TikiGap's thread - Tiki 20 and other travels - Page 22

On 2006-10-28 13:04, Paipo wrote:
For some reason, that pic of him tied to your workmate with the strap through his mouth reminds me of "Silence of the Lambs".

Tama sez: Now if you put a carved ball in his mouth before strapping down, you would have something out of 'Pulp Fiction'... :lol:

Nice work & well done on selling him. Clears the way for the next piece... Tama :)

TGap, Way to go, using the black coral so soon and well done too! The tiki laaok great and the globe really adds to the whole deal.Very very nice.

Thanks Paipo, TTT and BenZ! The pulp fiction reference is just too damned funny! Still LOL!

Special thanks to Ben for the coral, too. That stuff is actually easier to work with than the bone I tried first, and especially on a rounded surface. It polishes up really nicely, too... It looked pretty good up close, so I was pleasantly surprised.

Thanks again!

On 2006-10-23 18:11, tikigap wrote:
That ball is fairly round because I bought some more tools! I splurged last week and bought of couple of these bad boys:

They're great for carving round things. Indispensible, I should say. I got the big "V" tool too (not pictured).

---

I got those same gouges and love them. Good choice. The front one and the V tool are what I use about 80% of the time. I use that rear one for quick removal when it's too late to hit the piece with the chainsaw. One of the best buys I've made so far.
Buzzy

Wow! first attempt at inlay?!--looks real nice. I wanna try that soon, pleeease tell me it's easy!

Hey Buzzy! Thanks! Yeah - I think these chisels will get a lot of attention from me. I really like the big "V". Can't beat the FlexCuts. They certainly rock.

And hey Surf-n-turf! Good to see ya! The inlay was actually easier than I thought. A really sharp X-Acto knife is a good tool. (I used a hook knife too, tho).

You draw the design, lay the material on it - (in this case it was Abalone and bone), then trace it. The bone and abalone stuff really stinks though - You must use a mask... it's really nasty smelling. Smells like the dentist drilling your teeth.

[ Edited by: tikigap 2006-12-17 14:18 ]

I got Pooltiki back for Winterization. I scrubbed him down with steel wool and re-coated him with polyurethane... a couple of times.

And then I had a Black Magic... mai kai style, I think.

[ Edited by: tikigap 2006-11-12 22:45 ]

TGap, Nice Moai, you are really catching on Fire. keep the momentum going, start another tiki today!
Nice work.

Is there something other than a PIG in this log?

[ Edited by: Tamapoutini 2006-11-15 01:37 ]

On 2006-11-14 21:52, tikigap wrote:
Is there something other than a PIG in this log?

**Ok, seeing as Im the first one here, Ill say it...

A PIGHAMMER..??!! :lol:

Tama

Definitely GET Out the PIGHAMMER for this log. Certainly cries "PIG", but be mindful od the wood in the Head space, there may be a lot missing, so rough that part out first.
Oink Oink Oink (thats pig for:'Oh No Not the PigHammer"!)

OK apologies to all female members of this forum but...
TIKI PRIESTESS with a kinda SAGGY RACK--good chance to break the dominance of MALE tiki idols with a truly EVIL woman tiki carving--just stand it with the BOOBS facing you--you'll see--big LONO type head too?

What a cool log. I'm interested to see the pig develop.

I was at the Field Museum in Chicago and I found this in the Oceanic Art section and thought of your carvings.

JP

COOL!

Hi JohnnyP!

On 2006-11-15 13:41, JohnnyP wrote:
I was at the Field Museum in Chicago and I found this in the Oceanic Art section and thought of your carvings.

Man! Thanks! That's is really something! I never knew bats were so honored in the PNG culture. I'm gonna have to make a few more of mine soon. Thanks so much for posting this! I can't wait to show this to the wahine... I'm totally amazed by this and the other references in this thread on pages 9-10. Thanks again!

Pighammer? Did someone say PIGHAMMER?

Here's a PiggyBackHammer:

HA! He's got stones in his head! And thanks BB Moondog for the suggestions - I stood 'er up and took a frontal shot:

Thanks for looking, and especially thanks for the PNG style bat ephemera. WAY cool!

SOOOOOuuuuuIIIEEEEEE Pig pig pig pig!!!
SOOOOOOuuuuuIIIIIEEEEEE Pig pig pig pig!!!
(That was my award winning hog call)

Speaking of hogs, how's that pig coming?

That apple was too funny....

Buzzy

Thanks Buzzy -

The pig is moving along, allbeit slowly. I ruined my Lancelot from a rock hidden in there, which slowed me down even more. I'm using old dull chisels on it now until I'm sure there are no more rocks. I'll post a picure or two in the next couple of days - when I figure out how to use my new camera.

Progress report: Taken last night...

OUCH!

Update... gettin' more defined. Used a lancelot a lot.

There's so many rocks in this guy.
Thanks for looking!

Mmmmm....!!!!

I smell a Luau!!

Cool pig!

Now you have to carve the lava rocks and banana leaves

to cook the sucka in!

Arrrsome!

Hickory?-or mesquite? What kinda sauce ya gonna finish it with?
:)

Hey Boo, SnT, and the rest of you guys!

