Looking to trade some tiki carving material

I am an amature tiki carver in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA.

I have been carving using Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC). I have a whole lot of this material stored in my garage, and I'm looking to find someone local that would like to trade for some palm or other material for tiki carving.

AAC comes in 8"x10"x24"H blocks. It is a good size for tikis. You can carve it with chisels or other tools, and a mallet is not necessary. The blocks are used as an isulating/building material east of the Missippi, and I had to drive all the way to Casa Grande AZ to get them. I read about this material in an art book that I picked up at the library, and it really turned out to be a great material for people like me that are just learning to carve. The surface looks a lot like white coral after carving and sanding, because the bricks are baked in a kiln, and have tiny "bubbles" throughout. I applied some regular concrete sealer from home depot for the final product. Here are some photos of an "Easter Tiki" that I carved with them.

So, if anyone has some seasoned palm or other suitable wood, I would love to trade some blocks.

Mahalo,

Aaron

I believe this's the same material that gavtiki uses for his sculptures, so anyone who wanted to try this material out (but didn't want to fly to Melbourne to get some), this's your chance!

Rev. Dr. Frederick J. Freelance, Ph.D., D.F.S

[ Edited by: freddiefreelance on 2004-07-09 14:44 ]

Freddie,

Who is Gavtiki? Does he have a website with pics?

Aaron

Aaron, Cool tiki especially for your First. It is really good. Where are you locatde, I'm not sure where "Local" is.
Thanks for posting the pic.

Thanks, Benzart. "Local" for me is Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, or San Diego Counties. I live in Rancho Santa Margarita (South Orange County), which is near Irvine, CA. I've done a few more tikis that are a little more intricate than this one - I just didn't have the photos here at work. I'll try to post them Monday. this material is really great to work with!

Aaron

Here's some links to gavtiki's posts:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=8929&forum=7&vpost=90348

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=8948&forum=7&vpost=90570

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=7947&forum=1&vpost=79294

I might be interested in a trade - I have some 2ft mexican fan palm logs if you're interested. PM or Email me and we can work something out! You can check out some of my work here:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=7522&forum=7&start=30&44
and scroll down a bit

Awesome! Your tikis really look great. Maybe you can give me a few palm carving tips while we're at it. I'll email you.

Aaron

Well, I emailed Polynesiac, but haven't heard back yet. If anyone else is interested in a trade, just let me know.

Aaron

[ Edited by: Aaron on 2004-07-13 13:33 ]

Jim (Polynesiac) & Barbara stopped by my place Saturday & we traded some AAC blocks & Palm trunks. I haven't been surfing TC long, but it is great to meet some other Tiki afficianados. Jim is a very cool guy & gave me lots of tips & insight into carving palm material. I will try to post some photos of some palm tikis once I get them done, & I hope that Jim does the same with his new AAC blocks. I am looking forward to meeting more local (So Cal) TC'ers in future.

Cheers!

Aaron

Hey Aaron! It was great meeting you and your wife, I hope to see you at events too!

This man has a contact in HB who is willing to give up her supply of the AAC for FREE!
IF you're curious, check it out!

Aaron, don't be bashful with the pictures of those other tikis you did - they're AWESOME!
This kid has talent folks! Post 'em...Cause we wanna see!

Jim, thanks for the vote of confidence...I'll post as soon as I get my old computer straightened out. Keep in touch, and let me know of any wild TC beach parties that you plan on attending!

See ya,

Aaron