Son of Headhunter

Okay so you guys inspired me to buy a hammer and chisel, haul a log out of the woods, give it a go. Who would have thought it would be so meditative. I can't wait to start a new one.

Its funny how the log kind of helps dictate the shape. Anyway, that's my excuse for this twisted little guy. I hollowed his mouth out so my wife can use it as a bird feeder (I hope that's not sacriligious), and hollowed a space on top to put a flower pot. I'm thinking a spider plant to give it a kind of Sideshow Bob doo. It still needs a few coats of poleurathane, but I couldn't wait to post.

http://www.NiceFishy.com

[ Edited by: Raffertiki on 2005-06-28 20:12 ]

[ Edited by: Raffertiki 2005-12-23 12:56 ]

[ Edited by: Raffertiki 2006-09-22 19:47 ]

[ Edited by: Raffertiki 2006-12-04 15:22 ]

Cool tiki, nicefishy!

http://www.samgambino.com

Woah NiceFishy.
An Excellent first carving. I wish my first one was that good. The best is yet to come.
Nothing sacriligious about quirky usefulnesses you put into your carvings, besides I would love a picture of a birds butt sticking out of his mouth.. Cool

Hot diggidy-dog!

That's a REAL nice first carving! It's not fair that you artists can work with all mediums and make it look like cake! :)

I agree with Benz, show us a bird sticking out of it's mouth, that would be great!
Nice job and if the prints arn't being creative enough for you, pick up that chisel again and carve, carve, carve!

Alright Fishy,
Thats nice. welcome to the world of chips and chisels,splinters and slices.
Are the teeth gold or just not stained? The birdfeeder and flower pots are good ideas.
You better watch the dog, he looks like he is givin' that tiki the eye.

Chongolio

-- I believe that our Heavenly Father invented the monkey because he was disappointed in man."
... Mark Twain

Come explore http://www.lost-isle.com

[ Edited by: Chongolio on 2004-03-08 14:19 ]

Nice Tiki, Nice Fishy. Nice Photos, Nice Job.
NICE NICE NICE. Who's drinkin' the Fosters Lager...you or the dog?? I want to try carving too. I just got myself a few logs yesterday by helping a friend cut up some storm damaged trees at his ex-wifes house. I guess it's his ex-house too. Anyway, I don't have the tools yet but I figured I better get the free wood when I could! I sure hope my first carving is respectable but I guess if I *%#@!&% it up I can always pretend it was really a creative firewood chopping class I was in. I won't waste a photo if it turns out stupid.

Thanks for the encouragement guys. I will definately post pics of a bird in its mouth once I get them. I plan to keep carving and trying out ideas I have. Who knows, I may turn out to be Long Island's only tiki carver.

You better watch the dog, he looks like he is givin' that tiki the eye.

She's eyeing the Fosters more like. I used Golden Pecan stain for the teeth and Mahogany for the rest. The teeth did get a second coat tonight to darken them up a bit. I'm also considering staining the bark I left at the bottom.

8FT, Go for it. The best piece of advice I got from this site was to not be afraid to cut deep. I don't remember who posted it, but it made sense to me.

http://www.NiceFishy.com

[ Edited by: nice fishy on 2004-03-08 20:49 ]

You know I've been thinking about the whole bird feeder idea and I have to say that it may not be the most alluring place for the birds to look and if you put seed in there you are more likely to get squirrels eating it than birds. That is if you have them there? Anyway, I think that a squirrel tail hanging out of the tikis mouth would make a damn funny photo! By the way, the plant in the top is a great idea. There are some great ornamental grasses that would make it look like a crazy hair-do.

Very nice! Anybody have suggestions on where to get budget friendly carving tools? You know...in case I tried it and completely stunk at it, I wouldn't be out a ton of cash. I would just like to carve some for our house, nothing serious. Thanks for any and all help.

Dan

Dan,
Scour the area for used tools, or buy a Few Good ones. This ? is asked by every carver and the end results are Always the same.
Buy Cheap and Get Crap. Carv Crap with Crap tools.
Buy Good tools and carve Good carvings.
The cheap tools will not hold an edge and will be Very difficult to sharpen and will not last very long. Your choice.

