New stuff added!!

very cool Tom!

I like it!

Looks good! Two pieces of art for the price of one!

Nice start on the Ku! I got your joke and laughed out loud but then started thinking about sawdust (genuine McTiki dust) combined with recycled surf wax molded into little Tikis for the fire pit ...... Hmmm

Nice haul on the canvases!

Mahalo!

McTiki

The KU is now drying and getting moldy - I won't check on him for a few weeks. Meanwhile, I made a blister!

Thay guy is already looking very cool!!

Good start

Some progression. Its drying out nicely and getting lighter (not sure if its from drying or removing wood), I can pick it up now. Carved all the way through the legs, its really soft and stringy in the middle, but very solid.

Looks great Aloha, I really like the shape.

Way to change things up ..... again! Great imagination on this guy!

Very cool Tom, you going to leave the bark at the bottom?

Make him holding a top hat and he'll look like the dance scene at the end of "Blazing Saddles":
:music: Throw out your hands
Stick out your tush
Hands on your hips
Give 'em a push
You'll be surprised
You're doing the French Mistake!
Voila! :wink:

he looks pretty happy, like he just ate some juicy slow roasted pork or maybe it's a warm rum glow?

Started something this weekend. Took my big log and chopped it in half. The whole log was so big and cumbersome - I wanted to do asomething that I had done in the past, only to the extreme.

With the hands of a surgeon.

lookin good bro

Curious about what you use to 'weatherize' your palm tikis? I've done some searching and have seen people say teak oil, linseed oil, urethane, etc. Just want to see what you recommend to treat it with for keeping it outdoors.

thanks.

That is going to be a very nice Tiki, Tom! That's freakin awesome use of space! I like lay of the hands.

Mahalo!

McTiki

Seagoat - Keeping Palm tikis outside is not the best thing for them (especially in South FL). When people buy my stuff and ask how they do outside, I tell them the same thing - they do great! They also get soggy, bleached, eaten by bugs, and in time rot. I live in a very tropical environment and the tikis in my yard have been out there for several years - they look like it too, which adds to their charm in my mind. They are not finished with anything, mainly because most are "rejects". If I know a tiki is going outside I coat it with Spar-Uretane and tell the new owners to re-apply after a year. Keep them out of the rain and they will last for many years - if they get rained on it will only excellerate the rate of deterioration. Wood rots - you are only trying to slow the process. Moisture is the enemy!

McT - Hands?? Everyone has their own creative vision, I guess.

[ Edited by: AlohaStation 2012-07-17 08:00 ]

big and gnarly!

I like it.

Making progress...

You can guestimate the size by noticing my foot at the bottom.

Any tips on keeping the grain after sanding? After carving/chiseling my piece looks great, the grain really pops and it simply looks sharp. After sanding, however, the grain goes away. I've tried various grades of paper, up to 400, with the same results. I'm now sanding and then lightly going over the whole thing with my blade to get the grain back, but it just doesn't look right.. Thanks in advance!

Not quite sure what you're asking?? Are you trying to accent the texture of the grain (like Witco)? I'm not familiar with the process, but there are threads out there with the info. I belive it is sand-blasted or wire-brushed - if thats what you are asking?

[ Edited by: AlohaStation 2012-07-23 07:18 ]

Sorry. I have a nice piece of cherry and when I carve/chisel the grain looks great...but when I sand it all goes away under the fine scratches left from sanding. I was wondering if, from all your experience, if you've been able to get the grain back. I'll search through the threads again.

Cherry tends to have a subtle color variations with a smooth grain. That is why people like cherry, it has a consistant color and can hold fine detail. You can try using stain or fire to bring out the contrast in the grain, but maybe a different wood is more suitable for the effect you're looking for.

Here's the other half of the log. This will be hollowed out for a light. Still real wet and heavy!

bad ass Tom...

I like it...

big tikis rule!

On 2012-06-18 06:27, AlohaStation wrote:
Got Fathers Day off to some carving, I dove in and made 2 whole buckets full of fresh wood chips. Not tiki - but almost, in a round about way. I'll have these in the marketplace soon if anyone is interested.

Ha! I missed that one. Subtle. Very subtle. :lol: Looks like you have a bunch of great stuff in the works.

