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Clay TikiCoins!

tiki

By tiki
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tiki

+tiki

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

And..... . . . . ka-BLAM!

 

assortment.jpg

 

Super happy with the first batch! SillyGirl & JRR, good luck at the raffle tomorrow! (oh - and SillyGirl - one of these is yours in payment for that great green vespa coin!). I've got a 2nd batch slowly drying on my shelf and I hope to press a few more this week. It has been a lot of fun. Mahalo for the wonderful compliments, everyone!

 

Aloha,

Tiki

 

edit: whoo! A new page! How fitting for the finished Clay TikiCoin image :)

Edited by tiki
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Rockin Roddy

+Rockin Roddy

Posted
Posted

And..... . . . . ka-BLAM!

 

assortment.jpg

 

Super happy with the first batch! SillyGirl & JRR, good luck at the raffle tomorrow! (oh - and SillyGirl - one of these is yours in payment for that great green vespa coin!). I've got a 2nd batch slowly drying on my shelf and I hope to press a few more this week. It has been a lot of fun. Mahalo for the wonderful compliments, everyone!

 

Aloha,

Tiki

 

edit: whoo! A new page! How fitting for the finished Clay TikiCoin image :)

 

WOW, excellent job!! What's the size of these Tiki??

 

oh, and Mahalo for showing the process!!

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sillygirl & jrr

+sillygirl & jrr

Posted
Posted

Post CITO update. Sillygirl did indeed get one of those cool tiki tile/coins. I'm pretty sure she's not interested in parting with it. :) One of the keiki cachers won a skull shaped one in the raffle. Our friends the A. Hui snagged the "never before seen in public" "Mr. StoneFace" from the raffle table; the rest of us mere mortals will need to wait until next month to get one.

 

Someone asked about the size of these guys, so here are a couple pictures with geocoins for comparison.

 

3a62b2c9-dd7b-445e-9c31-fe14be636bcd.jpg

Tiki tile with micro benchmark, starfish and a couple stackers.

 

7c0032fb-42f2-4102-b331-91455a2dff03.jpg

Tile with a pathtag sherpa coin.

 

The colors aren't great, but you get the idea of how big they are.

 

jrr

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tiki

+tiki

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Wow, so, are they done with a gritty texture?

 

Aloha Mousekakat!

 

The clay surface itself is slightly rough - and depending what glaze I use to cover it the final surface is can be textured and dull (called a matte finish) or smooth as glass (gloss finish). Here are some images of the same coin in a matte and glossy glaze:

 

cover3.pngcover1.png

 

Mahalo!

Tiki

 

edit: typo fix

Edited by tiki
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mousekakat

+mousekakat

Posted
Posted

Wow, so, are they done with a gritty texture?

 

Aloha Mousekakat!

 

The clay surface itself is slightly rough - and depending what glaze I use to cover it the final surface is can be textured and dull (called a matte finish) or smooth as glass (gloss finish). Here are some images of the same coin in a matte and glossy glaze:

 

cover3.pngcover1.png

 

Mahalo!

Tiki

 

 

Aloha and Hej Tiki (a little Swedish tossed in there ;) )!

 

Thanks for the example and explanation, these are really the neatest things! Can't tell you how impressed I am with them!! Jätte kul och jätte snygg!

 

Tack, Tiki, tack!!

 

Naomi :ph34r:

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tiki

+tiki

Posted
  • Author
Posted

They look really nice. Did you use oxides on some of them?

 

Mahalo Tsun!

 

For some of the skull coins I used Amaco's Velvet Underglazes. I am a HUGE fan of these colors as they stay bright and true even at cone 5. I paint the whole skull coin black, then sponge away the underglaze to reveal the clay in the high spots. The stone faces are all glazed with various Laguna Morroccan Sand cone 5 glazes, plus a red and orange glaze by Duncan (I think).

