MadDog Mike's Platterful of Pupule - El Tiki/Ben Wilson Wall Finished

Looks like a pagoda lantern to me.

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!!!

LittleGiles, when it gets closer to done I will PM you for your address :D

Not really tiki, but it would be at home in any tiki garden. I think the stone look of the saggar firing would work out well on this if I can make it happen. I'm heading out of town 'til this afternoon, I'll post some better pics when I get back

I'm getting better at barely getting by

[ Edited by: MadDogMike 2012-07-29 06:34 ]

WOOHOO!! Thanks. I'm excited to see more as it progresses.

Thanks again Mike. My birthday was this past Friday so this makes a great surprise. :)

Way to go little

:music: Happy Birthday to Giles... :music:

Thank you to those who played along and even thanks to the 400 people who looked but didn't take a guess :lol:

The candle is behind the mug, seen in a clay "tunnel" through the mug. I think the mug will hold enough to share so I put 2 straw holes in the lid. 10 inches tall and 7 inches wide. I'll let it dry slowly and continue to burnish the clay, do a bisque fire, glaze the inside and do a glaze fire, paint and sprinkle chemicals on it for a saggar fire, then wax the outside to provide some protection and enhance the colors

I had said that this was only "quasi-tiki". However, 40 years ago I worked at El Tiki, a Polynesian/Mexican fusion restaurant and this palm lantern was on the grounds ~ that makes it tiki to me :D

Mike, that is soooo cool! Thanks for the birthday wishes and I can't wait to see how this turns out. It will hold a place of honor in my "soon to be redone" tiki office/hobby room.

Maybe i would have had a go at guessing if i had actually ever been to a Tiki restaurant. :P

Happy Birthday littlegiles.
Congratulations Mike on a new mug design. That's another something special from Mike creation!

Wendy

I want a chicken dinner!

40 years ago I worked at El Tiki

So what kind of a place hires a 2 year old?

OOOh Mikey, you need help. I hope you never get well! Awesome talent and imagination you got.
Cheers,
David

[ Edited by: nui 'umi 'umi 2012-08-01 00:59 ]

Swizz, you'll get to see a real Tiki restaurant in 2 weeks. I haven't seen the Bali Hai since the remodel but I hear it's very nice. But I can't guarantee a Japanese Lantern in the garden there.
Wendy, you always say the nicest things
ATP, you'll have to find your own chicken dinner. Now get off my lawn! :D
H10T, you'll have to remember that child labor laws were much more lax in the 70s. And it was actually only 38 years ago.
Nui'umi'umi, Thank you. Don't worry, I've been "sick" for a long time and there is no cure!

I got Bryan's Kamehameha Bowl fired and I'm happy with it. I think Bryan would be too. The brown on the faces is a bit streaky though. Because I wasn't firing in my own kiln, I took a gamble and did 2 firings instead of 3 or 4 ~ I lost :lol: It would be difficult to correct now

I made a pair of Sea Monkey salt & pepper shakers for the friend of a friend. He doesn't want to see the finished product until I give them to him at Oasis. But I don't think he's on TC so hopefully it's safe to post them here.

MadDogScientist

The Lantern Mug in firing in the kiln as we speak (up to 1895 right now, needs another 40 degrees or so). Hopefully my toxic chemicals will arrive this week so I can get into the laboratory and start testing

Loving that Kamehameha Bowl,the glaze choices were perfect for it... Beautiful!!
I think that Lantern is going to look great with those toXic chemicals, can't wait to see it. Damn I wish I was going to Oasis!! :(

MDM, as much as I'd like to say something smart-alecky, I got nothing. You do nice work and it's fun to see the constant creativity.

MDM-
Your brothers bowl rocks,
Sea monkeys, those r awesome(I had em as a kid)

The mind of MDM never slows down :)

Mike, the bowl turned out amazing! I couldn't tell from the photos that anything looked streaky at all. Great job on that and a wonderful way to remember your brother! Well done!

The sea monkeys are too funny. I can vividly remember those ads in the comic books when I was a kid. I never thought that today I would look at them again but they would be S&P Shakers.

Can't wait to see how the pogoda turns out. Have fun experimenting. Thanks again for this special treat.

• Dale

That bowl came out mighty fine my friend.

I can't wait to see you at Oasis!!

Mike, Mike, Mike, that bowl is just so special and a dozen ways. When you come in February you could bring it and I'll show you how wonderful enamel paints are for faces.

I love those funny sea monkeys. hang10 I'm jealous I only read about them in comic books I never had any.

Sandra Dee I'll share Mike with you if he'll share you with us!

Hugs coming at Oasis, Wendy

Thank you all so very much!
Bumz, I'm bummzed that you're not going to Oasis too
Professor, I'm sure you could come up with something "smart-alecky" - you just didn't try hard enough :D
H10T, I never got the sea monkeys per se. But I ordered the "prenant male sea horse" from the back of the comic book and the food was eggs that hatched into brine shimp. So I fed my "sea monkeys" to the sea horse :lol:
Sandra Dee, can't wait to see you again, it's been 2 years!
Wendy, that would be fun to put some enamel on that bowl, we'll see if we can work that out.