I figured that would be the answer...the same sorta thing I would say about lettering and striping brushes. Any recomendations on where to get good carving tools? Carving is a whole new world to me....I'm not sure how I'll do with it, but I figure I should at leat try it once! I definitely have a lot of respect for you guys and gals that carve.
thanks.

Dan

P.S. sorry to hi-jack your thread, NiceFishy...you really did do a nice job with your first effort!

http://photo.starblvd.net/BarnettSigns

[ Edited by: BARNETT on 2004-03-09 09:13 ]

No problem Barnett, I'll just hijack it back.

I went with 2 chisels (1 1/4" & 5/8" blades) and a dead blow hammer from Home Depot. Total cost about $45. There were time when I would have liked to have an even smaller blade though.

Thanks!

OK guys, Here is probably the Cheapest way to get some carving Goughes. Most stores have the "FlexCut" brand which cut VERY Well. They are Thin and VERY Sharp. You can get the Mallet size tools for a Lot of money, or the Palmsized tools for Less. For Even LESS you can get the "Unhandled" bits used in the recriprocating tools for about $12-$13 each. Go this rout if you are handy and resourseful enough to find or Make handles for them. They Sella Handle that has a quick change collett on it whish is 1 good way to go.
This place, "Treeline" offers a 10% discount with 5 flexcut tools which is like getting 1 for free http://www.treelineusa.com/carving.html
Check it out and at least it gives you an Idea....Good luck

#2 started out as a tiki, but morphed into something quite different. What it is, I really can't say, but it has a cool vibe. It is smaller than the first, but a much harder wood, and still needs some varnish.

My 7' log was finally delivered today so I have some debarking to do.

Nice Tiki! Looks Tiki to me and very unique, nice.

I agree with McDougall, there is some really nice detail going on there. Is it the light or do I see a few teeth in that mouth. Keep it up, Speed it up and give more pictures. More, More.

[ Edited by: Benzart on 2004-03-22 20:27 ]

Nice job on that tiki!
I like how he turned out - it's got a different look to him and it looks great.

Looks like those chisels are calling now more often.... :)

Nice job. I think he reminds me of the General in the new Planet of the Apes movie.
Good luck on the new log.

Transformers....more than meets the eye.

Very cool, he's definitely a guard tiki.

Thanks guys,

Yes those are indeed teeth.

I have heeded the call of the chisel, and have more than a few designs sketched out. I'm still trying to find my voice in this medium. I though my seven foot log was pretty dry until I debarked it last night. It will need some drying time. Luckily I have a few more smaller logs to work on, as well as my artwork, a screenplay, and a new idea for a book. This is all starting to cut into my drinking time.

double post

[ Edited by: nice fishy on 2004-03-24 04:55 ]

If you need any help I'll be glad to jump in Not sure what I could do but situations arise that need to be resolved. Every feature on a woodcarving is a situation that needs to be resolvedHave fun.

Hey Benzart, Maybe you can finish this screenplay for me. It's a gross out rock n roll love story, and I'm stuck 3/4s in.

Actually, about my wet log situation. I-m planning to let it sit, off the ground, and covered with a tarp. Is there anything else I can do?

NiceFishy how long has it been cut down and what kind of tree is it? These are two important questions that will help.
If it is a Palm of some kind just go ahead and carve it. If it is White pine or in the pine family, it should dry several months above ground prefrably under a cover, roof, garage or similar. Hope this vague answer helps.

Benzart, It's been cut down for about 5 or 6 months. I'm not sure what it is, but it has thick chunky bark.

Gorilla from Planet of the Apes, or a gaurd? Yeah, I can see that. What about one of the wicked witch's soildiers from The Wizard of Oz?

Sounds like some kind of pine. You could probably carve it if you put a finish on it right away. Checks are cool anyways.

This one measures 2 inches shy of 7'. It was kind of an experiment, and was carved on a nasty piece of wood called Locust.

I love the idea of the plant growing on top! That will add a lot of character! Great job!

Allright! He's back! I was hoping that you'd return to the chisels...I'm guessing your eye is okay?

