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need some advice on finishing :) |
BigAndyB
Tiki Centralite
Joined: May 10, 2010
Posts: 51
From: Liverpool, UK
|  Posted: 2010-05-10 06:36 am Permalink
hey guys  im new to carving and found this fab website so im sure you guys will be the best port of call for advice on all things to do with finishing tikis.. if this has been covered before in depth, i apologise, i looked and couldn't find the exact advice online..
so i just finished carving my first tiki head (18 inches tall).. im not sure what wood it is (i live in the UK), its some kind of hardwood.. i think it might be beech.
I was hoping you could have a look and give me some advice on finishes.. I have applied some tribal tattoos to the carving in relief on the forehead and with a soldering iron for the facial tattoos.. basically im hoping these burnt tattoos will blend in with a dark-ish wood stain, so they can be seen but not too highly contrasting.. do you guys mix your stains? i tried rosewood on an offcut, and it was too dark.. also, do you apply some kind of oil preservative? and if so, would that be before or after staining? also, its fairly freshly cut, i de-barked it and stuck it in the greenhouse for a couple of months before carving if that is a factor that affects what kind of finishes are applied.. anyway, any help would be very much appreciated.. i am quite pleased with the carving and would like to get the finish right.. thanks in advance
here he is 
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seeksurf
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 27, 2007
Posts: 2144
From: Buckley, WA
| Posted: 2010-05-10 6:51 pm Permalink
Welcome and great first tiki.
Finish is a hard one. Its a personal choice. If its your fist try at this you in for
a crazy ride.
If you go with a dark stain the tats will be hard to see. You could stain then re-cut the tats and stain lighter or darker. Im no expert buy a long shot. There are guys that have this stain work down and will give you some good advice.
Mix your stain all you want. Best advice i can give is get the basic idea and go for
it that is the best way i have been able to lean.
_________________
Grom Tiki Carver
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seeksurf
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 27, 2007
Posts: 2144
From: Buckley, WA
| Posted: 2010-05-10 6:54 pm Permalink
indoor or outdoor tiki?
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tatumantiki
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Jan 07, 2010
Posts: 17
From: Florida
| Posted: 2010-05-10 8:23 pm Permalink
Great tiki! Has a unique almost alien look. I am new to the game also but have been a faux painter for the past 10yrs. and my vote would be to stain it something light. Maybe a natural stain or you could highlight and blend some dark stains to create some more depth. Cool work! Later, Tatumantiki
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BigAndyB
Tiki Centralite
Joined: May 10, 2010
Posts: 51
From: Liverpool, UK
| Posted: 2010-05-11 02:29 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2010-05-10 18:51, seeksurf wrote:
Welcome and great first tiki.
Finish is a hard one. Its a personal choice. If its your fist try at this you in for
a crazy ride.
If you go with a dark stain the tats will be hard to see. You could stain then re-cut the tats and stain lighter or darker. Im no expert buy a long shot. There are guys that have this stain work down and will give you some good advice.
Mix your stain all you want. Best advice i can give is get the basic idea and go for
it that is the best way i have been able to lean.
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thanks very much its kinda that awkward size where its too big to go on the mantlepiece, but a bit too small to be an outdoor feature.. for the sake of argument 'coz its a first one, im gona say its an indoor tiki,.. probably be able to find a spot by the fireplace or him
you're right its something i'm just going to have to learn over time through practice.. i will mix a small amount of rosewood into some lighter stain and test on an offcut til im happy.. think thats the best route. fingers crossed he will look pretty good when done thanks again for your help, will post up again when finished
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BigAndyB
Tiki Centralite
Joined: May 10, 2010
Posts: 51
From: Liverpool, UK
| Posted: 2010-05-11 02:36 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2010-05-10 20:23, tatumantiki wrote:
Great tiki! Has a unique almost alien look. I am new to the game also but have been a faux painter for the past 10yrs. and my vote would be to stain it something light. Maybe a natural stain or you could highlight and blend some dark stains to create some more depth. Cool work! Later, Tatumantiki
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cheers tutuman! yeahhh i will try mixing a lighter stain with a touch of rosewood, see how that goes, thanks for your help 
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AlohaStation
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 27, 2004
Posts: 2004
From: So FL
| Posted: 2010-05-11 06:11 am Permalink
ALWAYS - practice on a scrap piece of wood FIRST!
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TheBigT
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 1155
From: Fabulous Houston
| Posted: 2010-05-11 06:13 am Permalink
Start with a light stain and then go darker with successive coats. As for finish, there are a million ways to go. To ease into it, you could finish him with a wood finishing wax like Minwax.
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BigAndyB
Tiki Centralite
Joined: May 10, 2010
Posts: 51
From: Liverpool, UK
| Posted: 2010-05-14 06:31 am Permalink
hey guys, thanks very much for your advice, I have finished it off now, i used antique pine with a little rosewood mixed in, came out pretty nice and old looking..
I then used teak oil, which brought out the colouring and made it much richer looking, although for some reason gold patches appeared in places,.. don't know whats causing that.. otherwise, pretty pleased with it for a first tiki
 
this image highlights some of the golden patches
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AlohaStation
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 27, 2004
Posts: 2004
From: So FL
| Posted: 2010-05-14 06:37 am Permalink
It came out great. The only person that's gonna notice the off-color patches will be you. On to the next one!!
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BigAndyB
Tiki Centralite
Joined: May 10, 2010
Posts: 51
From: Liverpool, UK
| Posted: 2010-05-14 06:51 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2010-05-14 06:37, AlohaStation wrote:
It came out great. The only person that's gonna notice the off-color patches will be you. On to the next one!!
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yes indeed got a nice chunky 27" log de-barked and ready and waiting, just gotta wait for it to stop raining argh!.. when i got my own place, going to have a nice spacious workshop so i can do my carvings indoors if its wet outside.. wish i lived in florida.. going to use the chainsaw for the next one i think thanks for the feedback alohastation
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Tikilizard
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 19, 2006
Posts: 369 | Posted: 2010-05-14 12:15 pm Permalink
SWEEEET! Very nice and unique! Features really standout.
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seeksurf
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 27, 2007
Posts: 2144
From: Buckley, WA
| Posted: 2010-05-14 3:22 pm Permalink
Outstanding first tiki. Really nice well done. Most first tikis mine
included don't even come close to this.
_________________
Grom Tiki Carver
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Matt Reese
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 09, 2005
Posts: 1114
From: San Diego
| Posted: 2010-05-14 4:45 pm Permalink
I like the color patches. It adds effect.
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BigAndyB
Tiki Centralite
Joined: May 10, 2010
Posts: 51
From: Liverpool, UK
| Posted: 2010-05-16 03:24 am Permalink
thanks for your kind words guys! appreciate it, anyway, looking out the window and it doesnt seem to be raining today, even though they said it would be.. so i think if it stays this way, going to get onto tiki#2 chainsaw time, wish me luck
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