pix of carving a tiki from scratch

Alohaz peopo,

If you no like pay around $100 a ft fo a tiki, den here get a few pointers fo you fo carve your own ya.

first you get a blank log, like dis wun coconut log I get from da Samoan bruddahs who work in da tree cutting buisness.
A great place fo get logs by da way! (tree cutters) just look in your phone book.

den you get your patern you like carve and draw em on da log wit chalk, fo eazy erase if you go an make mistake.

den you start carving. jus follow da lines

turn da wood around fo make sho da lines you just cut all straight.

if you gon carve em on da kine...cement, you need get some wood to put unda da tiki to protect it from da concrete. I made a mistake wun time and when i finished i had to sand it down again because you could see all da rock patterns indented into da wood....dumb a$$ !!!

i hollowed out da bottom to take off some weight(good fo real heavy logs) you no have to carve nuting on da base. As you see in dis pick i made some holes going all da way around da base. Thats because i gon put a red light in da hollowed spot to show trew da holes at night.

den you finish em wit whatevas you like

if you get space fo display a mug like in da warriors helmet den put em in da space fo get you wun nice tiki mug shrine. or jus leave em empty.

close ups

den carve your name in da back and wala! you wen finished your first tiki and it only took you 7 months! hehe. dats how long it felt on my first wun.

da udda pic is one 6 foot tiki panel i wen made a few days ago. Don the beachcomber use to used these in his bars. Anette, owner of La Mariana, now owns all da Waikiki DTB tiki panels, and has them displayed beautifully in her restaurant. these are great fo display in da tiki bar! dis is da top of da panel

and da bottom of da tiki panel

and from da beautiful south seas, aloha!

Gecko, these are great! I love seeing the tiki evolve. The piece I'm working on now is the only one I've documented in phases. I, however removed the tools, debris, and evidence of work from every shot. I think I should have left all that in. Your photos are way more realistic with the tools and chips left in. Next weekend, I mooch my sister's scanner. Wake up and smell the new millenium, tikifille. Again, Gecko, your work is a joy to see. :)

Gecko, thanks for sharing your carving secrets with us. You are definitely showing us the Spirit of Aloha! I'm gonna try one of those panels sometime - however, I'm not too confident it will look as good as yours!

Looking good G. I like the hollowed-out bottom idea.

Tikifille, da only reason i didn't clean up fo da pics is cus i was tired....or lazy. anyways it's fun to see a carving evolve like you sed. I have done this with a few of mine. Good luck wit your carvins braddah.

PP, eh where your carving stey? I thought you was carving a tiki? I gave you a few hints so, no give me excuses! your filipino arent ya? so den carve braddah! it should already be in your blood!

ho, i love da tiki panels! They look great against da wall. if you carve one PP, try on a small wood first.

Gecko-Can a wahine be a braddah? Cuz if not, I'm a sistah. :lol:

Nice layout, Gecko. GREAT tiki and GREAT panel....I can only hope these clubs I'm sending are worthy. Is there a drying kiln near your place?

Gecko,

Pics are great! Hey, is that Black Mercedes Benz in the first picture the same one you tooled over to my house in last April?

Gecko, thanks for the tips.
Very nice work. You da' man in de islands brah!

ow, my bad TikiPhille! well well well if it's not da carving wahine! have you posted any ting yet? I might have missed it. keep em coming sista! i like see!

Tanks Chiki, dats great fo heavy logs! like I sed you don't have to carve any ting on da base, jus hollow it out to save your back and it helps shipping charges fo customers.

Bong, ya das da wun! same o' POS! (piece of S*&t) da only ting my dam x left me wit.

BK, you know your clubs are just fine udda wise I woudn't have traded ya! Keep it up dude.

JT, mahalo mahalo! you keep carving in da jungle braddah!

WOW.... that thing is really cool. The bar in the back is really nice too. How did you round out the corners on the bar's edge? Is that bamboo or rattan?

Kahaka,
Da bar is actually stripped of it's beauty(the rattan) I used it on something else. Thats rattan going around the top of the bar. Rattan can be bent if you soak it in boiling water.

aloha

I notice in the first pic there are power tools. A chainsaw? What do you use those for? Just taking out large chunks of wood?

I used the chain saw on the hole in the tikis crown. That would have took about a week and 2000 calories burned to get threw that hard coconut trunk with just a chizle.

I don't know how da old ancestors did em with just stone and sea shell chizles!?!?

Oh, back to the rattan. If you have a old piece or new piece and the wrapping starts to get loose or fall off, just boil the wrapping and it will be bendable once again or put a face towel on the wrapping if it's still attached to the chair and place hot water on it and let it sit for a bit. then re-wrap it and nail em.

