surf soul tiki

You will love the Tundra until gas prices go back up. Nice ride otherwise. get those Tikis out there!

I wish I owned a small trailer for our SUV...

Mc

Yeah, unfortunately I pretty much have to have at least a big 6 just to pull my boat, so I don't have the option of buying a little truck with a 4 banger. And at a little over 6"2, I'm not a little guy. I can barely fit in my buddy's little standard cab nissan p/u....a full sized truck is a much better fit for me. My pathfinder, and before that my 4 runner, were not very roomy or comfortable. Every toyota that my family has owned has been a rock solid, dependable car that ran forever, so I just said "screw it, I'm going back to a toyota truck and I'm staying there"...

I think I'm going to get my little "surf soul tiki" logo done across my tailgate with some custom vinyl letters.

Oh yeah...Big plans....

So I pulled "das tiki" back out and started putting some flames on it...

and I got a new truck on friday..

It's been a pretty good weekend!

keep up the good work

Nice wheels brother! Hope that thing makes it over to O-Town sometime...or even the east coast when the surf is up...its been super fun these past couple hurricane swells...would be great to paddle out with ya.

^ if only the jellyfish invasion would let up...

Sacks o Jellies are gone! You can surf now. They were the worst in 35 yrs some say.

Mahalo

Mc

yeah, I heard they're finally starting to subside a bit. I'm really glad about that.

And hey, Marcus Thorn, thanks a bunch man. It's always nice getting props from a guy who's work you really respect. Mahalo brother....

So I'm really stoked guys....!

I did a bid for a beachfront restaurant & bar like a month ago, and I thought they were blowing me off because I called the dude a few times & never heard back, but today I got a return e-mail & they're interested and want me to come down & discuss things further. It'll be my first commercial type of job so I want to make sure that they're really happy. They're going to get some really nice tikis for their money (I bid it pretty high to give myself plenty of room). I want to leave there knowing that they have some of the coolest tikis on their littls stretch of the beach.

I'll be there working on stuff during business hours so I'll have lots of business cards to hand out for sure, as well as some tikis in the truck just in case. This may be a really good opportunity to have some of my tikis out where people will see them & also do a demo that will last at least a week (and hopefully get a little business out of that).

That new truck couldn't have come at a better time. I may have to go and find a motel near where I'm working (it's an hour away) & see if I can work a trade for a few nights stay. I'm really excited about what could be my first big tiki gig! And an "on the road" gig at that! (well, kinda)

hey pjc, congrats on the new gig. good luck and keep us posted on it!

Thanks T. I'm going down there in the morning to try to seal the deal. They want "happy tikis", which will be a bit of a departure from the angry screaming ones I usually do, but either way I'm really hoping it works out & I get the gig.

And here's a little off-topic new project I picked up yesterday:

Early to mid 50's Rollfast Deluxe...I've been working on a '66 Schwinn Typhoon, and it should be back from the powder coating shop any day now, and that'll be my first full-on bare-metal resto-mod. This one will be the second. And now that I have a pickup I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a adult trike to make a tiki-themed hauler with a big bamboo basket on back...

Hey that's great news bro! Good luck with that project. Sounds like a nice way to build some credibility and use as a reference for further projects down the road...keep us posted.

well, I'm pretty happy. I went down there & the palms are in good shape, and they accepted my bid, so I start Wednesday!

My first commercial gig!

That's awesome Bro...congrats! Post pics when ya got em! Cant wait to see what you come up with...

I just wanted to say thanks here to Benz for the privilege of spending a few hours with him in the workshop learning stuff.

I swear I learned more in 2 1/2 hours than I have in the last 2 1/2 YEARS!

It was awesome, and I feel like it opened so many doors.

I know you're not online a lot & may not see this, but I really appreciate the time you gave me on saturday Benz. Thanks man.

So, it's official...I am abandoning the "dark side".

From here on, I am focused on working way more with knives & chisels and minimizing my use of power tools.

I've always used them for finishing, but after being "shown the way" I feel myself entering into a new era where knives & chisels account for a much larger part of my work & only use power tools when necessary (like cutting logs & super rough work). I feel really good about this whole thing.

I still love my chainsaw, and respect anyone who carves regardless of what tools they use, but the more I hold & use blades the more "home" I feel.

I am going to carve some small pieces with these little knives that I've never really used until today, try to apply some lessons and make myself a little more well-rounded and complete as a carver....