Thanks for the comps, and for checkin...

That wood is walnut, and it is the stump.

Here's the idea so far: The Pig is the root, and his neck, well, is the trunk of the tree. It could be a drum! I really like the JohnnyP Slit Gong so I was thinkin' about trying that - with a pig head at one end. JohnnyP - you da man! Got any suggestions? How do you clean out the inside? Not with the chainsaw, really?

I get to go to the Mai Kai in Fort Lauderdale on Friday after watching (Hopefully) the shuttle Launch from the Cape...

Jet Pilot or Zombie? Jet Pilot or Zombie? Jet Pilot or Zombie? Jet Pilot or Zombie? No Brainer!

Who will meet me in the Molokai Lounge then?

We're coming from Virginia! That's more than 1000 miles away.

It's a 50th BD party roadtrip for Mundog! Happy birthday MUNDOG! Who's gonna show up?

Mahalo!

TGAP

[ Edited by: tikigap 2006-12-19 12:02 ]

Hey SnT I forgot!

The finish will prolly be Tung Oil. Slippery pigs - can't beat it :wink:

Oh it's late, I dunno.

Thanks again tho!

heh, it's a fun carving. keep it up.

oink!

T.
I live 1 mile from the Maikai. After your kind words the least I could do is make that happy hour. I could show you some of my stuff , I have a hand full of tikis hanging there.
Will

[ Edited by: wplugger 2006-12-06 17:50 ]

On 2006-12-05 21:53, tikigap wrote:

It could be a drum! .... How do you clean out the inside? Not with the chainsaw, really?

Nice little Piggy, When you stand it upright it could be Miss Piggy.

Yup, I clean out the insides with a chainsaw, really. It takes a long time. Start with a shallow cut where you want the opening, then a deeper cut strait in, then one angled to each side following the same initial cut. Go slow and carefully, you have to pay attention to both the tip and the entire length of the blade so you don't widen the opening any more than you have to. Keep working on removing material. Constantly check the depth by using the bar as a depth gage so you don't cut through. You don't need a real real thin wall to get a drum sound, just take as much of the wall out next to the opening as you can reach with the saw without widening the opening. You only have to hollow out to 2/3 to 3/4 the diameter of the log, so don't try to get too close to the other side. You will notice after you get your first deep cut the log will start to resonate, as you continue to hollow you will hear some neat sounds as you work it. Test the sound every once in while with a thick stick or mallet.

This will be good! Then you will need a Pighammer to pound it.

JP

Hey Will - it was nice to meet you last weekend - especially at the Mai Kai! Thanks for the tour and introductions to Kern, etc. Your '53 is awesome!

In the Mai Kai parking lot:

On 2006-12-06 10:54, JohnnyP wrote:
This will be good! Then you will need a Pighammer to pound it.
JP

Thanks JP! It makes perfect sense - Thanks for the pointers! I'm going to try to cut it out this weekend... (gotta do it outside in the daylight). Again, your guidance is appreciated very much!

Hay, You guys were a blast, nice meet'n ya'll. Thanks for the barrel of rum or 2. look me up next time your down.
Will

Nice looking Pig TGap. Gives meaning to "makin Backon" and 'Bringin home the BAckon". I can smell the bacon from here. Little pineapple, bananna leaf and some rice and you got it. While you have all that, just add some cheer and have a Luau.

Hey thanks you guys! We had a great trip down to Florida - I'm still bummed that I missed the shuttle launch though. But I did get a really nice palm log (Thanks Benz!):

Progress tonight...

That pig is a slit gong too now...

I'm new at chainsaw carving, so the slit is too large, but it really sounds cool as I chop his insides out. I can "tune" it... It has a whole scale of tones to it. (Just like JohnnyP said! Thanks for the education and encouragement!). It's walnut, so it's hard wood, and as I clean off the sap wood from the outside, I can easily judge depth without chopping thru.

This is fun!

Here's a link to a Quicktime movie of beatin the pig:
http://forbiddencityexpress.com/tiki15_gong.mov

Thanks for lookin'!

[ Edited by: tikigap 2006-12-19 12:04 ]

If that gets to lookin' anymore like a pig I'm gonna need to come up there and stick him. You let me know if he starts getting nasty and I'll be there to give him his medicine!

-Gman

Lookin Good Gap and sounds great too. You are gonna have to learn to beat thet pig about 4 times faster than your current speed though. I'm sure you'll get up to speed and then you'll be lookin for another place to stay!.

GMan! Thanks for the help when I'll need it - it's gonna be soon.

BenZ - damn! I have no musical ability whatsover, so it's gonna be a while before I get thown out!

I will have more progress today I hope... I think I smell ham for Christmas!

Thanks for the props you guys!

The drum looks great. I'm glad you gave it a shot. Every time you walk by you'll be banging on it.

JP

TGap, you had better Not let GMAN near your PigDrum, He will whip out his pocket knife and have it skinned and filleted before you know it.
Got the DVD today Thanks. Haven't seen it yet tho.

On 2006-12-16 15:31, JohnnyP wrote:
The drum looks great. I'm glad you gave it a shot. Every time you walk by you'll be banging on it.

