Tiki finishing advice

I'm nearing completion of my very first Tiki, but need some help and have a couple questions. I'm carving a 40in tiki out of a freshly cut Mexican Fan Palm.

How do i get rid of the white fiberous fuzzy hair that remains over the surface of the palm after carving? I'm not talking about the bark but the white fibers that make up the palm itself. I've tried sanding with various grits with no success. Is it easier to remove once it dries more?

Do I need to let the Tiki dry out before burning or applying a stain and if so how long?

Thanks already, this is an awesome place for someone just catching the tiki bug to get great advice and suggestions.

Sorry no pics, i'll post them manana.
Thanks again

On 2008-03-27 12:31, King-bilt wrote:
How do i get rid of the white fiberous fuzzy hair that remains over the surface of the palm after carving? I'm not talking about the bark but the white fibers that make up the palm itself. I've tried sanding with various grits with no success. Is it easier to remove once it dries more?

Those fuzzy fibers will burn right off. It's like magic. They just vanish when you take a torch to them.

Thanks for the help, what about burning, or applying stain to a freshly cut palm, does it need to dry first?

It's not a problem to burn and stain a fresh log. If you seal it though, some weird stuff may start happening.

Thanks for the advice.

"weird stuff" being mold. depending on how fresh your palm is, how deep you carved and where you place it while it is drying you may some white fuzzy mold appear. very normal for "wet" carvings to produce mold if left to dry in a cooler location. just use any type of mold remover and it's gone. I usually use mold remover and place the tiki in direct sun for a while. sometimes it comes back, just remove the mold again.

IF the palm is really wet (read this like it's juicy) then I'd hold off on the stain, but if the palm seems dry enough (and depending on how deep you carved), you can apply stain anytime, but be prepared for a little mold to come through the stain. Depending on how thick your wood is (!), it can take a year or more for it to completely dry - you'll know it's dry because it no longer weighs a million pounds.

burn away at anytime.

You can also use a grinder with a sanding attachment to remove the fibers, but burning works very well...it just smells terrible.

now that this one is nearing completion, it's time to start the next one!!!

edit ------
sorry, I just noticed Kate was referring to sealing the tiki and weird stuff happening - she's right. I would wait a little (like a few months) before I sealed it, but that's just me. the sealer seems to wear off faster the wetter the log is while it is still drying.

Polynesiac - putting the "F" back in "ART"

[ Edited by: Polynesiac 2008-03-27 15:30 ]

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