Giles, here's progress on your Japanese Lantern mug: I did the bisque firing and it survived fine. I glazed the inside clear (white) and put it back in the kiln. Then I had a Senior Moment - I set the kiln for low and waited 2 hours. I turned it up to medium and waited another 2 hours. I set it to high and waited 2 more hour, now the lantern had been in the kiln for 6 hours. I took the digital thermometer and checked the temperature, it should have been around 1600 or 1700 degrees. It was 93 degress ~ I had failed to turn the kiln ON!!!!! :lol: So it's back in the kiln today and this time I actually turned it on :blush:

I had made a hummingbird feeder out of a Kraken bottle several months ago but it never worked out right, it leaked the sugar water all over the place. Then I saw these instructions for making wine bottle tiki torches. So I re-purposed my Kraken bottle into a torch

The split ring that holds the bottle came in galvanized or copper but the top plate only came in galvanized. So I went with galvanized all around and painted it hammered vintage copper. If the top plate had been available in copper I would have made it all copper and put a piece of copper pipe over the threaded rod, it would have aged to a beautiful patina. I had varnished the rum bottle labels when I made the hummingbird feeder, they have been in the rain and sun for several months and still look great. Now I need to get the copper coupling that goes in the top of the bottle to hold the wick. Hopefully I will find something to darken the torch oil so it looks like dark Kraken rum ~ maybe a little walnut wood stain, that's oil based?

Gheeeeeez, your talent is over the top. The bowl turned out great.

Congrats to giles on the lantern...that is a wonderfully unique gift.

Lovin' the Kraken bottles, those look nice and sure the birds will be happy. Your re-purposing is brilliant.

Mike, your "senior moment" had me laughing cause I did the same thing once with a kiln I have. Loaded it up, plugged it in, set the temp and everything, but totally forgot to actually turn it on. HAHA!!

The Kraken torch idea is really cool looking. A dark oil would look neat when it was burning. Let us know how the wood stain thing works. :)

• Dale

Just checking in to see the next MadDogMike creation and I wasn't disapointed. You rock, Wendy

Hi MDM,

Oil based wood stains contain solvents which are combustible and release toxic fumes when burned. Your very awesome Kraken tiki torch could explode if you combine the 2 and I don't want you to get hurt.

I'll ask the chemistry guru's I work with to suggest something safe when I'm at work tomorrow.

Hey Mike!
Could you make me a few of them
Kraken Molotov Cocktails
for Oasis?
:)

I've said it before and I'll say it again: you sir, are a genius!

Two years too long my friend!! If you are coming to sling clay with Wendy in Feb I better be there to harass and hug :)

see you in 10 days or so (not like I am counting!)

xoxoxo

BREAKING NEWS - The Jet Propusion Laboratory in Pasadena has just released this photo taken by the Mars rover "Curiosity" that appears to show a Martian life form.

:lol: OK, I got nuthin' today. I was hoping to have some dangerous chemicals on my doorstep when I got home but no such luck. When I put straws in the lid holes of the Japanese Lantern I though it looked alien and I couldn't resist :lol:

LMAO! Too funny.

With the straws in there I have an idea of how big that is. WOW! So awesome. :) WOOHOO!!

U funny

That joke soft landed on my funny bone!

The guy I was going to ask wasn't at work today. He's the only one I work with that would understand what you're trying to accomplish and he's creative.

I found the answer on Google. Now I won't have to explain myself at work. Use liquid candle dye. http://www.candlescience.com/color/liquid-dye.php/

Liquid Candle Dye
Liquid dyes from CandleScience are a quick and economical way to color paraffin, soy, gel, and palm wax.

Requiring only gentle stirring to achieve an even color, our liquid dyes mix easily - leaving no particles or sediment.

Additionally, our dyes are extremely concentrated to save you money: just 1 oz. brings over 40 lbs. of wax to a medium shade.

Thanks for humoring me peoples :D

Thanks for the info TLB. I'll check at Michael's, they may have some liquid candle dye. I got the copper coupling I needed to hold the wick and tried it out, works great. It will look better with dark oil in it.

Total cost was about $5 (not counting the rum) Check out the link above and build yourselves a few.

There's toxic chemicals in my kiln!!! :o

Doing a test run of aluminum foil saggar firing tonight, results posted tomorrow morning success or failure!

Assembled reagents in the laboratory (my kitchen :D ) crumpled aluminum foil, ferric chloride, sodium chloride, iron oxide, copper carbonate, copper mesh (dish scrubber), and a "volunteer" subject; a miscast tiki pistol glazed on the inside.

One part ferric chloride was mixed with 3 parts water (add the acid to the water like you oughter, water added to the dry acid powder will react violently!) and brushed on the test subject.