I bought some really sick Pfeilss today and this little flexcut knife, and some other stuff...

Man thats one sweet pushy,I've got a few mates that dig their old schwinns but your rollfast should come up a treat.

Back to the subject though its kool that your try'n your hand at the chisels,should add a whole new facet to your carv'n
and that cedar looks as if it would be rad for sharp detail.Cheers Watango

Welcome aboard.

Its good to hear that you drank the juice. Don't give up on the power tools completely. If you have plans to be commercial with your carving - time and effort will often come into play. Chisels and knives will take your carving up a notch or two. Learning new tools and techniques is always fun! The most intimidating part is learning to sharpen - a dull blade is more dangerous than a sharp one (you place more pressure on the blades and thats when accidents happen).

Basswood is a great wood the prctice with. I also suggest getting a glove or a big box of bandaids.

Good luck with the new venture...definitely sounds like the passion is already there.

Cant wait to see what ya come up with.

Well, here's a pic of where I'm working. It's a pretty sweet place to carve! As you can see I brought one of my old bikes with me, so basically I carve for an hour or 2, and then throw the shirt off and take a bike ride down the beach to cool off. It's awesome. And they're paying me well.

Today I stripped 'em & drew 'em out, tomorrow I start tearing into 'em.

Thanks everyone!

And Tom & Will, thanks guys. You 2 guys & Benz are like the 3 Florida wise-men in my book. You guys inspire me.

[ Edited by: pjc5150 2011-09-29 15:48 ]

dude that is sick! Looks like a great place to carve and some nice big palms to display your work. Congrats again on securing your first big job and keep us posted for sure...happy carving!

it's ridiculous bro.

I swear it's like a dream.

and you should see the chicks that work there.....gawd.

ok, I just looked at the wave forecast site & it shows a little waist high pulse Saturday afternoon....

If I get to hang out all morning on Saturday carving tikis, and then longboard some little waves in the afternoon, all in the same spot, with a full bar & hot chicks, well, I may just start believing in Santa Claus.

Santa isn't real?

Get some sliders and keep your eyes on your work!

Mahalo

McTiki

I stopped believing in Santa quite sometime ago.

I do however believe that you may just have the perfect day in your forecast...TIKI's, surf and women...does it get any better?

have fun and happy carving!

On 2011-09-29 15:32, pjc5150 wrote:

[ Edited by: pjc5150 2011-09-29 15:48 ]

A nice peacful scene. Is that on the gulf side?

yep, gulfside....just west of bradenton.

So wow, today my business pretty much exploded. I've become quite popular in Anna Maria Island. I now have several project waiting on me, both commercial and residential. I'm very excited.

None of this would have been possible without this website and all of the direction and inspiration I get here on a regular basis.

I'm very thankful for all of this.

Well, I got one finished up, on to the 2nd...

This is before I torched & stained it.

Pull up them pants, son! :lol:

Your new work is looking great!

yeah, yeah. I know. I look ridiculous.

Surviving off of selling tikis and restoring old bicycles has been so lucrative I've lost 20 lbs!

None of my clothes fit anymore. I look like one of the homies walking around holding my pants up.

Gawd.

Anyway, here's a couple of dolphin jumping up to a sun. I guess the owner got wind of all of the money being spent on tikis and pulled the plug, so looks like I'm outa there & on to the next job.

Also, here's a shot of my buddy's son, Ethan. They came out to the beach to hang out & kinda support my whole deal down there. Anyway, the kid is silent, but totally lingering, like, for a long time, so finally I just threw some tools in his hands and gave him some little tasks & had him carve out a little fish (I helped a little) and I think he did great. He was super stoked & his mom says he wants to make a tiki for his school art project.

[ Edited by: pjc5150 2011-10-05 20:20 ]

On 2011-10-05 20:04, pjc5150 wrote:
Anyway, here's a couple of dolphin jumping up to a sun. I guess the owner got wind of all of the money being spent on tikis and pulled the plug, so looks like I'm outa there & on to the next job.

Bummer! Kinda funny in a way... "oh yeah we didn't tell you we commissioned all these tikis?!" :lol: Well good luck on the next gig.

Great job on the fish Ethan!

So who's idea was it for the dolphins? Looks like a challenge getting two whole dolphin outta that tree.

