Carving Post

Poly Pop... your second tiki looks great...
but yes... you just have to go deeper! I held back so much on my first carvings but now I realize that the deeper you carve the better the details look. Those are excellent tikis for starting out though...

I have been using Minwax's Polystain to color and seal a lot of my pine and basswood tikis that are going to be in the elements.... satin looks best...

Thanks Tikifille & Chiki. I'll have to keep practicing as I'm still getting a feel for the chisels as well as what to cut and what to keep. I hope to one day be able to carve as good as you guys.

LS - Yes, the cuts you see are basically just my guidelines. I intended to go deeper and more defined with my cuts after I roughed it out but when I screwed up in a couple of places, I actually thought about chucking the log in the trash bin. I decided to try and save it instead but didn't want to waste the time on the detail since the mistakes weren't salvagable.

I'm going to try a new one sometime soon. I have some big logs that need to be skinned first. Tikifille, I got your email awhile back for some logs (pine). I had my buddy hold about a dozen 3-4 footers with 16 inch diameters. Email me at [email protected] and we'll work out the details - if you still want some of 'em. I'm in the 909 (Chino Hills) but my buddy lives in Chino, CA - he's got the logs.

**Poly-Pop ***

[ Edited by: PolynesianPop on 2003-03-21 08:08 ]

PP, Turbogod...SUUUUPA! good job braddahs!

Poly pop- I won't e-mail you because this morning I STUPIDLY opened an e-mail with a download with a nice virus. Norton Anti-virus came up immediately and did something, I had the imaginary demon first address on my address book, etc. but don't open mail from me for while. Hang on to the logs and I'll contact via someone by phone. Thanks.

[ Edited by: tikifille on 2003-03-21 19:46 ]

here is a finished Maori.

Awesome......what more can be said.

You rock;)

T.F.

I'll add Good Gugga Mugga. Very Very nice G.

Aloha villagers,

nothing fancy about this guy i carved except fo da wood. I jus wanted you kanes and wahines to see a exotic Hawaiian wood called "monkey pod". look at da beautiful colors and how they change.

In the past they made a lot of da pupu platter bowls shapped like leaves out of monkey pod. Most of da time from da Philippines.

dis tree jus wen cut down about a week ago is da reason fo da light color.

shaka

ooops. mo bigga picha

Hot stuff, Gecko... love the exotic woods... Your stuff is so beautiful makes me want to just throw in the towel... but on I carve... hopefully someday to become half as good as your talent! I wish I had the beauty of Oahu around me to inspire too!

You're a made man, Gecko, a "main guy". We're all just crew soldiers. :)

Gecko-that monkey pod wood is great with the color change at different depths. Here's a question for you--when I was in Hawaii I purchased 2 tikis carved out of this wierd fibrous dark wood. They're very slender and the seller told me that the wood was a specific gender (like only the female trees could be carved-or something like that). I just can't remember what the wood is called.
Do you know? Thanks

Once again.......totally awesome Gecko. Monkey Pod huh? Hard or soft wood. Hard I would imagine, but is it harder than Koa?

Peace. T.F.

Looks great G. Crazy wood too.

great tikis gecko and everyone else, I just finished this one. It looks kind of plain and cartoony compared to geckos. He is a fat little guy. I also made the the little girl on the left she was a lot easier to make but is a lot harder to maintain.

Kool Kuts Keigs!

What's the backside like?
Does he have a flat-top head?
Is this going to be an ebay item or straight sale or a keeper? (I'm talking about the tiki. I already have a little girl.)

SugarCaddyDaddy

Ken, I see it's up on Ebay. That really looks great.

Sugar caddy daddy sorry about my late reply. I spent half the day waxing it and threw it on ebay without checking for replys on tc. Kind of short on cash so I put them on about as fast as I can carve them. It is carved on the back and flat on top here is the link for better pictures
Hey turbogod glad you like
http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewSellersOtherItems&userid=keigs20&include=0&since=-1&sort=3&rows=25

[ Edited by: keigs20 on 2003-03-25 20:34 ]

Lookin' good, can't wait to make a kid, but for now I'll just make tikis. So glad to see everyone's great carvings!!

Here is the latest from me...it's a double Marquesan plaque, modeled loosely after the ones Gecko photographed in the Waikiki Intl. Marketplace on the side of the old Trader Vic's. It's 4 feet tall. This is my first real experiment with artificial weathering and distressing, and it has sort of a soft-glow Witco effect. Available at Hukilau, slightly cheaper than a Bosko 4-footer (140.00), and lot's more bang for your buck!

[ Edited by: Basement Kahuna on 2003-03-25 22:24 ]

[ Edited by: Basement Kahuna on 2003-03-27 12:20 ]

Here's Gecko's photo from the Int'l Marketplace:

...Anybody? Am I being "Reverse Dixie Chicked" here? :)

[ Edited by: Basement Kahuna on 2003-03-27 13:52 ]

BK - I might not agree with your politics, but "DAMN" you are one fine carver! Thanks for sharing your carvings with us! Mahalo! :tiki:

[ Edited by: DawnTiki on 2003-03-27 14:14 ]

Base, those are really f-in kool I cant wait to see em in person.

