Bowana's Other Crafts

Bowana - Its been too long since I caught your progress - not since the 'TD' days of the Mini-Moai record attempt in fact. Thanks to some recent developments* Im managing to catch up again.

Dude, your work is so solid; perfect poses & headdresses on the Hawaiians and your Moais are more Moai than Moais! Whats next? Casually tackling guitar construction, of course.

*By the power of broadband I will be keeping up with you in future. Bring it on..

Tama :)

Babalu! Tiki-Kate! teaKEY! 8FT Tiki! 4WD! seeksurf! Clarita! harro! benella! Benzart! Paipo! Mooney! Tama! Thanks so much for your visit! Merci, Benjamin, y el gusto es mio, Clarita! :)

On 2008-04-23 08:15, Tiki-Kate wrote:
I fear that your Hurry Up And Finish It Already Corner is getting smaller than mine. :)

Little by little chipping away at it, Kate. Here's the before and current status:

The guitar and the lil' guy up front are all that need some work.

On 2008-04-24 19:49, harro wrote:
Are you German by any chance?? That is just too precise!!

A tiny bit of German in me, harro, but I'm mostly Jack Russell Terrier. :)

On 2008-04-25 10:31, Benzart wrote:
"STCA" Huh, I Resemble that remark :lol: :lol:, I'm Definitely the leader in That group. Love the Guitar too. What Can't You DO?

I have trouble sometimes tying my shoelaces. :) Oh Great and Powerful STCA leader, I propose a new organization, Slow Tiki Carvers of the World (STCW) I don't think we are alone.

On 2008-04-25 15:18, Paipo wrote:
I've got a big block of limestone (also earmarked for a moai) that looks almost identical to AAC, and had thought of trying some sort of concrete seal/stain process on it.

Go for it, Paip! If it's something created by you, it's going to be fabulous.

On 2008-04-25 18:25, MooneyTiki wrote:
! How do you carve it so Kleen and tight lines.

Lots of measuring, remeasuring, and setting my brain to Robotic Carving Mode. ("Kill Mode" as Buzzy likes to call it)

On 2008-04-26 00:29, Tamapoutini wrote:
Bowana - Its been too long since I caught your progress - not since the 'TD' days of the Mini-Moai record attempt in fact. Thanks to some recent developments* Im managing to catch up again.
*By the power of broadband I will be keeping up with you in future. Bring it on..

All right, Tama! A high speed connection is well worth it. It took me a while too before I finally caught up with the new millinium!

I know Klaus Gnomi there is not a Tiki, but there's no reason why the two cannot get along.

Play nice, fellas.

Bowana

Most excellent carves going on there.

Sir B, Those tikis are as tight as one could ever hope to get a tiki, but that gnome is extra special! Very sweet carve! He might have looked just a little better naked to the world and tatooed. You would still have needed to leave the red hat on though...that's a must.

I hear the drums!

On 2008-04-28 20:53, Bowana wrote:

I know Klaus Gnomi there is not a Tiki, but there's no reason why the two cannot get along...

*I think Ive might've found the link between Tikis and Gnomes.. (it's Christmas)
Klaus-Gnomi meet Tiki-Claus.. :D [(c) Mieko. 2007]

Very cool Gnome! Youve captured the distinctive smiley, hairy face so well, he has heaps of character. So gnomey!

Tama :)

Thanks seek, Babalu, and Tama! I dunno, Babs. Is the world ready for a naked, tattooed Gnome? Hmm..well, maybe. :) Good one Tama! i didn't think of the connection between Klaus Gnomi and Mieko's Tiki Claus until you pointed it out!

The gap narrows!

Bowana

Bowana,

you seem to be the master of the chiselled finish on your tikis. The gnome, Ali'i and the Lono all look great with that texture. This is something I want to do on the one I'm working on now, but I'm not sure how to go from the chiselling stage to the finished/ready-to-stain stage. How do you sand in order to keep the chisel marks but get rid of the imperfections (and horizontal chisel lines that I saw you mention a while back)? Thanks for any tips.

Cheers.

On 2008-05-15 10:34, harro wrote:
How do you sand in order to keep the chisel marks but get rid of the imperfections (and horizontal chisel lines that I saw you mention a while back)?

Buen dia, Harro! I was never able to eliminate the horizonal chisel lines I was lamenting about previously.

Each whack of the mallet makes a new one. The only way not to do it is to be able to carve off each chip in a single stroke. This method is much less controlled from what I've discovered. I've had to sacrifice one for the other, and learn to live with the imperfections so I could still have control over every subtle nuance of the carving.

With softer woods like palm it's not so severe, but with harder woods it's much more noticable. I imagine you got your share of it on the Quebracho? I found that after staining and all, the offending lines don't notice so much.

As far as Ali'i is concerned, I spent a lot of time sanding it and took out all of the chisel marks, so it's as smooooooth as ever!

Ali'i the Second here had a minimum of the horizontal chisel lines because it's carved from palm. To get a texture such as this, you have to go over it a lot and make very small cuts as you get closer to the finished look desired. Go very easy and lightly towards the end.

I hope this is helpful. Your drummer is looking great! Buena suerte, amigo!

