Conga....Wisconsin stuff!

Thanks Benz and Chimp, and everyone who popped in. And I finally finished something.



Seems like it took me a long time to finish the rascal, hard to find enough
carving time during the winter months. But spring is here, time to find a big
piece of northern Wisconsin basswood and see what happens.
This guy is hollowed out in the back so he can either hang on a wall or sit in a hall.
And he likes green eggs and ham too.

those detail are amazing! all of the wrinkles and the eyebrows as well as the stain, especially how it seems to get darker in areas that would normally be darker!

Yes, I like the stain too. It enhances the grain without covering it up. I would be interested in knowing what shade/finishing techniques you used. (Only if you care to share it.)

Man Conga, this one is showing your carving maturity level fo sho! Very nice piece indeed.

Basswood is supposed to be a dream to carve on. I have an Avacado in the works and it is very keen to details.

Mahalo

McTiki

Greetings Poobah, Amate and McTiki, appreciate your nice compliments about the latest carve.
No problem sharing my techniques Amate...pretty simple...time consuming...but generally produces
nice results.
A venerable carver, someone named Ben, has posted about staining, sanding, staining, sanding, and
so forth. His stuff always turns out pretty nice so I have started putting a little more effort
into the staining process.

On this carving I started with a coat of a stain called "special walnut"...which was a little more
brown than a typical walnut stain. I sanded off as much of the stain as I could without going crazy,
leaving some dark crevices (such as the deep carved areas around the nose...eyes...etc.) Then a
second coat of the same stain...repeated stain seems to show more grain and create a little
translucence to the whole thing...excuse my explanation...have had a few cocktails tonight.)
After sanding off the stain a second time I switched to "walnut" stain which is quite a bit darker
than the special walnut. That gave me the general color that I wanted...along with some nice
grain and the darker accents around the eyes and facial features. Then...three coats of
tung oil...each one giving the carving a little more character. Tung oil gives the project a nice
"glow" without being shiney.

The stain/sand/stain/sand/stain process gives the finished produce a "glassy" look that is
pretty cool in real life...a little hard to capture in a photograph. There is a depth that I have
not been able to achieve with a single coat of stain. Basswood is wonderful to carve but can be
a bit blotchy if you don't take the time to finish it properly. But...as Jackie Mason would say...
I don't know.

At any rate...I appreciate all positive comments...they keep me going when I wonder what it all
means.

This fella turned out fantastic! Congrats.

Wow! Nice nice work! I don't think I'll ever get to doing a face.
Big Northern basswood huh? Ooo, what's next?

On 2011-04-15 20:40, congatiki wrote:
Greetings Poobah, Amate and McTiki, appreciate your nice compliments about the latest carve.
No problem sharing my techniques Amate...pretty simple...time consuming...but generally produces
nice results.
A venerable carver, someone named Ben, has posted about staining, sanding, staining, sanding, and
so forth. His stuff always turns out pretty nice so I have started putting a little more effort
into the staining process.

On this carving I started with a coat of a stain called "special walnut"...which was a little more
brown than a typical walnut stain. I sanded off as much of the stain as I could without going crazy,
leaving some dark crevices (such as the deep carved areas around the nose...eyes...etc.) Then a
second coat of the same stain...repeated stain seems to show more grain and create a little
translucence to the whole thing...excuse my explanation...have had a few cocktails tonight.)
After sanding off the stain a second time I switched to "walnut" stain which is quite a bit darker
than the special walnut. That gave me the general color that I wanted...along with some nice
grain and the darker accents around the eyes and facial features. Then...three coats of
tung oil...each one giving the carving a little more character. Tung oil gives the project a nice
"glow" without being shiney.

The stain/sand/stain/sand/stain process gives the finished produce a "glassy" look that is
pretty cool in real life...a little hard to capture in a photograph. There is a depth that I have
not been able to achieve with a single coat of stain. Basswood is wonderful to carve but can be
a bit blotchy if you don't take the time to finish it properly. But...as Jackie Mason would say...
I don't know.

At any rate...I appreciate all positive comments...they keep me going when I wonder what it all
means.

Fantastic piece of art, Conga! Killer job. I love it. I also find our staining method interesting. I see your pics where you have sanded after a coat of stain but left places where the stain is still fairly untouched. How long are you waiting between coats for the stain to dry (or how long is it taking, rather)? You can actually stain right over an existing coat of stain. The linseed oil will finally cure, but the wait may be a while. Are you finding it slow to dry when you coat over the patches with a lot of the pre-existing stain still left? I'm assuming you're using oil based stain?

