tiki room tiki, palm tiki page 15 5/3

Ah, hell. I'm diving in with two feet!

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[ Edited by: Polynesiac 2006-05-03 22:12 ]

Fantastic Polynesiac!

I'm the new owner of a small chainsaw and have wanted to jump into carving for some time now, I just need a little push and some wood to test my skills on!

I've always been more of a 2-d artist, but you've got to start somewhere, right?

Keep 'em coming! I can see your personality starting to come through! I love the grin on that palm, he looks so happy!

Great start Polynesiac, looks like your hooked! The palm in question is definitelly a Mexican Fan Palm, i think... A good way to strip the frawns off is a utility blade (razor blade tip). The only way I've been able to get detail from palms, is to use a dremmel. Since the tool is spinning, it burns/ polishes the fibers which kind of solidifies them like below: Good luck and keep carving!
-tOny

oh yeah, make sure you dispose of the chips and dust from those green tree poles properly, they can be deadly if swallowed by dogs or kids. I use to use them for lamps too, but I started realizing that I had a horse voice for the next 2 days. I used an angle grinder to carve, so I was breathing the smoke from where the carbon fiber tip burns/cuts away wood. Yeah, bad news, I try to stay away from them now, its too bad they don't sell them untreated, 'cause I don't know anywhere else to get round pieces like that.?

Tikiwahine - thank you for the inspiration and be sure to post your carvings when they come about. I'd love to see them.

Tiki Tony - Thank you for the information about the fan palm (and a very cool carving with said wwood)- your idea of using the Dremmel sounds like a great idea. Did you use a special bit for that, or just one of the ones that comes in the set?
You're very right about the post - it's nasty stuff and I have a feeling I won't carve another one of these when I finish this one. I'm on the lookout for the untreated poles too, so if I find any, I'll be sure to post where they are.

Polynesiac, If you say these are your first, I think you ahve been holding back. Let 'er rip and bring on some more.

Aloha and welcome Polynesiac. I like your work. That pole is coming along nicely. However, I think you should look for a less toxic log. Why risk the exposure. I bet if you contact a couple tree services in your area you find one that will hook you up. The logs may not be perfect but thats all part of the charm.
Keep on carvin'
Chongolio

Aloha and welcome Polynesiac. I like your work. That pole is coming along nicely. However, I think you should look for a less toxic log. Why risk the exposure. I bet if you contact a couple tree services in your area you find one that will hook you up. The logs may not be perfect but thats all part of the charm.
Keep on carvin'
Chongolio

polynesiac, I use the long fat cyllinder shape bit. The one at the bottom of the "U" line up from the picture. The one I use is a little longer than that one, but that gives you a visual. I use the edge of it, like a "v" shape chissel. I also use the "flex shaft" attatchment.

mY TiKi sLide sHow:
hEre & TC page oR TiKi tOny .cOm

[ Edited by: tikitony on 2004-02-04 00:17 ]

Thank you for your support everyone - the carvings are coming out nicely (I always have several different projects going at the same time).I'll post as they come about.
Chongolio - That's a great idea! I do value my lungs, so I think I might just give it a try...

tikitony - Thank you for the visuals. I have that attachment and I'll head out the door after this post to try it out. By the way, I love the effect in your carving of the repeating tiki. I didn't see that on first look.

. Yeah, bad news, I try to stay away from them now, its too bad they don't sell them untreated, 'cause I don't know anywhere else to get round pieces like that.?

---------------------------------------------------------]try Lowes, I have seen eight foot long cedar posts in their gardening section. They are not smooth but rough on the outside and should hold up well outside. I don't know how well it would carve though.

Here's the new one.

He's an irate pirate.
Bartiki Roberts?
Calitiki Jack?
Tiki Beard?

This one is made out of the same palm as the previous one - possibly a fan palm (thanks Tikitony). Enjoy and thanks for lookin'.

That's cool!

You've got the whole symmetry thing down pretty good, which is not always easy for starting carvers.

He really does look like a pirate!

Polynesiac, That one Cool Pirate. You're really getting the detail down well.
Keep it up and give us More Pix
Thanks

nice pirate, like how the patch was done

I love it!
It reminds me of one of the characters in the book "Where the Wild Things Are"

Cool stuff...keep it up!

I like it,.....the palm bark makes it look like he has a beard too. Pretty cool.

Thats a cool tiki you carved up.
I think Bamboo Ben said it best when he stated in various other posts:

"ARRRGH"

Is that a knife in his mouth?

Thank you all for your words of encouragement! It means a lot!
DT - I haven't made it out to my local Lowes yet, but I'll post my findings once I do!
TikiWahini - cool idea, maybe a "where the wild tikis are"?
BK, benzart, chongolio - thanks for the encouragement - your past posts and carvings are VERY inspirational
SugarCaddyDaddy, tikitanked, Jungle trader - I actually wasn't going to carve this piece (it's only a little over a foot tall), but after I husked all the fronds off - that beard spoke and it spoke LOUD!
Chongolio - yes, it's one of those fake plastic swords that you can buy at halloween shops. Somehow it all comes down to pirates and tikis...
More on the way! Thanks again!