Hard to believe, but each piece I see you do, somehow, is better than the last. Great work Bruddah. I agree with Chiki, like the hollow bottom idea. My works been on the back burner, getting the new Keiki's room ready. (Should be here by the end of the month) Plus all the snow hasn't made it easy to do any work outside. been staying in, working on the bar and some music. The War Chant thread's got me busy working on a electronic version(sounds kinda like Moby vs Shinehead). I figure if the Muppets can do it.....BTW how's the site coming along?

here is one i worked on today for a little bit. It's design from New Zealand. I only tatoo'd half da body. I like it that way.

the leg

and thats da Maori tiki for you Maori fans..."BK".

howzit Turbo,

if you don't try to out do your last tiki or even try another style because your scared the you WILL NOT get betta! I can do a tiki and it looks like i made one befor...uh uh just look at the Maori tiki above....thats the first time I ever tried it!! no BS! I feel ok about it but I did betta than I thought I would do. But still not happy...thats the key to my motivation "not being satisfied that thats the best you can do"

anyways,looks like Tangaroa(fertility God) paid your house a visit! I'm happy for you! don't you have 2 already?....I'm gonna start callin YOU Tangaroa!!

whats up with the war chants? now you gotta let me check that out wen your done!

Alohaz

Nah Gecko, I have 1 right now. My Daughter.

You da monsta, Geck.

[ Edited by: purple jade 2006-03-20 21:24 ]

ha ha ha. you funny Pjade!

Alooooha G,
In the first set of pics, what is the "Ice Chest" for? (that's one sweet lookin' ice chest bruddah!)(don't think the stools are going to happen. I tried, but she denied!)

Gecko!

Howzit braddah?

We like dem kine carving, ya! wat you do wit dem Maori? fo you or fo odda peopo?

Suga

daaaaaam Bradah Ben daaaaam!!! me ok now! jus wen had to let dat out for da witco chairs!

common braddah Ben! you know wot da ice chest fo!!
Da ice chest iz fo any good artist secret weapon fo carve a good tiki......HINANO!!
hinano is a Tahitian beer! I'll see all you Cali braddahz in June Boobam Ben!

alohaz

sugarcane caddy, da Maori fo anybody get da highest bid on ebay. Since da web page keeps being put F@*%$@G back, so i need to pay da bills! dam $6 a gallon aloha state! Ho, good job on da pigon by da way!

AUWIEEEE!!!
BETTA DEN PIG BETTA DEN POI!

Gekola,
Was in Kauai many moons ago and had bottled beer called "Pali". Was da kine! Micro, sweet, brown, type ale! At the time we had a "styro cooler". Kept em' cold, though they would self destruct after each day of use. Honeymoon with da Mrs. Boo 13 years ago. Hanalei. 30days in a house on da bay. Long for da day! (G.D.it!! Bax is rubbin off on me!!!) See you soon! Got the itch.

boobam Ben,

neva wen try da "pali" bia (beer). If I drink da local kine bia i wen get da kine "kona long board"

HO you been married terteen yea's! con grats! time fo visit Honolulu fo da next honeymoon. we gon drink sum spotted geckos togedda. k braddah aloha ....pernounced by pigon locals (aloah)

Shootz

Gecko,
Man, your tikis are highest quality. My in-laws are heading to Maui next month for vacation. I wish they would get over to Oahu to see your stuff...
(and maybe buy a present for their son-in-law.)

Howzit Gecko?
Your Tiki's are Da Kine!
Eva try make one kine Bu Laia Tiki with the roots for the fro? We get one new Tiki Bar ova hea on the Valley Isle, get one 6 foot Moai and plenty Puffer lights. Kinda attracting the Mooses crowd tho. It's on the South Shore cross from the Cove Park Surf Spot.

Keep the pics coming!

eh howzit tikibar, tell your motha in law fo come visit Honolulu. It's cheap fo fly from island to island. Den she can bring you one gecko tiki to Portland ya!

Ho, howzit Mauitiki! to bad you no stey on Oahu. I neva been Maui yet ya, wen I get da time i gon visit you an da new tiki bar you guys get. Wen you visit I gon take you to La Mariana. eva been?

Mauitiki sed "Eva try make one kine Bu Laia Tiki with the roots for the fro?"

HO cuz, you eva wen try move one tree wit da root ball still attached? dem tings heeeeavy brah! no can.

shoootz

Well this thread is way off tiki carving now, and my sister and I only posted a few of the non-debris, evolving shots (3 in fact), but here we go.

