Ben est là's stuff: 03/24 Creative Chimps' masterpiece in Paris !

I like this one alot. I dig that head dress style you got going on their. Tiki Stan...

Aloha,

Thanks to Tama, Ben, Tikifreak1, Seek, Robin, Akuae, Canyonlaketiki.

It's been almost 1 month ...

A few new things: 3 tikis started:

The first one in maple:

The second one in oak:

And the third one in thuja but i got no pix from him !

I started a blog too: http://www.tikiaddictcorner.blogspot.com

And look what I found this morning in my favorite retailer in Paris: a plane Wastringue that cuts a lot for less than 10 euros (15,57 U.S dollars) !

Mahalo,

Benjamin.

Bonsoir Ben,
your very busy that's cool - i'm happy to see your new projects
i'm also busy and new ones will following soon
i like the oak one - i think it's the first time you do a Tiki like this
chainsaw cuts ????
i can't wait for new photos

bonne nuit et a bientot

Akuae

Aloha Benella,

I like the marqeater, it's a nicely done tiki with a good bit of whimsy/humor. Dig the little feet. I had a design drawn up a long while back with a similar twist, added to my long list of projects never started. I really like the chiseled texture. How is the plane Wastringue (?) working for you?

Aaron

Just checked out your Blog Ben - theres room for a few more, you'd better get carving.

T :)

PS: it must be your wedding anniversary soon? Dont forget!! The lovely MrsBenella would be none too pleased..

A nice start on two very hard pieces of wood!

Oak and Maple!

Wow!

I've grown soft carving all this pine and cedar.

Good luck! :)

Nice Ben, these 2 look to be a bit of a challenge which I expect you to handle with ease. Two very hard pieces of wood but Beautiful.
Also checked out "The Tiki Addicts Corner" and I'm with Tama, Lots of room for more tikis there. Your Wedding pix look great and your wife is Gorgeous. Treat her right and she may stay around! :lol:

Benella,

the last tiki turned out great. I like the details (feet) and the way you varnished it !
Can't wait to see what you make of the big logs :wink:

Greetings from Munich,

Bobo

Right On Ben you have a couple of bold carving going on
looking good so far.

Aloha,

Thanks to everyone :)

Akuae: Thanks. Chainsaw ??? :lol: :lol: :lol: no chainsaw, only arms, hammer, chisels and patience :wink:

Aaron: Thanks. The "wastringue" works as a plane, it is very useful for me because I have a log that has a lot of "waves" on it, the wastringue helps me to make it plane/flat without spending hours with the sandpaper.

Tama: Thanks. I didn't know this ancient blog was "watchable"...

Lake: Thanks. Oak and maple are hard to carve but each of them is so beautiful... I need to have very sharpened tools. I discovered the japanese stones to sharpen my Pfeil gouges, the stones allow me to have a kind of razor blades on my gouges.

Ben: Thanks. As I said, I didn't know for the wedding pix :lol:

Bobo: Thanks, just seen your page with very nice stuff.

Seek: Thanks, how is feeling the Lono ? :wink:

Mahalo,

Benjamin.

aloha Ben,

the varnish job turned out great on the "Feetz" tiki!

and now you've started 3 at once? Are you sure you know what you're doing?? Man that bug must have bitten you bad!!!

That tool kinda looks like a spokeshave, but I never used one so I'm not sure. sounds like a good way to smooth out a log though!

cheers.

Hi Harro and thanks. You're right, this tool is exactly good to do what you said but you said it better than I translated it from french :lol:

Benjamin.

"Bigfoot" looks great! Now you've got 3 more in the works? :o The oak looks a lot like the eucalyptus I find around here, cracks and all! Hopefully it won't start breaking apart while you're carving. Do you have any pictures yet of the thuja?

Aloha Ben!!!
Nice job on that last Tiki and it looks like your off to a good start on your next tiki's . Your gonna like the Maple but it is really hard but holds detail well,Have fun and thanks for sharin, Aloha Mooney

Aloha,

Thanks Bowana and Mooney.

Bowana: I'll take pix of the thuja as soon as I can.

Mahalo,

Benjamin.

pix of the thuja that is hard as hell !!!

Mahalo,

Benjamin.

Yes, it looks hard and looks like bone or petrified wood.

How are you doing brother?

Hi bro' Seek and thanks. There will be "live" carving for me next week in a small town near Paris where I'll be the only one proud representant of the tiki culture !
The thuja has been drawn, it will be a marquesan tiki. In fact, the thuja is not as hard a I thought, contrary to the oak !
The "Marqeater" is drying right now after having haved a stain session.

Mahalo,

Benjamin.

Right on ben! Very cool you are representing the Poly art.
Maybe you can pull in some tiki converts.

Sounds like your going to have a blast a this event.

Aloha,

Thanks Seek. I hope to have enough time to do something good :)

Here are a few pix of the marqeater hung on the wall, waiting for a owner !

Mahalo,

Benjamin.

Aloha benella,

very nice finish on the marqueater !
I am looking forward what you make out of those thuja logs.

Cheers,

Bobo

Cool, I like the color of that stain on him.

Benella,

Very sweet! I love the broken look. The finish is pefect. That's a piece to be proud of, aye? Great job man!

-g

On 2008-06-02 09:29, benella wrote:

There is room on this wall for a lot more tikis, you had better get busy. The one hanging there looks wonderful ( like the tapa headress) but he looks lonely.

This is a family site, no pictures of your "hard as hell wood"

great finishing job Ben, but I have to agree with JP - he cuts a lonely figure up there on his own... So i look forward to the next one!

cheers.