HOW TO MAKE AN ELECTRIC TIKI TORCH

I did some forum searches and found some good information about electric tiki torches (the links appear below), but I thought I'd do a step-by-step (a la Alnshely) so you can see how to do it and maybe try one yourself.

These are the tools I used. The 8' cord and the 2" socket I bought at Home Depot. The table tiki torch I picked up at Cost Plus. The bore bit is used to drill a hole in the bottom of the oil can in the tiki torch. Any drill bit will work but you want to keep in mind that metal dulls bits rather quickly (which is why I use this one specifically for making these lamps). You also want to make sure that the bit you use is larger than the diameter of the cord. You want enough space between the cord and the edge of the cut metal so it doesn't rub too much and remove the insulation on the cord. Not shown: epoxy.

After drilling the hole, it's time to thread the cord through from the bottom and out the opening of the oil can (if you're making a lamp out of a larger tiki torch simply knock the bamboo nodes out with a dowel or metal pipe and thread the cord through from the bottom. See links below for more information)
For information about correclty connecting the socket to the cord, look at the back of the package that the cord came in. There are step by step instructions. Just make sure the cord IS NOT plugged in while you are fooling with this.
The cardboard shield slides over the socket after you have connected it to the wire. Make sure to push it all the way down to connect the small hole in the cardboard shield with the small plastic bit in the socket.

Next, pull the socket into the can opening (being careful not to pull too hard, because it will slide into the can and that's a real pain). The opening will be just slightly larger than the diameter of the socket, so you may want to use a pair of needle nose pliers (not shown) to help position the socket. Once the socket is in position, take your handy Vice Grips and squeeze the sides of the oil can opening so that it presses against the socket. Don't squeeze so the socket breaks, just hard enough to keep the socket from moving with some light handling. Add a liberal amount of epoxy at the point where the cardboard and oil can opening meet. Put enough to create a connection all around the oil can and the cardboard. This will hold it in place tight enough for regular handling.
After the epoxy dries, touch up the cardboard and can opening with some black paint (I use a paint pen), add a flicker bulb and ENJOY!

Here are some links to other threads that deal with electrifying your tiki torches:
Bamboo Torch Lamps - Electrical Question
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=3381&forum=6

Looking for-electric flicker light tiki torches
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic-new.php?topic=4822&forum=1

For Chacha... pictures of my electric tiki torches...
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic-new.php?topic=2651&forum=1

Please let me know if I missed anything and feel free to ask questions (via post or email)

"Hey! Careful, man! There's a beverage!" - The Dude

[ Edited by: Polynesiac on 2004-02-17 14:46 ]

[ Edited by: Polynesiac on 2004-04-12 13:55 ]

Hi all!
carved up a few new ones from a dowel rod. Perfect for sittin' on the desk.

This one is about 12" tall.

This guy is about 6.5" tall. Not yet stained and still needs a few touch-ups here and there. I think he took longer than some of my larger tikis to do!
Thanks for looking!

That's great. What kind of wood is it?

Nice work. It shows a good sense of humor as much as a good eye.

Flounder - I actually don't remember the type of wood the dowel is. I think it's maple. Real easy to carve.
Nicefishy - thanks, life's no fun without fun, eh? :D

I really like the tiki pirate, nice job!

Hi everyone. I decided to post one of the carvings I just finished (still needs sealing, though). You've probably seen it before, it's a headhunter:

Carved out of a piece of mexican fan palm. Thanks for looking!

WOW! very cool, i always did like the cannibal carvings. really nice job.

Yes Polynesiac, Lookin' gooder and gooder. I like the fine detail you are getting. I think you need to stop whatever elseyou are doing and start carving more.

On 2004-02-17 08:47, Chongolio wrote:
I think Bamboo Ben said it best when he stated in various other posts:

"ARRRGH"

Chongo- that's Arrrrrrrrrrr!!! Not Arrrrgh.

Arrrrrrgh is like "I dropped my keys."

Arrrrrrrrrrrr!! is like "I dropped my keys with a candle on in my house and with the gas stove on full blast with no flame!!"

Poly-Nesiackkk, Coooooool Pirate Tiki! Maybe the Pirate comes out in you cause you live in Pedro???? Land of the lost Pirates!!

Score!! Keep it up!!

Are you selling these??

On 2004-02-17 08:47, Chongolio wrote:
I think Bamboo Ben said it best when he stated in various other posts:

"ARRRGH"

Chongo- that's Arrrrrrrrrrr!!! Not Arrrrgh.

Arrrrrrgh is like "I dropped my keys."

Arrrrrrrrrrrr!! is like "I dropped my keys with a candle on in my house and with the gas stove on full blast with no flame!!"

Poly-Nesiackkk, Coooooool Pirate Tiki! Maybe the Pirate comes out in you cause you live in Pedro???? Land of the lost Pirates!!

Score!! Keep it up!!

Are you selling these??