Bowana

thanks Bowana.

So for Ali'i the 2nd you just chiseled down with more and more precision until you were happy with the form, and then jumped straight into the staining? So no sanding at all?

Really appreciate you masters spending time to teach us apprentices!

On 2008-05-21 11:54, harro wrote:
So for Ali'i the 2nd you just chiseled down with more and more precision until you were happy with the form, and then jumped straight into the staining? So no sanding at all?

That is correct, Harro! No sanding at all. I like the hard edges of the faceting left by the carving tool. To me, sanding over it makes the surface appear "blurry". I will only sand areas of extreme detail such as the face.

While I'm at it, here's some shots of my workspace(s)

These first two are the garage where I do messy work like carving and moldmaking.

My carving stand also makes a good place to store my flashlight!

Wow, what a lot of junk!

This is a corner of my inside studio where I mainly sculpt in clay. I'm working on a set of Indians for a toy soldier company currently.

Here's a closeup for you Babalu.

Excellent stuff Bowana! Aloha, Mooney

Is that a SPAM beachball?

Sculpting lil Indians...a SPAM beachball....a Frazetta Conan poster....
You're a regular Renaissance Spazz!
You're mind is always so full...
No wonder so much genius pours out!
Always a joy to see what you're working on.....
Clean up your work area tho!
it makes it less distracting
cause you know where everything is!
:)

TWO Frazetta prints!
just noticed the Sea Siren lady on the other wall!

Thanks everybody who visited Studio Bowana! I would post some clearer pictures of the Indians, but the set is still being realized and my client would probably not be very happy with me!

Surfintiki, it is indeed a SPAM beachball.

The SPAM-Mobile was giving them away at the Pacific Islander Festival last year here in SD. To get one, I had to answer a trivia question about SPAM. My answer was wrong, but they gave me the ball anyways.

So you're a Frazetta fan too, LLT? Here's the others I have:

Cat Girl
(you can see the reflection of the Sea Witch hanging on the opposite wall)

Moonmaid
(hmm, I hung this one crooked)

Princess of Mars

So, as not to stray too terribly far from Tikiville, here's some progress on the guitar:

I've since fabricated the bridge (most difficult part), pickups, pickguard, and done the alignment of the neck (wait, that was the most difficult part) so that the strings will be in line from the bridge to the headstock. But seriously, it's all difficult!

Foot placement © GMAN

Thanks for looking!
Bowana

Yeah I think you got the foot right except that it's left which leaves you with the right one which would be wrong? Can't wait to see what you do with the guitar.

Hi Bowana, pretty cool pix of your workshop and telecaster.

I got 2 pix from the thuja i'll post on my thread.

Benjamin.

"Foot placement © GMAN"

Killer!

Nice working space!
I don't agree with LLT, I think you know where everything is, master of your own chaos :)
Oh! mr. Blue is in great company I see :)
and the guitar is looking great too, if you add some microphones, it would work perfect, probably :)

Benz: Yep, left foot. I'm left handed, which is not right, but then again it's not wrong!

Benella: Thanks for your visit, my brother!

GMAN: I believe in giving credit where credit is due!

Clarita: Yes, Mr. Blue really likes his upstairs neighbor! :)

Here's a quickie (sort of) pendant that I made between guitar building sessions.
I managed to only get one progress shot.

And here it is finished:

I used my fav Chinese Mystery Clay to sculpt this lil' terror.
Think I'll call him übertiki because of those over the top eyes.
Now all I have to do is to plop some silicone on him and cast some resins.

I haven't abandoned the guitar. At this point, I'm searching all the industrial stores for extremely small hardware. It's not easy to find what I need, and when the sales people ask what my project is, I get strange looks when I tell them I'm building a miniature guitar. Guess I shouldn't say anything about that it's going to be a Christmas present for my pet Gnome.

Bowana

Nice work as always BoDiddleyWanna -

I've been trying to convince TikiThomas to put a pickup on his ukelele, but forgot about size issues - tell us if you find some itsy bitsy pickups anywhere! I thought he could use a bass pickup or something, or he might have to rip one apart and push the magnets closer together....

Why is life always so complicated?!

awesoem!!

wowWOWWOW...nice work! The GIANT eyes give him a cool mecha vibe.That mystery clay sure holds some crazy detail - I'm looking forward to trying something out with the stuff Babs sent (thanks to you) !
Are you sure you didn't work for Coco Joe's at some point?

Bowana,

That is beautiful. Not knowing much about clay, what will you do with it now? Will you wear/sell the clay or will you mold it and and make ceramic or resin duplicates? Smoooth!

übertiki is first class piece.
Great work,

Ben.

Thanks Cammo and Thomas. I'll let ya know if I find any teeny tiny pickups.
I would think one of these would work for a uke:
http://melodymusiconline.com/index.php?manufacturers_id=2

Paip: Thanks, Cocojoe is my hero! :)
I'm glad your Chinese Mystery Clay arrived okay. Can't wait to see what you do with it. Something spectacular, no doubt!

Yo GMAN: Yes, I'm going to mold übertiki and make resin castings, then string them up for pendants. I'll post pictures when I get that far.