BigT - Sorry that batch has already been sent out bulk mail to the local depository. Give me some time and I can package you up a whole new batch. :)

Looking pretty cool Tom, Just watch you don't drop the chisel on those toes, blood stains are hard to get outta palm? lol

The fun part is over and I now move into finishing mode :(. Got a few to work on in a row. Each has had a decent amount of time to dry.

sweet!

a four-some!

Impressive.

Looks like a happy family lined up in front of the truck, ready to go on vacation :lol:

Great work Tom

Kool stuff Tom!!

That is a very impressive looking group Aloha!

Your supply of wood chips should be replentished after that group. :) I never realized how big those guys were.

Love them all.

Thanks for the comps. A lot of work ahead. By the time I'm done I'll need a vacation. Looking forward to showing these to a visiting TCer this week.

I'm working on another distraction - carving foam. Does anyone have a cheap and easy method for sealing the foam (white)? I've been told Elmers Glue, latex paint and about 2or 3 other methods that are not that desireble. New medium - all advise is welcome (keep it cheap and easy - for this project).

Will, I have carved some foam and experimented with some coatings, here's what I know in order of cost;

Monster mud is interesting. 1 part of latex paint and 3 or 4 parts premixed wallboard compound. It helps smooth out rough foam surfaces but would need a couple of coats of latex to seal it better for a more permanent application.

Latex paint is easy to work with, it does a fair job if you put several coats on. But as common as it is, it's not cheap - about $30/gallon. You can buy mismatched paint for cheaper as your base coats and then put your color coat over that. You can even use spray paint after several coats of latex if you don't get carried away. Latex dries fairly hard after a couple of months.

I tried water based polyurethane on a project a month ago and was not impressed. I put several coats on and when I sprayed it with spray paint, it bubbled.

I used some Steve's Coating for Foam ($55/gal). It's a one part cross linking polymer liquid that is brushed on. It took several coats to get a decent thickness but it seemed to have worked OK

The latest one I tried was StyroSpray 1000 ($32/half gallon) and it's the best I have found so far. It's a 2 part (epoxy?) product, has a pot life of about an hour and make a hard shell. It's not cheap but it's only $30 more per gallon than latex paint and much better. Plus it cures to full strength in a few hours instead of a few months. It can be sanded, machined etc.

EDIT - there's one more I haven't tried called Rosco Foam Coat at $70/gal.

"Some days its not even worth chewing through the restraints"

[ Edited by: MadDogMike 2012-09-04 09:01 ]

Those four fellas turned out very nice! I like the raw base in the middle guy, I need to carve one like that. I've left the fronds on for a hat on the latest marq but have yet to leave the base with bark still on.

Last 4 dudes look sweeeet
It's like a bad-ass army of tiki

Um - Thanks Mike - I'll pass that along to Will?? The cities down here have a paint recycling program, where I may be able to get some latex paint for free.

CJ - What you think is a great idea is my laziness. I do like it and will keep it. There is a spot at the bottom where the roots start that looks interesting.

Hang10 - when you step into my garage it feels like they are taking over. Started polyurethaning last night and wow!

Looking forward to meeting Cy tonight at the Mai Kai for cocktails and Happy Hour at Will's. Come on out and join us if you are close.

Very nice. Looks like you had fun.

I actually like the raw base too. I do it on a lot of my pieces, not out of laziness, but just for the contrast of being able to see where it started & what it was before it was carved out...kind of a reminder that you aren't looking a piece of plastic...

but yeah, funny the "tiki army" thing was mentioned, because the first time I saw that pic I thought to myself that they looked like a band of tiki hooligans out looking for trouble & stealing people's lunch money! lol...

damn it man, I wish I was down there to hang out with you guys tonight. I'd love to toss back a few rum barrels and shoot the shit with you guys at Will's afterward....

Thanks so much Aloha for your time in showing me and the family around the Mai Kai, it was one of the many highlights of our trip to Florida. Your knowledge of the history of the place and pointing out things that we would have been to overwhelmed to notice was much appreciated. Also seeing some of your bigger carvings was inspiring and between you and Will I am pumped to start work and try to catch up to the big boys!

On 2012-09-06 06:31, AlohaStation wrote:
Um - Thanks Mike - I'll pass that along to Will?? ...

Sorry about that Tom :lol:

The three big ones have all gotten the first coat of Poly and sanding. Paint is next. Getting close!!

Looks like another nice one....gotta love the paint!

looking great Tom!

looking forward to seeing how the "gang of 4" finish up!