Those look great, and the scenery is just perfect! Sucks ya got booted but that just means its onto the next job. Keep up the good work and keep on hammerin away!

well, every news channel has come out of the woodwork and they're all over me, and since ABC channel 7 in Sarasota just interviewed me behind the restaurant and I'm going to be on the news at 5, and more media people want to come out and interview me....well, let's just say it looks like the job is back on, and I'll be doing more work at their other restaurants. Nothing like a few t.v. cameras t change people's minds....

They've been talking about me all week on Fox 13, and baynews 9 just called & they're coming over the weekend.

wow...my head is spinning...

http://www.baynews9.com/article/news/2011/october/326234/Artist-using-skills-to-transform-dead-palm-trees-into-art

"Until I'm dead", priceless.

Living the dream.

*edit-show girls

[ Edited by: komohana 2011-10-09 06:55 ]

just saw ya on the news...congrats on the publicity.......its really raining out today.....if i knew ya were out there i would have stopped by. your in my neck of the woods.....how long ya hanging for?

keep up the good work man......your living the dream."starving artist" :)

yeah man, I was pretty much rained out today, and I need to get my truck fixed, so I'll probably head back weds or thurs, and yeah, I have more to do at the Beachhouse & probably Mar Vista after that so yeah, I may be down there for awhile. Call me & let's meet up for a beer or something - 813-748-4887.

First company shirt!

front:

back:

Kool stuff you,ve got going on at the beach,the nearest beach to me sucks and you'd
be more likely to step on a syringe than run into a tiki!Cheers Watango

very cool stuff brother. Congrats on all the publicity...sounds like you got plenty of work to do. Happy Carving!

I just stumbled on this thread today- awesome collection of work- from the cedar to the retro bikes and all, and now to the big time- congrats! Hope you find some time to work on that 66 'phoon and can post some progress photos.

yeah man, the 66 typhoon is at the powder coaters shop. He's been searching high and low for a color that is as close as possible to metallic Schwinn coppertone, left me a voicemail 2 days ago saying that this week he should have it done. I also stripped an old star crank out of a 60's AMF roadmaster that I'm using as well. Besides that: apes, white seat & grips, etc. Hopefully I'll be riding it soon, but for now "old red"('59 rollfast) is getting the job done. She's my fave.

And thanks for the props bro.

[ Edited by: pjc5150 2011-10-10 21:33 ]

Rollfast-built to last. Nice ride- I'm thinking i may have seen her before on a retrobike website with a group of tikis in the background? Classic cruiser - man you are livin' the dream.

Well, I drug the hot rod tiki out & finished him up for my buddy Dallas.

He is complete with flames, frankenstein neck bolts, a wrench in his hands, and a german helmet on his head.

Heading back to Anna Maria this weekend to do some hustling & scare up some residential jobs...

[ Edited by: pjc5150 2011-10-13 14:48 ]

waaaaaay cool! that guys has some attitude for sure. looks great!

yeah, the more I look at it, the arms & hands just look like shit. I'm gonna have to re-do them for sure.

Happy with the rest of it though.

So tomorrow I'm heading back to Anna Maria to get back on it. When I was out there working at the Beachhouse, the mgr for the sister restaurant, called "Mar Vista", was really stoked on what I was doing & asked me to come down there to put a number on doing some tiki stuff. I am really hoping that my bid has been approved & I can start working on it this week.

I'm stoked on the big tiki I did at the Beachhouse and so are they, but that's the first really big fixed / in-the-ground piece I've done, and I learned a few lessons along the way. I don't know why, maybe just because of the magnitude of getting such a great gig, but I was a little scared when I started it. "Oh God, what it they're not happy?...what if they don't pay me?...what if, what if, what if????" I barely slept for 2 days prior to starting...

But things went awesome, I got a completely ridiculous amount of media coverage for both myself AND the Beachhouse, and they're super stoked on all of it. So I feel more confident now & feel like I can really blow it out this second time around. There's a huge dead palm right there in front of the outdoor seating area in front of the river. You can't be in that little seating area and not see it. It's a perfect and beautiful place for a tiki. The setting demands something awesome. I'm thinking a sick Lono or ku. Full body, huge headdress, etc. I really hope they give me the green light.

Other than that, I figure that since I'm in the local paper this week I need to get out there and do some hustling and get some residential jobs too. You can see me in the little blurb at the very top of the page...

http://www.amisun.com/imgN/frontpagepdf.pdf

[ Edited by: pjc5150 2011-10-14 19:52 ]

First residential job on Anna Maria Island!