Practice Makes Progress (Have A Great Day) Laz

OK Start over The tikis I have been doing are not traditional Tikis. So I am going to try this design. I do not have any Chisels so its going to have to be Chain Saw Sander and Die Grinder, This immage I found in Google labeled as Hawaiin Tki

Hawaiin Tiki

Search these as a start: Moai, tangaroa, marquesan, PNG, Ku, kanaloa, maori. There are a lot of islands, other than Hawaii, with spectacular imagery. I would not consider the ones shown as "classic" examples. These look more like tourist trade tikis.

[ Edited by: AlohaStation 2014-09-18 11:28 ]

The good thing about palm is it's soft.
It's EZ on the tools & hands.
For my self,
I'd rather be lucky than good.
But,
I'd rather be good than fast.
I learned that from an old girlfriend.
Never forgot that lesson.

Hello thank you for those who have replied to my post, I have been getting alot of gudiance on what Tiki is what sable Palm is what tools to use, and what tiki central is all about. I thank you for sharing your craft and life, and leaving the bread crumbs for me to follow. I joined TC 3 days ago, I do not know nothing about tiki, I just have some basic carving skills that i have used in diffrent mediums.

Obviously I just been carving wood trying to make tikis with out not even knowing what they are, Thank Goodness for TC thats why I am here,

Aloha Station gave me some derection on traditional carvings Moai, tangaroa, marquesan, PNG, Ku, kanaloa, maori.
Will Carve thank you for your links on tools I have been serching but was spinning my wheels Now I know where to go Thank you.

Soul surf tiki has also been a great source of help by him documenting his prossess for me to follow me being so new to tiki.

As far as doing those goofy smily neon and bright colorful carving out of sabal. I realize that Its not the place for Tiki Central.

As far as carving good rather than fast I have to find that happy balance I can not afford to do a 15 - 30 hour carving. I am not making these carvings for myself. I am making them to live and enjoy the work I do.

At the same time I am so grateful that I can learn about traditional Tiki

So what ever carving I do to be able to by a dozen eggs a loaf a bread and some coffee for the week if it is not
Traditional Tiki to Fit this forum it will not be posted, At this present time I am not working ice carving has switched derection and its all being made with machine so alot of old school ice carvers like my self our being replaced by the cnc machine

The bottom line is I am a carver I only post in tiki carving in the how to carve section,

I am looking forward to what I will post. The only reason I posted pictures of tools is because i know where to go when i am ready I am going to post all kinds HOW TO TOPICS of images of resins laqure paints things i find as i go . to keep for my record because i am a idiot and i misplace information on this forum i can easly go back to

So its exciting times for me on my way to learn traditional tiki carvings only to rub shoulders with the masters i have found on here

Thanks

tangaroa tangaroa tangaroa tangaroa

God of the sea thought I might start with a fish then work my way up to carve tangaroa

I feel that I do not have the right tools to even atempt to finish this fish for my tangaroa carving, the wood is fiberous in the middle I think you need a solid palm to carve

I dug these palms from the land fill. Hard work, this one palm looks like i should take the bark of because it is solid but the bark looks pretty good I guess its up to the design i am going to make i have no idea what the hell Im doing

This is a total of the palms i have I sold all my other carvings so I have to work with this

Practice makes progress. I am new to carving Tikis. My back ground comes from being a Ice Carver, When I started carving I came up with a learning tool to practice on styraphoam before i do a carving on ice. Ice breaks easy and cost $100 a block so when ever i did a ice sculpture I was not familliar with i would use styraphoam. I found these styraphoam blocks at a craft store, The styraphoam are for silk flowers. Even though the design is not a traditional tiki like it has been suggested in this forum, I just need to start some where. I believe and want to carve traditional tikis as i progress. Thank you

2nd styraphoam carving I see some progress.

All right.
That lil green guy's cool.
Carve what ever you like &
post it right here on your thread.
Just keep carving.

I like that idea with the styrofoam. It looks like the cells in the foam are much smaller than usual. I bet that's easier to carve than regular styrofoam.

BigT you are absolutely right, that green foam is much different that the white foam. Much smaller cells as you pointed out, much better for carving. Nicework, great idea to carve the foam first to work out a plan.

You know what Will Carve I like that u posted that. I'm also pretty new on here and I don't really post much, traditional tiki or not I agree keep carving and posting!
Fastbackadam

Thank You Will. I did get a little discouraged when a comment about traditional tiki posting only. I understand but I just am not their yet, I am not going to be able to do traditional style tikis in a month. First I need to learn how to carve with what I am familiar with, and at the same time be of service to the other new guys that want to learn how to carve, Its a beautiful thing to give what was so freely given to me. Carving is hands ON you can not learn how to carve with out carving.