 

Aloha -

Tiki

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Lotho

+Lotho

Posted
Posted

Repost from above as i think you missed it tiki

 

"Great coins tiki. Have you made your second batch of the metal coins yet? As we had a trade ongoing but i havent heard from you in ahwile. Also, how can i get my hands on one of these new ones..?"

 

Lotho

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tsunrisebey

+tsunrisebey

Posted
Posted (edited)

They look really nice. Did you use oxides on some of them?

 

Mahalo Tsun!

 

For some of the skull coins I used Amaco's Velvet Underglazes. I am a HUGE fan of these colors as they stay bright and true even at cone 5. I paint the whole skull coin black, then sponge away the underglaze to reveal the clay in the high spots. The stone faces are all glazed with various Laguna Morroccan Sand cone 5 glazes, plus a red and orange glaze by Duncan (I think).

 

Aloha -

Tiki

 

Ok, I'm making a note of that. I've only got 2 weeks left of my ceramics class and our last wet was due Monday but I'd like to continue working with clay once classes are out. You give me something to aspire too, lol. I'm just a beginner so no where even close to your level but I have to say now that I have minimal experience behind me, I have a much larger appreciation for your work. I didn't realize how difficult and time consuming this all is. I had all these awesome ideas when I started class but I soon had to laugh at myself and was happy to get clay either centered or a handbuilt piece that would stay together ;) Anyhow, My instructor was passing around some work of a local artist who studied at the Archie Bray Foundation and when I saw it, I immediately thought of you. He had some incredible skull type pieces, one was a teapot. If I had to guess who the artist was I would have said 'tiki' lol. I'm going to write the name down and see if I can't get some pics, I know you'd appreciate the designs.

 

If you're interested, I have some extra clay, it's actual Montana clay, reddish/brown in color (earthen) and it's oxidation. If you'd like some to try for your tiki sig items or other clay pieces, I'd be happy to mail some to you. We've been firing everything at cone 6.

 

Drop me an email if you're interested, it's free of charge I've got plenty left. Thanks for sharing the process.

 

tsun

Edited by tsunrisebey
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BBWolf+3Pigs

+BBWolf+3Pigs

Posted
Posted

And..... . . . . ka-BLAM!

 

Super happy with the first batch! SillyGirl & JRR, good luck at the raffle tomorrow! (oh - and SillyGirl - one of these is yours in payment for that great green vespa coin!). I've got a 2nd batch slowly drying on my shelf and I hope to press a few more this week. It has been a lot of fun. Mahalo for the wonderful compliments, everyone!

 

Aloha,

Tiki

 

 

I just got my tiki skull coin. All I can say is fan-freakin'-tastic! It is truly super-swanky. Mahalo Tiki!

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coreynjoey

+coreynjoey

Posted
Posted

 

Well thank you Tiki! I take that as a true complement.

 

I am going to work on a picture collection of how I make my low-tech tiki sig items over the weekend and will post it here in case anyone wants to give it a whirl.

 

MAHALO!

 

 

I've been waiting for the pics to be posted! It's not like you're busy with other things or anything :lol:

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Rockin Roddy

+Rockin Roddy

Posted
Posted

And..... . . . . ka-BLAM!

 

Super happy with the first batch! SillyGirl & JRR, good luck at the raffle tomorrow! (oh - and SillyGirl - one of these is yours in payment for that great green vespa coin!). I've got a 2nd batch slowly drying on my shelf and I hope to press a few more this week. It has been a lot of fun. Mahalo for the wonderful compliments, everyone!

 

Aloha,

Tiki

 

 

I just got my tiki skull coin. All I can say is fan-freakin'-tastic! It is truly super-swanky. Mahalo Tiki!

 

I'm soooo jealous!!!

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tiki

+tiki

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Aloha folks!

 

Okey Dokey - I’ve been mulling this one over for a few weeks now and I think it is time I slapped it up on the ol’ geocoin forum to see what everyone thinks. Often times I’ve been asked “why don’t you do a trackable TikiCoin?” - Well, in the past I haven’t done one because the minimum tracking number order was huge (back when I was making the first tikicoins) and I was really worried about scribing all the numbers into the tiny wax coins by hand before casting them in wax. Way too daunting!