Many thanks Seeksurf, Surfintiki and BigT, you guys do great work
and I really appreciate your comments.
As for the staining steps, I have found that work-and-work/hobby
things are taking more of my time so I can usually wait a couple of
days for stain to completely dry before I re-sand. I'm not an expert
on this...but it seems the second and third stain dries more
uniformly than the first coat. While the color of the stain is
removed...I am sure something stabilizes the wood....minimizing
the blotchiness that I often experience in a single-stain effort.
I don't sweat the darker crevices or moderately different shades...
I see them when I look in the mirror too :)
I would have a difficult time with the committment to re-sand a
large project but a mask-size piece can be sanded in a fairly short
time...once the previous coat has completely dried...again 2-3
days before I get back to it...the piece can be sanded in around an
hour....
At any rate....sorry for the lengthy diatribe...I appreciate your
interest.

....sorry for the lengthy diatribe...

Not at all. We might as well trade some useful knowledge every once in a while in between all the 'at a boys. :lol:

It sounds like you're creating your own "wood conditioner" method by sanding away most of the stain, leaving some in. You're right I don't think I'd want to use that method on a large piece. I can just imagine the pile of sandpaper it would take...

That would take too much sandpaper and sanding Big T.
Meanwhile...we are back at it again....this is a "ridicule mask" that will eventually
become a companion to the recently finished feller.
These pics are following the first re-sanding process...which only took around 25 minutes...


I realize that the "ridicule mask" concept is not tiki...but since it will be part of a
piece with another carving that might be more tiki...well...you know...

No, I think you are the expert stain man myself.

Thanks for the little "bump" Mr. Seeks.
I've been making a little progress on this fella, whatever he may be. I guess that's
open to interpretation :)


It's mahogany stain on one side....oak on the other...with a few splashes of
pigment thrown in for good measure. Loosely based on NW Pacific Coast "ridicule mask"
which I can explain at a later date.
Again Seeks, and everyone, thanks for peering into this little spot amid the
great carvers of TC.

Conga, the grain you have sanded is just popping. I love this concept of two in one. beautiful piece sir.

Thank you for sharing.

Mahalo

McTiki

You have a nack for capturing the primitive even with the satin finish. That primitive spirit is why I enjoy your work. Keep em' coming!

Conga, those are looking amazing! I love the facial features on that last piece! You're style has really become pronounced and unique. I can't wait to see more!

ps, what's going on with our weather?!?!

Many thanks McTiki, Amate, and my old friend Finkdaddy. Your kind words are always appreciated,
even when it takes me a month or so to respond :)
Well, what's new in the northwoods?
Well, the last two head-cases are up and surveying the Conga Lounge...and...I think..looking pretty
snazzy...


And...I have been thinking while I wait for big chunks of basswood, what can I do next?
Don't we all love these from our grandparents' and parents' living room?

The infamous "ducks on the wall" or were they "geese on the wall?"
This is Congas take on an old favorite, looks like cheap pine in the pics but it's really
made from nice black walnut


I know this is "tiki central" not "50s wall decor central" but I do plan on some touches
that will make these tiki-fied. I'm sure I will be accused of ripping of Witco or Bosko,
but how about changing my name to "Congo-tiki?"
Look for more fun from the northside of the cheddar curtain...see you soon!

I like those. Did you steam the wings to shape them? My grandparents had the pink flamingos on the wall. Man I hated those..

yeah... how did you do those wings?

Yup wings r nice!

Hi guys....thanks for looking over here!
Here's a few more wings in progress pics...



Pretty simple procedure to shape the wings, just an angle grinder with a
sanding disc, and bearing down to create lots of dust. The black walnut
is pretty hard and chippy and the grinder disc works better than mutilating
the wood with chisels. Plan on doing some knife or dremel detail work
once i get the wings shaped and contoured.
It's fun and a nice diversion until I get some big basswood in the next couple
of weeks.
Thanks again.

keep up the good work

Thank you Marcus, nice to have you stop in at Conga's Corner. Your work is inspiring and
it's great to have you here.
I believe "Bird On The Wall" number one is finished.



This was a fun project. Hope you enjoy.

Sure! A fun and nice project!

I myself started a series of frames with carving, smaller than your, I like the idea of ​​"out of area", when the carving go more far the frame, that you give to this painting/carving.

Waiting for the others!

J.

YES, I Enjoy, Nice stuff Drumbeater!

very cool! Where did the other ones go??

Many thanks Jerome...Benzo...and BigT.
I must have some form of attention disorder, because
I haven't done anything with the other two birds.
I might just stop at one...but I've already cut the
bodies for the other two.

I did get a couple of nice big pieces of basswood. Living
in the northwoods I decided it was finally time to
carve a bear. Things are moving along pretty well (in my
opinion) and I'm hoping to find some place to post it...
is there a "Bear Central"?

A Beer Central???

Not "BEER CENTRAL" Jerome....

It's 'BEAR CENTRAL"...


Sort of a "neck down" tiki :)
How about a nice Wisconsin sunset?

Pretty hot up here...hope everyone is staying "cool."

Beer Central... I'm in!!! where do I sign up? :D
And the bear has that classic touch of Conga whimsy. Love it.

On 2011-07-18 19:02, congatiki wrote:
It's 'BEAR CENTRAL"...


Sort of a "neck down" tiki :)

Yay! I'm A TIKI!!

