Post #21664 by 7TiKiS on Sun, Feb 2, 2003 7:03 AM

I tried using chisels from scratch, took two weeks to hammer out the first carving. By using a combination of chisels; right angle grinder and a chain saw I was able to get it down to 4 hours.

I'm still looking for the right high speed bits for a flex shaft tool, nearly all that I've purchased thus far load up with 'pulp' after 30 seconds of use and become worthless.

Regarding burning... I tried a small butane torch, works well on aged (meaning dry) wood, but so far the palms I have carved are usually too wet to burn. I found min-wax stains help darken the deep areas and bring depth to the carvings, followed by a coat of Spar Varnish.

So far, carvings covered with the varnish have not checked or cracked, but they still weigh a ton (full of H20) even 2 months later. Those uncoated, are checking and cracking badly.

Regarding styles... as near as I can tell (IMHO), there's four primary styles out there... with a myriad of variations on those primary styles, each of which expresses some form of personal attribute unique to the carver.

Florida style - Wayne Thompson.
West Coast Retro - Mr. Schmaltz (The King)
West Coast Pop - Crazy Al
Pre-Contact Hawaiian - who the heck knows.

It's hard (if not impossible) to hang a two or three word description of a particular style that others can agree on, or to sum the entire lifes work of these artists into one particular category, and I'll appologize now if I've offended anyone with the 'short' descriptions above... just the way I see it after having tried to look at the different art forms out there now and then.

Heck, there's probably ample material out there for a whole book on the subject of carving styles and origins... eh BigBro?

The age old adage no doubt holds true here too though... there is no accounting for taste. No matter what your preference or favorite style, there's a Tiki for you out there somewhere. :lol:

7

There's nothing like a sharp tool!

[ Edited by: 7TiKiS on 2003-02-02 07:06 ]