 

As you know from this thread, I’ve been having a great time making these signature (non-trackable and not-for-sale) clay TikiCoins. So much fun, in fact, that I began to think about doing a set of trackable clay coins. Here is what the clay coins have going for them:

 

• I can now order only 250 tracking numbers from Groundspeak (and get an icon). Pressing, numbering, and glazing 250 coins individually by hand is something I think I could tackle.

 

• Clay coins are larger - thus easier to hand-scribe the tracking #s

 

• Easier “quality control” - I tend to lose about 10% of my bronze coins when casting to defects (bubbles, warping, etc.) - that is a big concern if they have a tracking number and I need to re-make a coin, as I cast the coins in large batches. The clay coins are easer to replace should one crack while firing.

 

And here are the concerns:

 

• Lots more work - with the metal coins I worked in batches (casting 50 coins together on a “tree”, mass polishing, etc.), but the clay coins would be much more labor intensive due to their fragile nature. This means I’d need to charge more for the clay coins than I do for my bronze ones. My bronze coins were $15, and I am thinking at least $18 for the trackable clay. With all the talk of geocoins peaking and interest waning would I be crazy to produce a coin at that price? As a point of reference, I charge $20 for the 4” hand-pressed tiki-tiles I make in my studio. (see photos below). While the clay coins would be smaller (2” to 2 1/2” in diameter) they would require the same amount of labor.

 

Spooky%20Skull%20B%20Old%20Bone.pngJabber%20Small%20Mouth%20Patina%201.png

 

• Edition sizes and colors. I would like to split the 250 tracking numbers between 2 coin designs, but how do I color them? I have enjoyed doing a rainbow of colors on the current clay coins, and was thinking about doing something similar on the trackable ones. Would you guys want to pick your color - or would you be happy getting a random color? Would that add to the fun or tick everyone off? :P

 

Whoo. So there you go. What are everyone’s thoughts? These coins would be entirely new sculpts (different than the non-trackable clay coins). Other things I am pondering is either putting a notch in the back of the coin so you could hang it on a wall or having a hole all the way through so you could hang it up. So many possibilities!

 

On a final note we switched servers and I see that a few of the photos I posted in this tread didn’t survive the journey. Here are some of the finished non-trackable coins:

 

assortment.png

 

Mahalo for any and all thoughts/suggestions!

Tiki

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tsunrisebey

+tsunrisebey

Posted
Posted

Aloha folks!

 

And here are the concerns:

 

• Lots more work - with the metal coins I worked in batches (casting 50 coins together on a “tree”, mass polishing, etc.), but the clay coins would be much more labor intensive due to their fragile nature. This means I’d need to charge more for the clay coins than I do for my bronze ones. My bronze coins were $15, and I am thinking at least $18 for the trackable clay. With all the talk of geocoins peaking and interest waning would I be crazy to produce a coin at that price? As a point of reference, I charge $20 for the 4” hand-pressed tiki-tiles I make in my studio. (see photos below). While the clay coins would be smaller (2” to 2 1/2” in diameter) they would require the same amount of labor. I would definitely be willing to pay more for one of these. I would probably have to limit my order to the max. of 2 but I think they are definitely worth the price considering materials and kiln time not to mention most of the free labor you'll be putting toward these.

 

Spooky%20Skull%20B%20Old%20Bone.pngJabber%20Small%20Mouth%20Patina%201.png

 

• Edition sizes and colors. I would like to split the 250 tracking numbers between 2 coin designs, but how do I color them? I have enjoyed doing a rainbow of colors on the current clay coins, and was thinking about doing something similar on the trackable ones. Would you guys want to pick your color - or would you be happy getting a random color? Would that add to the fun or tick everyone off? :PI really like the earth tones and sand glazes you used. I'm not much on the glossy glazes but that's just me. I love the look of the skulls with the black glaze underneath. I'm sure whatever you choose will go over well and I'd buy regardless of the glazes you used. I love the unique stuff. Can't wait to see what you come up with! Is there a tiki signal in the future :P ?