Aloha,

Trader Bob: Thanks, I already made the drawings on the thuja, he needs some deep cuts now !

Seek: Thanks, it is walnut.

G-man: Thanks and yeah, i'm happy with him, hope to do the same on a much bigger log!

Johnny P: Thanks and sorry for "hard as hell" :wink: I just can't wait to see progress pix on the new marquesan you began !

Harro: Thanks for the words. I felt very inspired by your marquesan drummer these days... :wink:

Update now :wink: :

Here is what I wanted to finish before the exhibit but I finally didn't find the time:

Picture for G :wink:

And here are pix of the exhibit where I was asked to begin a piece from the drawing :

And finally, here it is how it looks like now (because I'm going to take care of him right now :lol: )

Mahalo,

Benjamin.

Salut benella,

the marq is already looking great. What kind of exhibtion were you carving at ?
And how do you like the new tool ? I think a saw the same one in a store here in Munich, but it was more expensive, 30-40 euros or something but looked the same.

Looks like you have a tongaroa in the making, I also made a small one last weekend, I'll post some pics when I get home.

Cheers,

Bobo

Thanks Trader Bob. The exhibition (and not exhibit !) took place in a small town near Paris. It stands every year in juny. There are lots of painters and sculptors but I was the only one in woodworking. I have a friend who is a part of the association that made the exhibition who sculpts in clay ( http://yvesjouy.free.fr/ ).
The tool is called a spokeshave (I learned that a few hours ago !) or wastringue in french and you can find the same here : http://gaignard-millon.com/categories.asp?categorie=Wastringues&souscategorie=M%E9talliques

This tool is useful, it helps me to prepare the logs in order that the future tikis look more symmetrical !

I began this Tangaroa but cannot finish it now: I lost my carving Jack :( I need a new one... But I hope I'll see pix of yours very soon.

Mahalo,

Benjamin.

Lookin good Benjamin! Man, you don't have any luck with your tools!

Right On ben! Looks like you had fun at the The exhibition.

New guy is looking great! Nice layout.

Salut Ben,
j'espere tout va bien
and you've get some great contacts with your work in Paris
your new Tikis are great - good work wich rocks
bye

Akuae

Congrats on your carving exhibition, Benjamin! I get nervous when carving in front of people, but it looks like you did great!

Aloha,

Thanks to Tikifreak1, Seek, Akuae and Bowi. Thanks friends, it keeps me going :)

Update today on the summer workshop (!) the marq stool and the thuja dude, hope you'll like :)

Mahalo,

Benjamin.

Benella,

the marq stool looks great. Looking forward what you make out of the thuja. How hard is it to carve ?
BUT the space where your foot is on the photo is reserved for the "3rd foot", if you know what I mean o_0

Just kidding, keep us posted on the progress !

Cheers,

Bobo

Right On Ben. Looking good you are putting that
wood to use.

Dems some fancy Shooz!

Nice carves : )

-G

Yeah, you get the best dressed carver award!! Looking good Ben, the carvings that is!

Trader Bob: Thanks, the thuja is hard to carve, my chisels have to be sharpen like razor blades. To know if my chisels are sharpen like razor blade, I try to shave some hairs on my arms. If it shaves then my chisels are O.K :) For the "third foot" space, you're right :lol: . This tiki is an inspiration from some marq/tahitian tiki and I could see that some of them have no third foot or children arm :wink:

Seeksurf: Thanks dude, that thuja has a beautiful grain that is very pleasant to carve. Unfortunately, it has a few cracks in it but nothing serious.

G-man: Happy to have you here. Thanks for the carvings... and for the shoes too !

Tikifreak1: Thanks for the wors and for the award too. I would like to thank my parents, wife, sister, sister in law and brother in law because without them, nothing would have been possible (that's a joke) :lol:

Mahalo,

Benjamin.

Cool new one!!

Hi

Thanks Clarita, I hope everything goes the way you want for you.

Update of sanding session on the eye:

Mahalo,

Benjamin.

Looking good, Benjamin! I really dig the big-eye marq style.

Nice work on the Thuja, Benjamin. Looks like it sands very smooooooth!

Aloha,

Howland: Thanks. Been watching your update... very nice.

Bowana: Thanks. In fact, the last pix show the work I did on the stool marq that seems to be a kind of european larch. I'll post pix of the thuja boy a bit later.

Mahalo,

Benjamin.

Way Excellent sanding job on a Nice carve ben, he is looking Spectacular. You spend a Lot of time doing what every carver Hates,,, Sanding but it's a needed job and you are not slacking on it. This guy will be Awesome because of it!

Hi and thanks Ben, I think I learned from my mistakes. Sanding is a "hatable" work but when you come to the 600 grit, the wood begins "to speak" and it's very very very good :)

Benjamin.

On 2008-07-09 02:40, benella wrote:
Hi and thanks Ben, I think I learned from my mistakes. Sanding is a "hatable" work but when you come to the 600 grit, the wood begins "to speak" and it's very very very good :)

Benjamin.

At 600 grit, the wood is saying "I'm smooth enough, get back to the carving" The marq is looking really good, you can tell you are spending a lot of time on the detail work.

On 2008-07-09 17:27, JohnnyP wrote:

At 600 grit, the wood is saying "I'm smooth enough, get back to the carving" The marq is looking really good, you can tell you are spending a lot of time on the detail work.

:lol:

Thanks for the words. I wanted to sand him until he gets like a mirror :lol:

Ben.

Looking great so clean and smoooth!