This carving looks great, and the color looks really good as well. Nice job. Is it going in your front yard to scare the locals? :)

Come on raffertiki couldn't you get the whole 7 feet? You've been hiding that one for awhile. Looks good, three for one. Looks like some nice sharp detail. More, more.more.

Is it going in your front yard to scare the locals?

Nah, I have three crazy dogs to scare the locals. This one is going to be the centerpiece at my tiki party.

Actually I had a relapse, no 2 relapses with my eye. The epitherial layer of skin healed then ripped twice. It's called "recurrent erosion of the epitherial." OnFriday they had to re-remove the layer, and freaking poke 20 tiny holes in my eyeball with a syringe, so the new layer will have something to grab onto. Remin ded me of alien autopsy, or something. Horrifying, to say the least. I'm praying it "takes" this time. So remember boys and girls, use your goggles, or better yet, a a full face mask. The face mask is less likely to fog up, and tempt you to remove it.

Come on raffertiki couldn't you get the whole 7 feet?

I'm not as young as I used to be.

I have a thing about eyes (I can't even touch my eyes to put in contacts!) so your story made me cringe...ooouuuuhhhh....I do hope it "takes" this time too. I'll raise one for your health tonite and heed your word of caution when carving tomorrow...to a speedy recovery.

Thanks Polynesiac,

I have a good feeling about it this time.

By the way it took me so long to post something new because I've had a few failed attempts. But I suppose you have to take risks to get better. I have a nice oak log waiting for my next attempt.

Man what a bitch about the relapses. You can't mess around with the eyes, they are too important. I wear glasses and that's all the protection I wear which isn't really enough. I better improve it. Anyway hope this go-round takes better and you don't have to go thru the "Alien" thingie again. man, it gives me the willies..(all kinds of emphatic punctuation to be added here)

I don't know how I've missed this thread but have to throw in a kudo or eleven.

The Tikis look great.
Completely unique as well.

Thanks Benzart, I learned my lesson.

Pablus, Thanks for the kudos, I will continue to push my envelope and try new things. Sometimes I get lucky. You should see the bar I'm working on. Actually you will, sometime soon.

Very, very nice work, Raffertiki. Also, I wish you the best with your eye.

http://www.samgambino.com

Flaming tiki In progress

My chainsaw blade is only 14". I had to burn out the 15th and final inch. Whew.

Not quite done, but well on its way.

that looks cool, with the fire in the mouth. bet thats fun to have for those time your outside at night.

Thanks Octane,

It's a fun centerpiece for nightime entertaining. I need to have it finished by Saturday for a party, but can't decide if I should stain it or not.

Oh, and to clarify, the night shot has one of those fake-flame lamps in it. Not real fire. It should last longer this way.

Awh, c'mon can't you play with a little real fire? It won't burn,I Promise. And I have this car owned by a little old lady.....
Keep bringing the cool stuff raffertiki

Very cool work, raffertiki. Yes, a little lighter fluid, a real match and a dried-out log with hours of work involved - there's nothing to worry about! And yes, I know this same little old lady too - she has a '68 Charger, garage-kept with a cam and only 3000 original miles, and she only drove it back and forth to Bingo, and she just wants to get rid of it so that she can store her grandson's boat in the garage. Since it's so old she figures $900 is a fair price.... :)

sam...not funny...(drool, drool)

That tiki is WAY cool Raffer! Be sure to post some pics of it when you do use real fire. Very cool idea...

A cutdown pie tin with some sand in the bottom, put in some sternos (the big professional size), and light'em up! Keep a little bucket of sand around to douse the flames with, just in case.

Ben and Sam, That same ole lady offered me the car for $500. Should I take it? ; )

Polynesiac, I'm going to stay away from real fire, except in my tiki torches. This wood is very dry. Though if I change my mind I'll go with Freddie F's suggestion.

Thanks all, for the compliments. I have a ways to go.

On 2004-07-13 19:34, Raffertiki wrote:
Ben and Sam, That same ole lady offered me the car for $500. Should I take it? ; )

$500 for that piece of junk? Not in a million years!

To myself: Now WHERE did I put her phone number?????? :wink:

See if you can get her down to $200, I think you can resell it to Sam for the $500