Hey everyone, thanks for the kind words
Ragin' - yeah - I had fun carving this guy. I really liked Flounder painting and wanted my own version
Benzart - I kinda was recently forced into having "more time to carve". So more things are one the way...
Rev - Pedro...Pirates...Hand in hand...love this place! I suppose they are for sale, but I haven't really thought about pricing yet. I do want to sell my stuff but a little nervous at the same time.
A friend of mine, after seeing a few of my carvings and lamps, offered me some "show/sale" space in the May first Thursday art walk. We'll see how it goes.
Feel free to PM or Email me if you're interested...

Dude that's sweet! My favorite of yours to date. How big is it? Looks like it weighs a ton.
I want to carve so bad!!! I have logs ready to go, but have no time. Brushes keeping me to busy.

Original Art by Flounder

http://www.flounderart.com

[ Edited by: FLOUNDERart on 2004-04-10 18:21 ]

good lord that pirate rules!!.....arrrrrrh matie!

Beautiful. I was hoping that cannibal would be making a come back soon. Is there nothing these new breed of carvers can't do? Don't stop now. I'll be watching for it in it's full sealed glory

I have the original of that piece in this abode and I was told it was carved from a palm tree, here it is in case you want to stain it similarly

Thanks everyone. The headhunter is a little over two feet tall and probably weighs about 80 lbs. It still has a bit of water in it, so I was going to wait a little bit before staining it.
Flounder - you're like Midas...everything you make is gold, bro!

Chopped 30ft of fan palm on the way, so more to come...

Hey Polynesiac, I have been meaning to tell ya how much I like the cannibal. I think one of my favorites that you have done. Cool "compression" style.
Chongolio

Hi! Well, I just finished my first foray with photoshop, and I dig the results. Check it out here:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=9492&forum=4&1

I scanned in a sketch and colored it with photoshop. Took WAY TOO LONG for me to complete. I think I'll stick with carving. :)

Major props go out to everybody who paints/draws/sketches tikis.

PS - I'll be updating this thread with images of some of the things I have in the show. Until then, here's one I forgot I never posted I did a while ago. It's so-so and this picture shows him before stain and all that.

"Hey, at least I'm housebroken."

[ Edited by: Polynesiac on 2004-06-17 13:36 ]

Looks like a Slurpy kisser to me. He's Cool though. I really love your tiki party. makes ya want to jumpmin the boat with those guys.

Ben - We'd love to have ya!
Here's a few that are going to be in the august show:

glass fishing float lamps (swag and un-swag). I can pump these out pretty quick now which makes me happy happy happy (to use a Benzartism)

Bamboo lamp with carved pull - sorry the close up is blurry, but it gives you an idea.

3 foot Redwood tiki

More to come as computer time permits!

PS - ignore that ceiling in the first picture. I gotta get some netting to cover those tiles...YUCK!

"Hey, at least I'm housebroken."

[ Edited by: Polynesiac on 2004-07-06 22:09 ]

Hey Polynesiac, that's some really cool stuff- Keep it up!

http://www.samgambino.com

Poly-man I Love those Tall redwood tikis, Nice look. I really need to see a good close up of the lamp pull. He really looks interesting. Get that camera finger clickin away.

Thanks for the comps Sam and Ben. I'll see what I can do with the macro on my digital camera. Because it's automatic everything, it tends to decide what it wants to focus in on...and it's never what YOU want to focus on.

What digi cam do you have? Maybe I can Help.

Here's some more stuff:

This marquesian looks more chocolate-milky in this picture than he does in real life

I'm sure you've seen one of these before.

I decided to accentuate the tongue and teeth on this guy...and I actually like it. Stands out a bit more from the others.

Here's a framed redwood mask carving. This guy was fun.

Thanks for looking, and more to come!

"Hey, at least I'm housebroken."

[ Edited by: Polynesiac on 2004-07-08 21:59 ]

Those redwood tikis don't even look like they started from plain old Home Depot 4x4's!

Great work.

I did that last post when I was on the first page...then I checked out the rest. Dude, you're an awesome carver - very nice designs & all quite different. I'm impressed. Also, great step-by-step on the electric tiki torch. It's good to know that I could actually have a tiki torch in the house with a crazy little two-year old running around wreaking havoc & not risk burning the house down.

Outstanding!

Thanks for the kind words everyone...your comments keep me fired up to hit the chisels...thank you very much.
Here's a few more I've been working on and had time to photoshop. Among other things, I'm working on putting together a nice portfolio, so I'm in that "it's got to be perfect to present" mode. I suppose that's the virgo in me.
Shutterfly cropped these photos a little (I guess the jpegs were too big) and I'm too lazy to fix it. I know that contradicts the previous sentence but it's the truth. I want it to be perfect, but I'm sick of sitting at the computer.
ANYWAY...here they are:

this guy was a commision that was a present for a couples 5th year wedding anniversary (which is wood). I thought that was a really sweet gift to give, so I carved the inscription for free!

everybody needs a tiki table!

another bamboo lamp style, this time it's a table lamp. Shortly, I'll have a line of resin lamp finales out there...here's an example of a hand carved one.

a much better picture of this guy. My marquesian tattoo.

THanks for looking!