On 2003-03-27 13:51, Basement Kahuna wrote:
...Anybody? Am I being "Reverse Dixie Chicked" here? :)

[ Edited by: Basement Kahuna on 2003-03-27 13:52 ]

LMAO! :lol:

BK, what can I say about your carvings that hasn't already been said?!

Excellent Work as Usual!!!

Hey Everybody, really diggin' all the nice work you folks are putting out ( tiks and kids)
Hey Keigs, very cool carving. I have a client who comes by my studio with her kids. The kids call the tikis "Freaky Guys" and will not be left alone in any room with a "Freaky guy" in it. Pretty funny, That big ol tiki you carved would probally keep them out of my neighborhood !
BK, Your new freaky guys are always cool. Like P-pop said, I too am running out of adjectives to describe the fantastic carvings you and Gecko create each month. Dixie Chicked? I must of missed your remark. If you don't here any comments from me later on I probally came across it. (Chongo make funny joke ha-ha.)
Aloha Gecko, Your in the same class as BK. I got to crack open my dictionary and learn some new words to express the quality of your work. The picture with the eerie lighting is bitchin. (Bitchin' is Still my favorite adjective after all these years)
Tikitony, I like the simple lines and style you got going on. Very unique and interesting. I am sure your tikis would keep the kids away from my house too.
Keep those chisels sharp and the eyes peeled for homeless logs. I scored a few small cypress logs and a fairly straight piece of driftwood over the last few days, so I will have something to start working on when I get home from the O.C Crawl.
Aloha,
Chongolio

[ Edited by: Chongolio on 2003-03-27 18:40 ]

tikitony~
Love the title of your test post.

Thanks, folks...Me and Gecko in the same class? I'm not even close, man. I'm about three levels belown Da Masta.

ALOOOOHAAAA,

Auwieee! look at dis thread! great stuff here!

Tikifille asked, "when I was in Hawaii I purchased 2 tikis carved out of this wierd fibrous dark wood. They're very slender and the seller told me that the wood was a specific gender (like only the female trees could be carved-or something like that). I just can't remember what the wood is called"

I dont really know wahine. could be keave but dats not really fiberous. sorry. Hows da wood flyin. you carvin agen.

Monkey pod is a hard wood Tikifreak. Koa Is da best. If I can get a hold of one koa log....ho, dat buggah gon be mine.

tanks fo da complaments from braddahs Chikki, BK, Keigs20, Lakesurfer, Chongo, etc...

Keigs20 sed his tiki looked plain and cartoony...not to me.looks great but, I bet you are your worst critic. Everybody here are mastas at there own styles as far as I'm concerned.

I'm my worst critic and I am no masta BK at da art of tiki. but wen and if I get as good as a masta like Mr. Leroy Smaltz den I gon be happy. but till den I'm like everybody here trying to put a small dent in da return of Tiki. I will enjoy seeing where we all are in about 25 years from now. but till then I jus gon merinate and enjoy da culture.
and hope peopo enjoy my art as MUCH AS BK!

BK, did ya get da email of da maori wall panel i made from da dark wood?

Alohaz

Oh, wanted to tell braddah Sven if he reads this that the video is a good motivator wen i'm dreding to go outside and de-bark a coconut tree. I like da La Mariana video shot on da end of da tape too...where da hell was I?? Can't belive I didn't here about it. Thats ok I was jus in a episode of "why your lucky you live in Hawaii" and they shot it at La Mariana. It was a short interview but I was happy.

shoots

Tikifille,

The dark, fibrous wood you mentioned might be Tree Fern. Just a hunch. Check out this past thread to see if it resembles any of the tree-fern tikis pictured there.
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=1486&forum=5

Sabu

Yeah...I got the photo. Looks great, Geck, almost like a rafter carving from a meeting house. I'm still looking for a box that is 7 feet long to get your club out. I could tape two guitar boxes together but it'd end up being oversized (mucho shells) and not very sturdy. I've been scoping out a ductwork place up the road in the hopes that PVC ducts may come in a long, narrow box like what I need.

Sabu--thanks, that's it, although the seller used a proper noun (am I a teacher, or what?) when I bought them. Tree Fern is better than "that fibrous thingy over there".

[ Edited by: tikifille on 2003-03-29 09:32 ]

Here's a Samoan short club that I finished tonight. The Samoans were a very peculiar race of people...Outside of the period during which they were occupied by the Tongans (1200 to 1600 AD, when they were finally expelled), they had absolutely no "figural" carving traditions whatsoever....they were strictly, unabashedly warriors and storytellers. Hence the only artifactual legacy that remains of the original, indigenous Samoan people are a small surviving number of their weapons...very simple, but very effective and dignified.