JP

Hey thanks for lookin at it JP - it's outta control... next one (and there will be one), will be very different now that I'm starting to see what's going on. First of all the slot will be much smaller.
I can get a backhoe in there now!

Thanks for the warning BenZ! I take GMAN seriously! No, Seriously!

I worked a little on the pig tonight (hollowing out his head - so if you beat on it with a pighammer, it will make a good sound (Not an ugly sound :().

Anyway, I digress. I also set up some stone carving stuff and here's the roughout for another bat tiki:

Lots of sanding to go! There's some discussion of this in the Stoned Carvers's thread too.

I don't know what kind of stone it is. It came from a counter top at the US Government.
If anyone knows what this is, please advise!

And ALL and ANY criticism is ALWAYS expected and welcome :wink: Please!

G'nite!

[ Edited by: tikigap 2006-12-16 21:08 ]

On 2006-12-16 20:59, tikigap wrote:

And ALL and ANY criticism is ALWAYS expected and welcome :wink: Please!

Hey Tikigap - thanks for the invite to criticise (Im assuming you mean constructively :wink:) but nothing but encouragement from me, heehee.
I havent looked for a while & what do you know?; the pigs gone & turned into a slit-drum! Cool idea.

Have you thought about a mount for it? You could make a 'spit' for him to hang on when not in use (or as a base for when in use?) Too late for an apple in his mouth..? Just a thought.

Tama

On 2006-12-17 01:01, Tamapoutini wrote:

On 2006-12-16 20:59, tikigap wrote:

And ALL and ANY criticism is ALWAYS expected and welcome :wink: Please!

Hey Tikigap - thanks for the invite to criticise (Im assuming you mean constructively :wink:) but nothing but encouragement from me, heehee.
I havent looked for a while & what do you know?; the pigs gone & turned into a slit-drum! Cool idea.

Have you thought about a mount for it? You could make a 'spit' for him to hang on when not in use (or as a base for when in use?) Too late for an apple in his mouth..? Just a thought.

Tama

Thanks T! Yeah, only constructive criticism!

About the mount - on a spit would be pretty slick! I haven't given it any thought until now... Thanks again!

I learned another lesson today - don't stop sanding in a particular grit too soon, to jump ahead to some finer grit. I did that with this stone bat and this is what I got. I wasted a few hours last night because of impatience.


He's got a hole drilled thru him, with a toothpick holding the fishing line in there for now. I hung him to adjust his pitch, yaw, and CG. When finished I'll put in a nice wire or string or something else. Any suggestions? It could be a base with a pin mount, too. But he probably should hang most of the time; not be static on a bookshelf somewhere.

TGap, Your bat looks Really cool coming outnof the Shadows there. Excellent forst try, you Really got the look and Feel of the Bat.

On 2006-12-17 13:38, tikigap wrote:

I learned another lesson today - don't stop sanding in a particular grit too soon, to jump ahead to some finer grit.

A very good lesson & one that every stone carvers must learn by experience. It can be tempting to think 'oh, that big scratch will come out if I just keep going a bit further/longer': 9 times out of 10, you'd be better to back a stage & get it out with a heavier paper. Sometimes they're damnedly hard to see until youve moved on a grade too. Sux eh?

There is a product locally known as 'diamond cloth' (but possibly called something else in manufacturers terms?) available in strips or as continuous belts. This stuff acts as an intermediate step between carving with diamond coated tools & sanding with wet-dry/carborundum paper. A bit too course to be called an 'ever-lasting' sandpaper & a soft version of diamond cutting tools. It comes in many grades, right up to really fine 12,000 grit or something silly.
Its not cheap but is a must-have really. You can use it by hand or loaded onto revolving drums or burrs ( I usually take jade through 400 & 800 grit after shaping is finished).

Possibly something to look out for if you plan to do more stone work - which I encourage!

*The back-forthness of personal & the stone carving thread is a bit of a bugger, eh? I dont know, use it how you will...

Tama :)

On 2006-12-17 14:56, Benzart wrote:
TGap, Your bat looks Really cool coming out of the Shadows there. Excellent first try, you Really got the look and Feel of the Bat.

Thanks for the kind words Ben - Do you recognize the bamboo log behind it? Thanks again!

And 3T! Thanks for the info! Diamond Cloth huh? I'll look into that for sure. This info should go on the stone carving thread, so I'll get it over there too. Yeah, it's kinda a bugger. I'll try to keep the learning/teaching of stone processes over there, and I'll keep progress pics here - maybe that'll work best.
I'll just have to deal with it! The general Stone Q&A thread is too important.

[ Edited by: tikigap 2006-12-19 12:08 ]

Damn! I have a totally padded floor in my shop - except for one little spot. I dropped the stone bat today - right on that spot.

Maybe 2007 will be better. NOT!

Bummer TG. Works like that sometimes, don't it? I was enjoying the thread and that nifty little bat. Maybe it's fixable? One of these folks will surely know.

[ Edited by: foamy 2006-12-31 12:18 ]

Aack!

How come that never happens only an hour or so into the piece?
My condolences...
Buzzy