To carve yer very own tiki
Step 1-Contact a total stranger on another continent and ask for a full shot of the tiki you plan on trying to duplicate for a fellow tiki fan that bestowed kind words on you.
Step 2- Get to work. Draw a crummy sketch on the shorter than hoped for log (but the only one with the somewhat correct width to height dimensions)

Step 3- Get permission (by no verbal dissention) to take artistic liberties with the design of the tiki's derriere.

Step 4-Take evidence shot with dog, niece, tiki in progress, and troublemaking daughter.

It has away to go, but the body is now close to finished and the headdress is moving along.

[ Edited by: tikifille on 2003-03-14 23:11 ]

[ Edited by: tikifille on 2003-03-15 07:44 ]

DAMN! looks good girl! G you have all these peopo(ha ha ha) talking funny. I know it's us that are talking funny.

ho braddah Chiki pikin up da pigon! he sed "talkin funny" (meaning just joking). good job brah! you get your own tiki mug designs and talkin pigon and carvin da kine tikis. ho you da man Chiki not me braddah!
i ben trying to get a mug deal fo eva! dam, nobody like sign da local boy? wassup!! oh sorry off track.

tanks fo sher da pics TikiPille! i like em. da BOT tiki looks good. your daughter tinks your da coolest mom on earth i bet ya. what do you get from peopo around da neigborhood? do dey sey "wot da hell you doin lady?"

Chiki-thanks. There was this local artwork competition for elementary kids (I teach 4th). This year's theme was "Aloha Art". I decided it was finally my chance to integrate TIKI into the class. I'm telling you this because I brought in one of your flyers as a possible image to copy. After reading the "homage or rip off" thread, I just want to forewarn you that if you happen upon an art show in Burbank, CA and you see an Ivory soap bar carved just like your dark wood moai...I'm guilty. hahahaha. The kids loved your work (more than mine! sniff sniff).
Gecko-My neighbors like walking by and seeing the progress. One guy is married to a Hawaiian girl. He is my biggest fan. I gave him that big tiki that was laying on the concrete,(carving post) complete with a carving lesson on its headress. I don't use power tools, so people just trip on the technique. My girl does think its funny. She's tried to make one, but got tired too fast.

G , I was telling my wife today that we are gonna have a fun summer this year. I think it would be cool if we (all carvers that carve for$) meet one day and get to know each other. Maybe at OA or Bosko's ranch. Have Leroy,Bob,Sven there and just "talk story" and listen to our trailblazing carvers talk shop or ??? Never have all carvers been assembled and documented(photo and article) at one time, so this would be cool. I'm not trying to give myself any place of importance by suggesting this. Just think this should happen before it's too late. Oh and tikiFille, no sweat girl, go for it! Yes, we are coming over for the 1st annual tiki bike ride to Gene's museum.

If this "carvers meeting" goes down, I'de like to see you's (all at once)carve a 12'tr! Get it on vedio/dvd (money goes into a carvers trust for the next event)to sell. Then e-bay the 12'ter and donate the funds to some charity for "injured craftsman", or put it back into the trust in case anything happens to any of you's (tikigod forbid!). This would be history man! Like a union for the carvers!

Fille....how much for the B.O.T. tiki? PM me!

[ Edited by: Basement Kahuna on 2003-03-16 10:33 ]

BK-Thanks for asking the price, but it's predestined (a fate thing, don't ya know). Excuse my cluelessness, but what does PM mean? I hope it's not like "lol" which I just recently learned. Oh the public ignominy....

I'll butt in here, PM means private message.
You go girl.
And BK, anything happening with that portable bar idea? I might like to have a bar that can be assembled and disassembled fairly easily but needs to be strong. Has to withstand some weathering from say April to October out here in Cal if for nigh ayy. Up to 105 degrees at times in summer. Something I could fold flat and store over the winter months.

Auwie! wot a great idea Chiki! If da guys in da pass could have done sumting li'dat HO! I would have loved to see da pic of all of them or read da article or look at da Tiki or wateva dem guys would have done. If this eva happens, you let me know da date and i gon be there.

If it happens it will be a great piece of history to be in about 40+ years from now when we no longer have the strength to pickup da good ol' hamma and chizle....thats kind of heart breaking to even think that right now. I couldn't imagine not being able to carve anymore! Leroy Schmaltz is for sure the Michael Jordan of this Tiki culture and I know why he keeps going, the LOVE of the chizle and hamma. I know it's going to be hard for him when he finally retires. I just pray I'm blessed with all da years to carve as Mr.Schmaltz was.

Boobam Ben has a great point to with the charity. I was givin a gift and I don't mind at all giving back. It can be for wateva charity or for something special for the collectors who buy our stuff etc.. I'll be home with my parents in June, so let me know braddahs.

Aloha