Lente's Work

This is my first attempt at a carve. It's done in a piece of driftwood I found out back. I have no idea what kind of wood it is, except that it is very hard and did not smell of evergreen.
I am not sure how to finish it. The local hardware store has marine varnish, which seems to be the consensus around TC. I'm thinking of just varnishing it without any stain.
I'm concerned, specifically, about the effect of fresh water rain in the ship-worm holes as he is going outside when finished.
Anyone have any experience on this?

[ Edited by: Lente 2011-02-27 15:11 ]

After experimenting, I have determined that marine varnish does indeed seal up shipworm holes.

Been practicing a bit, completed a few more pieces. Lots of lessons learned along the way. Figured I would post them in this thread rather than clog up the carving forum with double entries.

This was my second attempt at carving a tiki:

I call him phallus face for the obvious reason.
Lessons learned here: 1. Rough surfaces left by chisels and then poorly sanded suck up stain, giving the appearence of a painted surface. 2. Thick layers of varnish do not dry well.

This was my third attempt:

Lessons learned here: 1. Put the tiki face down on something soft when sanding the back, not your work table.

This was my wife's first attempt at a carve:

Lessons she learned: Keep your gripping hand away from the chisels. We made a trip to the ER to have a doctor sew up her thumb.

The trio:

The thumb, almost healed now:

Welcome on TC Lente! Keep carving and take care of your fingers, that's your best tools in this universe... :roll:

OUCH!. think of it as a blood offering to the tiki gods. i love the single eye and how she let the curve be part of the design......welcome to TC. just no more sacrifices to the gods.

Welcome to TC!

I'm glad that she's not into the power tools yet! keep safe with those chisels!

I'm liking the smoothness of the cuts on these. Keep at it and keep posting your works!

Thank you for sharing.

McTiki

Thanks for the responses. I do not understand how some people on TC create what they do their first try in carving. But we're both learning as we go, and it is a lot of fun. Probably just end up putting some of them along the woodline and footpaths, and as we get better start to decorate our dock and bar.
One cannot have too many tikis scattered about the grounds.

"One cannot have too many tikis scattered about the grounds"

Don't let my wife hear that! LOL!

Where are you located?

Dock? Bar? (you had me at bar)

Mahalo!

McTiki

On 2011-03-01 03:31, McTiki wrote:
"One cannot have too many tikis scattered about the grounds"

Don't let my wife hear that! LOL!

Where are you located?

Dock? Bar? (you had me at bar)

Mahalo!

McTiki

We live on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, in the U.S.A. We live on a tidal creek that opens up into the Chesapeke bay. There is a boat dock out back (no boat yet though) and our screened in porch is our tiki bar from April-November. We moved this last summer.
For years we were living at about the poverty level in Buffalo NY, so all we had in our little corner bar were a few chinese made mugs, plastic resin coconuts, Les Baxter lps, and other assorted thrift store bric a brac* that wouldn't strictly belong in a 100% tiki bar. It was all second hand store stuff. Our bar itself was made out of a scavanged microwave counter and hula girl costume skirts bought one year after Halloween.
We did have some really good times there.
For years I lurked on TC.
We're doing better now though, we recently got what pops would call "real" jobs. I'll post some pics over in the bar thread once we open up for this season.

Here are two more carves. The phallic one (Smoochy) I did. The other my wife did, as a tribute to her favorite tiki farm mug*. A psychologist would have loved me, wieners keep popping up in my carves.

*BA1064
Mahiumi: the Ginger Goddess
tikifarm.com

thats the problem with weiners....always popping up! ha ha ha

great carves......even with all the suggestive shapes.....maybe they are fertility gods?
and is that a hipstamatic photo?????????

[ Edited by: Creative Chimp 2011-03-28 12:26 ]

On 2011-03-28 12:22, Creative Chimp wrote:
thats the problem with weiners....always popping up! ha ha ha

great carves......even with all the suggestive shapes.....maybe they are fertility gods?
and is that a hipstamatic photo?????????

Thanks man. I really thought I could leave a horn on that ones head and have it look like a horn. I guess a horn is never just a horn.
Honestly, when I looked at the log I considered carving with the other end on the bottom and just going for it, but I don't feel confident doing things like hands or arms just yet. Maybe once I get around to buying some gouges I'll give it a shot.

The photo was taken by my wife's friend, who visited this weekend. She was using some kind of electronic, I think it may have been an apple product. I'm not too up on modern modern technology. My consumer escapism tends to run in the other direction of the time continuum, as is common around these parts.

Greetings, friend! I'm enjoying your "lessons learned". They are saving me from making the same mistakes. Of course I'm still finding different mistakes to make, ha ha! Keep up the good work!