The Styrofoam technique was and is very helpful thank you Big T. you can buy the styraphoam at micaels crafts, make sure you get the one for silk flowers not the one for fresh flowers.

I have some examples here.

I WAS ABLE TO GET MORE FAMILIAR WITH THE CUTS BY USING STYRAPHOAM

[ Edited by: nicework 2014-09-26 07:04 ]

Here is another example how the styraphoam was able to help me. I never made a 6 foot alligator so i was not about to try it on $ 200 worth of ice and screw up. So I learned the cuts on styraphoam.

[ Edited by: nicework 2014-09-26 07:22 ]

I've been enjoying your thread nicework, especially the ice sculptures!

Thank you CY!

Carve what you like and don't worry about approval. You're not gonna please everyone. My tikis vary. I've posted here and in other sections. I've caught slack or get people trying to push my buttons. I blow it off and keep on keepin' on.

[ Edited by: Tiki Republic 2014-09-26 15:52 ]

Hello its an exciting time I sold my first $100 tiki, I made it with just a chaisaw and sander. I know i am not using the right sander and i just have a polan electric, the bits on my die grinder are not the right ones and and my chisels are not any good,

But I just ordered a mse 140 stihl chainsaw with a carving bar a mallet 4 piece flex cut chisels and 2 saburr tooth bits.

I am still in the learning prosses i gues we will always be learning, I guess what i mean i am in the learning stage to learn the tiki carving, i picked some pictures out of the web and tiki central to start practicing on styraphoam to learn the cuts and get use to the design before i do it on wood

Practice makes progress, I am happy that i can practice on styraphoam until i hit the mark. i have been improving looking forward to carve another

practice makes progress, I am learning the cuts for this paticular design not quite their yet but im on my way practice makes progress looking forward to the next one

I went fried one poulan and one dremel on this piece cant wait to get my new tools to finish it up. then its going to be tiki time

Check out this thread as he is coating that foam that you are carving and making wall hangings.
You could do this on your test run foam tiki.
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=48309&forum=18&14

"For this i used exterior latex primer wit a very little bit of powdered plaster mixed in. Im going to try to build the animatronic tiki poles frome the tiki room, but this time i want to try to use a liquid resin hard coat. Im just still researching it. there is also a concept drawing of Trader Sams Grog Grotto at WDW, showing a tentacle come throug a port hole holding a bottle of rum, that my boys really want me to try. just trying to figure out how to do the suction cups. really dont want to try to carve each of them individualy. the latex and plaster gave a really good surface with out to much build up. I got hte idea from several haloween websites, they call it monster mud, made out of premixed drywall mud and latex paint. i used powdered plaster, to keep the bulk down. i wanted a semi hard coat without the build up. my mix ratio was like 8 to 1 or 10 to 1, paint to plaster."

Quote: gabemaita

[ Edited by: tikiskip 2014-10-12 12:43 ]

I have been practicing today i am going to make a tango with a angel fish on top

the hand is very cool

my advice?

get the 150.,..

gas, not electric. light as a feather, and no stupid cord to deal with while you're working.

I use my 150 every day...

Thank you for the advice I will be getting that chainsaw I do love stihl I always have! tangaroa that is the tiki that i want to do for starters as a authentic polinesian style. I have been making the happy go lucky tikis., I feel that i have not perfected that style yet and thats the one that just regular people buy,

Thank you all for being of service. and leaving a trail of bread crumbs for me to follow.

[ Edited by: nicework 2014-11-14 07:19 ]

Hello did my first combo piece I wanted to do the tangora with a angel fish but i ended up doing a hand holding a symbol with a happy tiki its not finished yet i broke my first tiki the finger had some rot and i picked up and broke but i tried to fix it.

just a few other tikis i did this week its funny when i am a good mode they look great
and when i am in a bad mood the look like shit and all i see is every thing wrong with them.

well, one day when you get a 150 you can tell me how right I was.. lol... :wink:

my other advice would be not to make a lot of decisions based on "what people buy", and limit yourself to that. People have bland taste for the most part and that's why we are artists and they are not. Make suggestions.. give them options... I have found that customers generally like my ideas more than their own, and typically go with what I suggest, and then are thankful for the direction afterward. I have also found that tikis are a lot like tattoos. the dude who buys a simple hundred dollar tiki will probably be back within a year wanting a nicer, more expensive one.

