Uncle Trav's miniature tiki huts....Small Paradise. Diving into a new project

On 2016-04-10 05:15, tikiskip wrote:
So is this light done?

Unfortunately not yet. Now that the warmer weather is here work has picked up and so has yard work at the home ranch. I hope to have some free time soon to finish it up.

Well the mini helmet pendant is still not done. Damn work has been getting in the way. The patina finish is about done now. I wanted to age the glass to give it a matching feel but was not sure how to proceed. I got some good advice from Tikiskip on how to archive this. I decided to go with hitting the glass with some 80 grit sandpaper and them some 220 grit. Next I will make a thinned down paint wash of a couple of different colors to add some grime in the scratches. Still a work in progress folks. Here are some before and after pics. I will post more after I add the paint wash. Thanks for taking a look.

It sure looks like you nailed it. Good job. Wendy

Great look

Yeah! Looks great. If you're ever looking for something to put inside of it, this fake monkey skull might fit:
http://www.dappercadaver.com/products/budget-monkey-skull.html

What that diving helmet really screams out for is a miniature tiki grotto diorama inside of it.

Said the guy with more ideas than time or talent... :(

I always get a kick from watching your projects Uncle Trav!

Thanks for the kind comments everyone. I love the monkey skull idea and a diorama would be cool as well. I'm in the home stretch on the light. I blacked out the C-7 socket for the interior. Now I just have to wire it up and mount it in the helmet. I hope to have in done in time for a party tonight. I will be a special one for my daughter. Today is her b-day and she is moving to the west coast next week. Here is the blacked out socket before and after.

Finally got the helmet done and lit up. Kinda of anticlimactic by looking at the photos. Seeing it it person it is really striking. Everyone at the party last night loved it and said it fit the decor and feel of the bar perfectly. Those comments made the project worthwhile. I went with a blue C-7 bulb that gives a nice glow. I hung it from the bulkhead above the bar where people sit. It is small enough to be unobtrusive and makes an awesome accent light. Again the photos can't catch the true look and feel of the light. I have said it before but it still rings true. Giving new and frequent visitors to the bar something new to discover while having a cocktail in hand is always fun to see. Thanks for taking a look at my projects.

Awesome Work. Makes me think of the ending to Sponge Bob the Movie. Or even an alien space Sci Fi.
As far as snow in May goes, I don't think I've ever seen it. Even more reason to have a basement Tiki Bar.

Thank you sir. It was a fun project.

That looks great! I've got a little brass diver's helmet of my own, and it's been neat to see a possibility for what I could do with it :)

Came out great

This came out so nice, I think I will try this after I find a diving helmet I can afford.

Thanks for all of the positive feedback everyone. It was a fun project but it may be time to get small again :D

It's a beaut Trav!

Great job Trav!!

Saw this some time ago...
Could have got it for $35.00 I think, Got too much stuff now.

This may be my first selfie I think.
What a testimony to the "me generation" the selfie is.
"Here's me, taking a photo of me" "what do you think of me?"
Me, me, me.

This would be a big light, no?

[ Edited by: tikiskip 2016-06-15 09:46 ]

That's a fine portrait Skip !!! And yes, that would make an awesome light. Those big helmets can dent the wallet pretty good :D

25 degrees this morning! May be time to head to my underground shop opposite of my home bar. Did some straightening up on the workbench. May be a good time to start a small build.

All prepped and ready to go. I love your small builds so get to work so we can enjoy what you do so well. Wendy

Waiting....

Saw this the other day and thought of you Trav.
This is a old Christmas candy container.

You could make an A frame version of this in time for Christmas.

Go UnKa go

Trav is on the move!!!

Thanks for the encouragement everyone. Skip, that candy box idea is very tempting. I've been really busy with work this summer and trying to pry every ounce of outdoor fun here in Michigan is starting to slow down. I have a few new ideas for mini projects and some new materials to try out so it should be interesting. Thanks again :D

"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2016-11-14 14:00 ]

HAPPY THANKSGIVING everyone. I'm having my morning coffee down in the shop. Trying to decide on a new project. I purchased a few sheets of finely woven burlap a while back. My thought is to use this on a mini build to represent woven thatch or matting. I'm planning to do a test section with the amber shellac applied to see if I can pull it off. All of my previous builds I have just shellacked the heavy card stock I use for the walls. Here are some pic of the raw material to show how it looks before anything is done.

You can put white glue on the whole thing let dry then shellac,
this will give a different look as because the shellac does not sink into the burlap.

Water colors or even coffee can also be used to tint or flat out paint designs on burlap too.

Good luck.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

[ Edited by: tikiskip 2016-11-24 09:06 ]

Thanks for the ideas Skip. I will definitely gives those a test run. I appreciate your input as I know your projects have used a bunch of different materials that look great. Thanks again

Cheers unKaT
Can't wait to see what the Dunkin coffee inspires ya to do

:)

[ Edited by: hang10tiki 2016-11-24 12:12 ]

"I have a few new ideas for mini projects and some new materials to try out so it should be interesting. Thanks again"

Anything new?

On 2017-10-05 02:00, tikiskip wrote:
"I have a few new ideas for mini projects and some new materials to try out so it should be interesting. Thanks again"

Anything new?

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Thanks for checking in Skip. Unfortunately the creative wind has been knocked out of my sails for a bit. I’m trying to milk all of the outdoor time I can out of Michigan before I’m stuck inside for the winter. Maybe I’ll get back at it when the days are short and the nights are long.

Trav the huts you are making remind me of the one off "who made this" stuff I see at antique shows.

So keep making em.

Look up Halloween nut cup and you will see what I mean.
These things that were Pennies are now lots o money.

Is it ALL about the money?
No, but that is one of the ways to rate your work.

Trav your work is cool keep it up.

Hey uncle trav have you done any miniature builds in the last few years? I always enjoyed seeing them!

Thanks for asking and WOW looking at this old thread is like a flashback! Well a lot of things have kinda dulled my creative edge over the past few years. I have found another mini diving helmet that may become another pendant light for the bar. It’s on the waiting list for the moment.

Whenever I see a mini thing that would work for your huts, I think of you.

Make more they are cool.

You are making the antique's people will buy in the future.