Benjamin: Merci!

Bowana

übertiki is pretty darn neat looking. What is chinese mystery clay? It looks like you get some real detail with it.

Sharp!! GROG like.

Thanks, Johnny and GROG!

Johnny, the Chinese Mystery Clay is a waxy, hard clay a friend of mine got while in China.

As you can see, the label is entirely in Chinese, hence the moniker, "Mystery Clay". Babalu, who visits China often, had it translated for me. What I was hoping for was some sort of maker or brand name. What it says are things like "this clay very good for sculpting" "this clay need to be warmed up before use" ect, ect.. So no brand name or nuthin! The name of it remains a mystery, but at least I found out that it's very good clay for sculpting. :)

It's capable of excellent detail. Here's some of the work I've been able to do with it:

This is a portrait of the Maori chief Te Aho Te Rangi Wharepu. 7" from top of hat to bottom of base. This is a resin casting from the Mystery Clay sculpt.

Creature From The Black Lagoon, 2" tall.

3" Hula Dancer.

Thanks for looking!

Bowana

Dang Sir B...you are one amazing feller! I don't think I've ever seen that bust before - look at those teeth! Is this new?

The bust is amazing really! and the new pendant too! what a sharp lil guy, love it!!

Exceptional detail! Your attention to detail on such a small figure is amazing. Love the Creature From The Black Lagoon. I remember that movie, laughed throuth the whole thing. You haven't lived until you seen it in 3-D. Can't wait to see what your doing next. Any hints?

Holly Crap! that's Great stuff Man incredible stuff. NICE WORK!

:o :o :o

:o :o :o

Thanks for your visit everybody! :)

Sir Babalu, No, the Te Rangi bust is actually a few years old. I made him for a guy who runs a tattoo parlour. He sold a few on ebay, one was to a guy in NZ who was very excited to have one because Te Rangi was his great grandfather. How cool is that!

Gracias Clarita, mi buena amiga del sur! :)

Tikilizard, ah, but I have seen CFTBL in 3D! It was playing at a local theater when I was very young and impressionable. It was a 3D double feature along with "It Came From Outer Space" I still have my 3D "Deep Vision" glasses somewhere. Hints on what I'm doing next? Go to Barve-O-Bopia pg.16 for a clue!

Seeksurf and Benella, Thanks and merci, my friends!

Bowana

Yes, I'm with Benella, Awesome Maori chief. I've seen him before a while back but am Just as Impressed seeing him this time too. Totally Unbelievable piece of work sir!

man, I don't stop in for a while and I miss tons of cool stuff!!! Dave, killer work as always......the detail...just makes me want to toss my stuff in the chipper. Kick ass!

Thanks Benz and Clysdalle!

Oh, where to begin... so much accomplished, but not finished.

Guitar update:
Whatever I said before about the most difficult part of this project, I take back.

The most difficult part was setting the frets. All 21 of them had to be straight and spaced apart correctly or it just wasn't going to look right. I used welding rod and set each one individually after much measuring and remeasuring.

Oh, did I say setting the frets was the most difficult part?

I meant to say that building the bridge saddles was the most difficult part. All three had to be identical to each other. Lots of drilling and tapping of threads and trying to find the right size hardware at the store.

Übertiki update:

I plopped some silicone on it and will cast some resin pendants from the mold this week. Yay!

New project: (as if I didn't have enough to do already)

Okay, here's what happened: I was cleaning up my shop one day and-hello, what's this?

It's a piece of AAC/Hebel that I had cut off from the side of this earlier project.

It looked too good to toss out, so I brought it to 4WD's Chop and carved a relief profile based on a pendant I had sculpted.

It's nearly done now. I'm planning on putting a frame around it and hanging it on the wall.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Bowana

the sculptures are aaammmaaazzingdood! and that moai is looking pretty radd too. is the guitar going to be a fully functioning electric? or is it more of an art peice?

and i cant wait to get me one of dem der Übertiki castings!

[ Edited by: tikithomas08 2008-06-28 21:15 ]

Sir B,

Is Thomas correct? Are you going to be able to play that little axe your a building there? Now talk about cool!

Thanks, Thomas and Sir Babs!

Nah, the guitar is not going to be functional. It will be no more than a pretty face that will get hung on the wall.

Oh the lil guitar is out of control, hm?! :) !
The pendant looks great, great!
and the new moai too!
Muy buen trabajo! Felicitaciones! :)

Hey Dav!
That axe is looking sweet!

The nine months it's going to take you to finish it just can't come quick enough!

If you are finding that it's taking too much time to make, then you could do what I'm doing for my custom line of "TikiCasters".
I order a bunch of these guys:

1/3 scale Fender Telecaster replicas

and then I just paint tiki stuff and pinstripes on them and resell them with a considerable markup. At $52 each, that's pretty cheap for raw materials.

I think you should make a Tiki hat next.

Buzzy Out!

Man, I love all your stuff. That Maori chief is SUCH a cool character to do. Nice. Ya gots to let me play that geetar!!

Very nice. Your work is so clean and fresh.
Love the little lono dude with the big eyes.

he's the robot....great stuff dave!!