I basically make a living doing this and have sold hundreds of these damned things... and looking back on all the assumptions I made about the business early on, almost all of them were wrong. So keep an open mind, and never decide that your stuff is "good enough"... :wink:

good luck bro. 8)

That first tiki has the hat from THE 5,000 FINGERS OF DR.T (1953) on.

THE 5,000 FINGERS OF DR.T
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uVhisPlyV8

Soul Surf . Thank you brother for your time. Been carving wood for 3 months i need alot of advice in all areas,
you have been the feed on tiki central that I love the most because i see how far you have come in 5 years. It fills me with hope and sometimes envy. I want to be where your at today with out putting in the work. thank you for your guidance hope to meet you in tampa one day.

I watched the 1000. fingers of Dr. T funny.

Keep your saws sharp and happy carving I have 6 so so palms left to carve my honey hole is not always sweet drove by today they where close but i did see a 20 footer maybe get 4 out of it. God will provide.

thank you

ehhh, it's been way more fun than work.

and to further my earlier advice, make the stuff you want to make... pay no mind to "what sells"....

get good at it, and earn a rep, and people will buy whatever you make, just because YOU made it. if you focus on making really good art and constantly improving people will see that and appreciate it.

and let it also be said that although I probably am the guy here who, volume wise, makes the most stuff, I am by no means the expert... I still consider myself a student. just giving you a few pointers based on my limited experience.

Benzart is Obi Won here... if you need the best advice here, go to the wise one...

but yeah dude, if you ever wanna get my take on anything, tool or technique wise, shoot me a pm brother.

but Benzart & Will Carve are the dudes I ask when I need to know something.. just so the "food chain" of knowledge is clear & I don't sound like I am trying to come off as "the expert". Lol...

Thanks soul Surf! Im just practicing I know the more on hands experince I have the quiker i will find my nich in style. I just started painting them and thats totaly new for me as well what colors to use what kind of paint ect, ect. I m just looking forward to see what the next ones look like. I have a few palms left their not the best choice but they will do. thanks for all your advice and incouragement.

Hello, I went to my Palm Stash, The palms their are old I some times find fresh palms. I am on a palm tree expedition looking to find palms to store for carving.Some of these old palms have some black and green mold in the center. I wonder if they are worth braining home

Hello trying to figure out painting trial and error any suggestions welcomed!

yes... don't paint them.

stain them,...

minwax golden pecan is my go-to... or espresso...

much easier to deal with & looks better.

[ Edited by: pjc5150 2014-11-26 09:57 ]

Thank you Soul Surf so staining is where its at. Geez I just spend close to $100 on paint oh well I will paint some and stain some thank you brother!

So I am running low on palms so I was thinking about cutting down a palm in a near by forest I told him i was thinking about committing a crime, I am sure its a crime to go in the forrest and cut down a tree it sure as hell feels like it. He told me to pray about it so I did right at that moment, I did not waste time. I had nothing to lose, . AND TODAY THIS IS WHAT MYSTERIOUSLY HAPPENED

No I did not commit a crime. My friend is a landscaper so he dropped 10 at my house then he went to drop the foliage at the land fill i went with him and their where another 18 at the land fill, so I guess my prayers where answered

Huraay now he told me that the ones i picked up where washington palm are they good for carving they looked and sounded pretty solid to me.

[ Edited by: nicework 2014-11-25 10:52 ]

I am just so excited about the logs i have

I am seeing LIFE IS GOOD..... at this moment

dude.. wow.. that's a lot of logs! nice..

Ok I am totaly new at this now that I am looking at these they look like some coffee drinkin happy ass tikis.

I guess my game plan is to debark all the tikis and put them in the garage to dry.

Hope every body as a great thanks giving

Well I got these from the land fill cleaned them up and put them in the garage to dry. WHY? I have no idea i guess because you guys told me to. for me it seems that when they are wet they are easier to carve softer and when the are dry its hard. I have no idea what im doing im just following instructions. a few are washington palm still have trouble telling them apart.Most of them are solid in the middle you guys say that is choice.

These are my thickest and solid sabal palms.

At the private land fill I go to the owner has some tikis i gave him and he has others that people have givin him and he told me if you seal the tops and bottoms they will last forever, he had mentioned some hundred year old log cabins in sanford mad out of palms so what do I do just follow directions, he used a difrent weather proof sealent , I could not find it so i used this one. Any suggestions would be helpful thank you.