 

assortment.png

 

Mahalo for any and all thoughts/suggestions!

Tiki

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keewee

+keewee

Posted
Posted

Kia ora tiki,

 

Brilliant idea. I would certainly be willing to pay for one. I don't think I could justify more than one... but who knows, will have to see what's happening at the time.

 

I love the idea of a random color - I think if you are using a multitude of colors then that would be the fairest way, and would make it easier on you too. :P

 

Great job!!

 

Naku noa,

na keewee

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southpawaz

southpawaz

Posted
Posted (edited)

I don't think $18 is out of line for a unique handcrafted piece like this. I'd certainly buy one or more. I'm less enthusiastic about random colors, I'd rather have a choice of several colors and get the one(s) that I like best.

 

I do like also the idea of a notch or hole for alternate displaying methods. The few oversize coins I have that don't fit in albums have been just sitting on my desk for a while now.

Edited by southpawaz
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Rockin Roddy

+Rockin Roddy

Posted
Posted (edited)

Aloha folks!

 

Okey Dokey - I’ve been mulling this one over for a few weeks now and I think it is time I slapped it up on the ol’ geocoin forum to see what everyone thinks. Often times I’ve been asked “why don’t you do a trackable TikiCoin?” - Well, in the past I haven’t done one because the minimum tracking number order was huge (back when I was making the first tikicoins) and I was really worried about scribing all the numbers into the tiny wax coins by hand before casting them in wax. Way too daunting!

 

As you know from this thread, I’ve been having a great time making these signature (non-trackable and not-for-sale) clay TikiCoins. So much fun, in fact, that I began to think about doing a set of trackable clay coins. Here is what the clay coins have going for them:

 

• I can now order only 250 tracking numbers from Groundspeak (and get an icon). Pressing, numbering, and glazing 250 coins individually by hand is something I think I could tackle.

 

• Clay coins are larger - thus easier to hand-scribe the tracking #s

 

• Easier “quality control” - I tend to lose about 10% of my bronze coins when casting to defects (bubbles, warping, etc.) - that is a big concern if they have a tracking number and I need to re-make a coin, as I cast the coins in large batches. The clay coins are easer to replace should one crack while firing.

 

And here are the concerns:

 

• Lots more work - with the metal coins I worked in batches (casting 50 coins together on a “tree”, mass polishing, etc.), but the clay coins would be much more labor intensive due to their fragile nature. This means I’d need to charge more for the clay coins than I do for my bronze ones. My bronze coins were $15, and I am thinking at least $18 for the trackable clay. With all the talk of geocoins peaking and interest waning would I be crazy to produce a coin at that price? As a point of reference, I charge $20 for the 4” hand-pressed tiki-tiles I make in my studio. (see photos below). While the clay coins would be smaller (2” to 2 1/2” in diameter) they would require the same amount of labor.

 

Spooky%20Skull%20B%20Old%20Bone.pngJabber%20Small%20Mouth%20Patina%201.png

 

• Edition sizes and colors. I would like to split the 250 tracking numbers between 2 coin designs, but how do I color them? I have enjoyed doing a rainbow of colors on the current clay coins, and was thinking about doing something similar on the trackable ones. Would you guys want to pick your color - or would you be happy getting a random color? Would that add to the fun or tick everyone off? :P

 

Whoo. So there you go. What are everyone’s thoughts? These coins would be entirely new sculpts (different than the non-trackable clay coins). Other things I am pondering is either putting a notch in the back of the coin so you could hang it on a wall or having a hole all the way through so you could hang it up. So many possibilities!

 

On a final note we switched servers and I see that a few of the photos I posted in this tread didn’t survive the journey. Here are some of the finished non-trackable coins:

 

assortment.png

 

Mahalo for any and all thoughts/suggestions!

