family"

[ Edited by: GMAN 2006-05-16 05:05 ]

Wow... nice stuff!

That tiki at the top is top notch! A very unique piece!

AS, this Purple Heart pen is Outstanding. I Really Love the brass ring around the throat, gives it a Very Primitave feel. Sweet, tight carving from a Very hard wood that is Difficult to carve.

Gman - You're right that it is worth a little itching. I don't think it would be a problem if I limit my exposure to one project at a time. The colors of the exotic woods are beautiful. I will be picking up some Cedar knees this summer - can't wait

Ben - Thanks. The pen is actually made from a 20K gold Monte Blanc component kit. The parts alone were $30.

PH is very brittle and I did some experimenting on a scrap piece before diving into this. More stuff is on its way.

Nice one AS...I'm sure she was thrilled by it. Did you have the reaction while sanding, turning or just chipping small pieces off?

It was more like when I was sitting around and then all of the sudden my arms would itch, then my eyes, then my nuts!! Apparently, skin reactions are fairly common with these woods. What I have been told is that the fine dust is the culprit - it gets into your pores. I didn't really notice any effects till about 4 or 5 days into working with it. Now that I know what to look for its not that big of a deal.

AS,

If the stuff made my nutz itch, I would have to stop working with it. The nut-itch is a clear sign to cease and desist!

-Gman

On 2006-05-16 19:14, GMAN wrote:
AS,

If the stuff made my nutz itch, I would have to stop working with it. The nut-itch is a clear sign to cease and desist!

-Gman

That or stop carving in the buff.

Here are some of the tikis from the workbench. The tang was actually a mistake - when drilling the hole I missed his opposite ear. The others are pieces that I have either lost motivation or not finished.

[ Edited by: AlohaStation 2006-06-09 09:43 ]

such an amazing progression from your first post until now. Terrific clean carving and great style.

It sure has been busy in the Creating forum lately. Here's my latest large tiki. Carved from coconut palm to be placed next to my bar. This one took a while to complete due to other Honey-do projects. The finish on this guy came out great. Palm is a bitch to work with but once you sand it it is worth all of the splinters. Feedback is always welcome.

It's Bad ass. I really like the cut throughs and empty space. You just get better and better.

AS,

You're a MADMAN! I love it all. Those little buggers are the bomb! I love the Tang! The big piece sure looks wikkid! I love the finish too. Awesome stuff!

-Gman

Super sweet tiki, It puts me in the mood to kick back and drink some maitais.

Will

I had a week off for the Fourth and got to do a little carving. This is big fan palm log from Hurricane Wilma - its been sittin in the wood shed waiting patiently for almost a year. I am in the final sanding stage and should have stain on it this weekend. The mouth ended up being a little deeper than anticipated, so I'm a little worried that the weight of the top will break this guy?? Wait and see. Hopefully when I soak the back with poly it will give it more strength. The skull on the top hasn't won me over yet so that may change - any input?

AS,

I like him how he is...and he is wikkid! But if you are not liking the top of his head, and are worried about weight, maybe you should open him up a bit on the noggin and hollow him out a bit? I for one really like the cuts you have on the top of the head. Let us know what you decide. Sweet stuff!

-Gman

nice work!

fine work A-Station....and the little flag waving patriot is a cutie too. I like it all...
including the skull.....keep em coming. be sure to show some final shots with stain.

those are pretty amazing. i really like them. keep the good work comming.

AS, the large finished tiki is really Awesome. I Really love the deep detaial, the peircing cut throughs and the general overall look of the piece. Man you ar in Prime Time now with your stuff.
The most recent is Also Awesome and really is over the top. The skull just asks for a bit deeper detail . just peck away or"Tease" it until you are happy. Then it will be cool. The mouth IS pretty deep and I would be trying to hollow out the head through the upper mouth are if possible. there are other ways to add strength to the structure. PM me if interested.
Excellent work.

Aloha, these rock. I love the cuts and the size. Awesome man.

I'm gettin new tools, as mine are obsolete after Tiki G was here carving with us. I'm way behind the times.

Mahalo

Thanks for the compliments everyone. This guy is close to being done - stain is on schedule for the weekend. I "massaged" the skull and have decided to keep it. I had already hollowed out a bit of the head but more needs to done. If the weight is too much I may create a plank that will rest in his teeth to support the head. McTiki - you talked about the need to upgrade; I'm right there with you. I am still using my original set of Craftsman chisels - of course the grinder and chainsaw are pretty handy tools as well. more to come as i have finish a few smaller pieces.

This guy wasn't cutting it with me so I butchered him.

During the fourth we went on a road trip and this is the result. He still needs to sanded and stained.

I like him....alot

Man, all your stuff is awesome. I especially like the tangaroa. I want one!