The subject was wrapped in copper mesh.

I misted the foil with water in hopes of keeping the chemicals in place, sprinkled on sodium chloride, copper carbonate, and iron oxide. I added a few random pieces of cat food to include some carbon.

The foil was wrapped around the test subject and placed in the kiln. It will be brought up to 1000 degrees (about half of normal firing temp) over the next 3 hours then cool 'til morning when we will see results.

There is a two-fold desired effect; that there be cool fuming colors & designs on the piece and that the interior glaze will not be damaged

Why do I get this creepy image of you acting like Snidely Whiplash while wrapping the test subject and placing it in the kiln?

• Dale

Please tell me you were wearing PPE and had safety glasses on. I work with toxic chemical and you gotta use protection, ha, ha! Actually I'm fascinated to find out if it works.

Wait a minute Brada... How much acid do you take to see this effect again?? :wink:

Can't wait to see it mike, fingers crossed..

Dale ~ How did you know I grew out a handlebar mustache for Tiki Oasis?
TLB ~ If by "PPE & Safety Goggles" you mean contact lenses, a shirt & pants then, yes I did. Note to self; never fry bacon naked again! :lol: TLB, any chance you're going to Tiki Oasis?
Bumz - I dropped about 2 tabs

I pulled the "willing test subject" from the crucible this morning and got a little sneak-peek

And here's what it looked like after I cleaned it up and put some paste wax on it (no glaze on the outside)

This design is not really optimal for saggar firing, it needs blank smooth surfaces like on the Japanese Lantern. Also this clay was not burnished while drying so it doesn't have the smooth finish the the other will, BUT the burnishing seals the clay somewhat and burnished clay may not pick up as much color? The bottom picture has a little more black, I think that was from more cat food one one side than the other. There were a few fuming stains to the inside glaze but they don't compromise the integrity of the glaze so it's still drink safe. A dark glaze on the inside would have prevented that from showing as much.

Overall I'm very happy with this experiment and I'm eagar to try it on the Japanese Lantern, maybe today with pictures tomorrow morning?

Now I'm off to the community art center and try to teach a shellac resist tile technique to a handful of kids :D

Very cool results there Professor. :) As for how I knew you grew out a handlebar for Oasis...every guy must have a secret and I swore to never talk about my Psychic abilities...oh damn.

• Dale

I can't believe I got up at 5:30 on a SUNDAY to take a picture of a mug! But I'm really stoked about the way this turned out.

I really like the way this finish turned out. The clay was burnished and polished while it was drying so it has a smooth surface without glaze, then Minwax Paste Finishing Wax was rubbed on to give it a gloss. Nice colors all around and you can see where the copper mesh left dark patterns on the clay. The inside glaze was undamaged so it still can be used for drinking. I like several of the more "organic" looking firing techniques like pit firing, smoke firing, and raku - but I haven't found a way to make them food safe, saggar firing solves that problem.

No my only problem is to come up with some designs for this finish that are sufficiently "Tiki". I may do another of Bryan's Kamehameha Bown and saggar fire the outside after I glaze the inside and the heads. But I have to find someone with a bigger kiln that located OUTSIDE. I'm planning a new and improved Japanese Lantern (sorry LittleGiles, you get the prototype :lol: ). The Japanese Lantern Mug isn't very "Tiki", I guess I could sell them in the parking lot of Benihanas :D

I will be sending this out to LittleGiles, probably not until after I get back from Oasis.

WOW!! While the lantern may not be "tiki", it is one damn fine looking piece of art. Beautiful. I can't wait to see this in person. I also appreciate the early rising for that photo cause it is wonderful.

Thanks so much.

• Dale

The mug looks awesome Mike! But those Sea Monkey S&P shakers...Nice!!! I see those being a big hit on Etsy or some such site.

MDM you continuously astound and amaze me with your talents AND motivate me to be more creative! I am IN LOVE with your lantern mug and it's plenty tiki for me. (I'm not a purist.) My only regret was that I was busy cruising and didn't get a chance to guess your shape & win. Drats!

But since you inspire me perhaps I will try something similarly shaped when I'm back to school in a month and have access to clay and a kiln - in your honor!

Keep those creative juices flowing man!!!!!

One day I need to get to Oasis. Then I could meet you and a my other TC friends!

Your first picture flashed me back in time to the 1970s and watching "Kung Fu" as a teenager.
Raising the bar every time, Mike.

May not be Tiki...but your Japanese Lantern is fabulous and the glaze is very organic and ageless looking...GREAT JOB!

Wow Mike that came out so COOL!!! I think a tiki or bowl with this finish would look awesome. I've always wanted to make a raku tiki but since there not good to drink your rum from I just never tryed it.. Can you do this finish in different colors as well?? Littlegiles your stoked on that lantern, a one of a kine MDM Original!!!

100 pages....sweet

The lantern looks awesome...

[ Edited by: hang10tiki 2012-08-12 19:17 ]