Tiki

 

As an owner of one of your clay sig tiles, I must say...BEAUTIFUL!! This tile is HUGE and thick and very nicely made!! I can only assume the quality of the coins will be as beautiful, therefore, I'd buy one even if it meant starving myself!! (j/k, I'm plenty fat not to starve lol).

 

If you make them, they will sell Tiki!!

Edited by Rockin Roddy
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Tschakko

+Tschakko

Posted
Posted

Wow, those coins are just great due to he fact that I did not use the forums mmuch in the past, I just came across it the first time.

I think you are really talented and whatever design you will take, it will be sold out within moments. In my opinion random colors and designs would be great (I like surprises :P)

Keep up the great work it is higly appreciated :P

 

Greetings from Germany

Tschakko

 

P.S. I hope my english is readable :P

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tokencollector

+tokencollector

Posted
Posted

I think you'll be surprised at how quikly these would sell.

 

I'd be in for a few - I might even buy one to release.

 

I prefer the skulls to the right and left (with a preferance to the left). The glossy glazes don't do much for me on the skulls.

 

The darker glazes (brown, blue-green) on the other coins are my favorites.

 

I'm not wild about a random draw if I stand a good chance of getting a less desirable (to me) glaze.

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tiki

+tiki

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I see that in the two designs you are offering don't include the design that is in the bottom picture, is that one being left out on purpose?

 

Wow! Mahalo everyone for the interest! Looks like it is time for me to draw up some designs and start talking to Groundspeak about purchasing tracking #'s! :o

 

Just to clarify some confusion that I may have caused in my last post. The photos I posted are of existing wall tiles that I make in my studio (the square skull and square Tiki face) followed by my 2 non-trackable signature clay coins (the round skull and the round stone block tiki face). The trackable coins would be entirely new designs (and most likely a tad larger than the non-trackable clay coins to make adding the #s easier) - but I have a feeling one may need to be a skull based on people's reactions ;)

 

I really appreciate the community's input on all of this - keep the suggestions/thoughts/concerns coming!

 

Mahalo,

Tiki

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Kealia

+Kealia

Posted
Posted (edited)

Those are hands down the coolest signature items that I've ever seen.

 

<-- Runs off to see which island you are on so I can plan this year's mecca accordingly...

 

edit to add: duh, I see it under your avatar. Now if Hawaiian will pull their heads out of their (ahem) and pick up the slack left by ATA and Aloha we might be coming to Oahu instead of the Big Island this year!

Edited by Kealia
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keewee

+keewee

Posted
Posted

I see that in the two designs you are offering don't include the design that is in the bottom picture, is that one being left out on purpose?

 

Wow! Mahalo everyone for the interest! Looks like it is time for me to draw up some designs and start talking to Groundspeak about purchasing tracking #'s! :D

 

You mean you still haven't got them yet! ;):o

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Twin Peaks

+Twin Peaks

Posted
Posted (edited)

Wow tiki, these are absolutely gorgeous!.

 

This is exactly what I hoped would happen, when GC changed their rules on geocoins, to make it possible to create trackable personal sig items!

Not plastic, mass produced thingies like gems or frogs or the like, but true and honest handcrafted sig items, with the "soul" (or must I say "spirit") of the creator (cacher) in it.

 

These are true pieces of art.

 

I truly hope more cachers (NO, NOT COMPANIES!) develop initiatives like this!!

 

Way cool!!!

 

Mahalo!

Edited by Eartha
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Tschakko

+Tschakko

Posted
Posted (edited)

 

The trackable coins would be entirely new designs (and most likely a tad larger than the non-trackable clay coins to make adding the #s easier) - but I have a feeling one may need to be a skull based on people's reactions :o

 

Mahalo,

Tiki

 

Me again, actually I do think the other ones ar much nicer, a skull is somehow a littlebit ordinary, nothing that special as the other is.

 

Greets

Edited by Tschakko
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