Guess that'll give Chuck Tatum Is Tiki a run for his money.

Great carves, Conga

Bear

[ Edited by: Brudda Bear 2011-07-19 17:32 ]

Hey everyone, Conga lives in the wild jungles of northern Wisconsin. Just about time
to move onto a real tiki carving, but first, I gotta come up with a way to tikify this
feller.



I know I have my work cut out to make this thing fly in tiki central, but I promise
to try. How about a Wisconsin bear holding a PNG fish, does that make it?
At any rate, time to move on to something that fits. Don't be too hard on ole Conga,
the tiki wheels are turning :)

wow! I'm really stoked that you posted this...because I have 2 different people who want bears!

That's a great bar man...well done!

Hey Conga, love him! How tall is he?? He looked pretty short at first. But now it looks like he's all grown up! Nice job. Love the texture/fur. He's great just as he is, but yeah, a PNG fish and a tikified base and I think you would have bonafide TikiBear!

On 2011-09-19 17:08, congatiki wrote:
I gotta come up with a way to tikify this
feller.

Just put a grass skirt on him and he'll be fine :D
He turned out great...nice work Conga!

Birds are a Natural for you Conga, You both beat to different drums, for you any drum for the birds their beating wings must set something off in your head
The bear is cool and not as easy as it looks I hear.
Nice stuff,.

On 2011-06-12 15:35, congatiki wrote:
Thank you Marcus, nice to have you stop in at Conga's Corner. Your work is inspiring and
it's great to have you here.
I believe "Bird On The Wall" number one is finished.



This was a fun project. Hope you enjoy.

The chisel community has been posting some pretty cool stuff, so I'm a little hesitant to
jump back in here. However, the thread needed a little bump so here we are.

I am working on a chunk of black walnut and it's pretty wierd, very dark in the center
and gradually lighter on the outside of the wood. This is my first "shadow test" to
get a feel for where the carving needs to go, I think it's sorta Tiki-Modern



More and better lighted photos coming at some point...nice to see you again!

[ Edited by: congatiki 2011-11-15 18:11 ]

edit for accidental post

[ Edited by: congatiki 2011-11-15 18:15 ]

ooh, me likey. Glad to see u back with some new stuff conga. I like the shadow test to. I think I've seen you do that before but probably didnt sink in as to how useful that might be getting a carve to really stand out. Thanks!

On 2011-09-23 13:31, congatiki wrote:
it's pretty wierd,

I thought "wierd" is why we are all here!! I'll give him an A+ on the shadow test.
Good to see you back and I'm looking forward to seeing this one finished.

Thanks Amate and BigT, good to be finding a little time to knock out a carving again. Seems
its been a pretty busy year...a couple extra irons in the fire..fun stuff but limits carving
time. You're right Amate, we're always looking for something a little weird, or we'd all be
carving bears and eagles, right?
The "shadow test" is pretty helpful to me BigT, helps to define areas that need a little more
work to balance things out, areas that need to be sanded better, etc. Darkness and shadows
are a pretty big part of the "mood" we're striving for...I think.
Gonna have a little time this weekend...hoping to make some real progress and perhaps
dive into some BIG basswood that I have sitting around.

Conga! glad to see you're still at it too! The sunset bird carving is excellent - and I think it's good to go outside you comfort zone with carving, not only with tiki designs (which you do ALL the time), but with other types of carvings - like your bear and bird. You have to keep it interesting and fun! Booth of those carvings demonstrate that and were most likely challenging for you, but turned out FANTASTIC!

Really liking the new guy - I'm looking forward to seeing where he goes!

That shadow test is a good idea! I'll try that on my next big guy - I'm still not all that good at getting perfect symmetry

Not that there's anything wrong with carving bears and eagles. It's a funny thing...back when I was carving animals, very few people were interested. Now that I'm carving tikis, everyone seems to be requesting animals. Go figure.

Cool looking Weirdness Conga and Beautiful hunk of walnut. Glad to see you hacking away! Happy Thanksgiving.

Hi Ben...Polynesiac...Amate...and everyone. Happy Thanksgiving from the never-ending
project. I recall a post over the last couple of months by Bigbro about tiki faces with
angles instead of realistic features so that is what I'm shooting for...angles...non-realism...
but I like flowing lines too...so I'm trying to incorporate the whole shabang into this
guy. Not that I can carve "realism" anyway...but...you know. So here's the latest on
the new guy...all the sanding sealer removed and refinement of angles and curvy lines.


Hope you all enjoy your turkey day, thanks for visiting.

Hey Conga, what a handsome guy you have there :) so , did you finish him yet?

hi Clarita, nice to see you again. Merry Christmas to all.
Still working on the "tiki" but I switched to something a little different.
Not quite finished...it's called "Pedro Goes To Town And Passes The Surviving
Beatles But Can't Find The Tiki Bar."



Best wishes for 2012 :)

Ha! Nice! Do you always use such short names?!!!