BK-Tres beau, comme toujours. Is that walnut, or is it stained? Did you shoot a pic of the detail of the handle? I'd love to see it.

Gecko--I'm carving, but in between major remodel projects which I ridiculously seem to think I can do myself. Yeah right.

Keep up the inspiring work, y'all. It motivates me.

It's walnut...a nicely figured piece although I aged the club to look original (simulated hand wear, darkening, etc.). There's one more piece left in that board that's usable...a small one. I may carve a Maori Patu with it. How's that first B.O.T tiki coming? I'd love to see it.

BK- Well, B.O.T. got the boot for a paying job. I'll be working on it after I finish this other piece. Where do you get all your wood? I had major remodel plans this Sat., but had to drop everything because my favorite amigo/tree trimmer called me with 2 7' palm pieces. My buddy Juan is going straight to heaven and I'm buying him the ticket. I LOVE MY TREE TRIMMING HOMBRE!!!!
How many hours a day do you carve? I only have time on the weekends. How much time do the rest of you have? I will be glad if my teaching job goes kaput and I can pass all my time carving. :lol:

Well, between being an adult with the attention span of a twelve-year-old, looking for antique inventory in the name of making a living, and zombie-like internet zone-outs during which I will look up and realize that an hour or so has passed and I have yet to do a single productive thing, I average about an hour or two a day. I am currently carving a 7 1/2-foot, 22-inch diameter Marquesan pole! Cette chose va être énorme! No one else seems to be doing much of that style, yet it is far and above the most prominent type of all in the original Polynesian Palaces. I'm doing it in white pine (cut three months ago).

Here's the opening chisel volley on a huge 7 1/2 foot, 22-inch Marquesan...Kahuna in work duds! Can't decide to go full body single (easier) or a double godhead pole. White pine...carves like fresh drawn butter...very oily and full of resin, which should mean a clean go of it as this wood continues to dry. It will get about 4 coats of tung as well.

Sorry, Fille....I meant to add I get my wood from a local lumber yard that's pretty cool on my gig..They always save 1x and 2x odd cuts of premium hardwoods for me. The guy that's the foreman on the yard is in the Coast Guard Reserves, is based in Fort Lauderdale,and his favorite restuaraunt is the Mai Kai! What are the odds of getting a sawmill foreman with those kinds of credentials AND an understanding of oceanic carvings? I'll add a closeup of the Samoan club detail ASAP as well. What is the paying job la craftswoman superbe is working on?

BK--I'd love to tell you what the paying job is, but then I'd have to swallow the cyanide tablet..and send you one too. I have 2 Marquesian style poles that I picked up at a garage sale. They're great and they have 2 figures (male at the top and female below.. and rather anatomically correct)stacked in the design. My linesman friend has come up with the "endless supply of telephone poles". I poo pooed this due to the kreosote(ch. spelling), is there any reason why I should accept these? I love the pics of this new carving and your leg in the shot gives good scale. Keep me posted. (How do you get the accent aigu and cicumflex on your French vowels? I am in awe of you!)

I would steer clear of the phone poles, Fille....the creosote is just the moisture barrier, but like most all pressure-treated woods, the INSECT barrier is arsenous oxide, or arsenic. This is why one should wear gloves if they handle this type of lumber prior to it being sealed, after which it is pretty safe. Carving into one might get kind of iffy on the poison factor. I would adore trying some fan palm poles, but hard to find in the Appalachians. Are you going to give us some pics of the secret project? :)

sweeeet size, 7 foota! HO! nice score. How much you get da log fo?

7 bucks!

We got face.... We got choppers.....

Beautiful! Beautiful!

Cutting in the chest and arms. Getting the chest contours right is pretty hard on a Marquesan this size...the geometric features should sort of "flow" into the more organic ones. I use a single cardboard template for each feature so it will be the same on both sides. The red marks on the straight chisel shown are for different plunge depths. This is a chisel I use all the time that I have ground down the first 1 1/2 inches of the tip on a bench grinder to about 1/16th of an inch thin, tapered like a duckbill, which allows me to cut guide grooves quite deep without cracking the wood. It makes the work go faster because you usually don't have to plunge grooves twice. The ear protectors keep my rather Roger-Miller-like rock band induced tinnitus from getting worse from all that hammering. One may also note that I changed the design a bit to better porportion the arms.

[ Edited by: Basement Kahuna on 2003-04-03 15:12 ]

Base,

He's looking real nice. How are you going to bear to sell him?

Sabu

This one won't be cheap....It's a pretty big tiki at 7 feet 2 inches high.. Probably in the $700 range. Diameter also plays into that. My wife said "If it doesn't sell do you think we might be able to keep it?"

[ Edited by: Basement Kahuna on 2003-04-04 00:48 ]