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Step 1.
First of all I prepare tools, which will be used
for carving. Such tools are handsaw, skew
chisel, straight gouge, and bent gouge. Then I
select a suitable ebony tree. Then I cut using a
handsaw the dimensions I want to carve. I
measure these dimensions by using tape measure.
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Step 2.
I take maple tool which look like hoe (In
Swahili language tezo). I use "tezo" for remove
barks of the tree. Remember ebony tree have two
layers ie outer layer which is white and inner
layer which is black. I start to plan carving
and I complete the map of carving by using this
tool "tezo". |
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Step 3.
In this step I take the tool known as skew
chisel to complete the real shape of the
carving. I do on that particular moment I mean
that this skew chisel is used to show the real
shape such as showing body parts such as face,
fingers, eyes, ears etc.
Also bent gouge differentiate between clothes
and human uncovered body. |
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Step. 4
This step mainly used for finishing. In
this step I use file wood, sun paper, "Sikwanga,"
brush, polish, wrap cloth. I take file wood in
order to remove ridges on carvings. After that I
took a tool known as "Sikwanga" to soft the
carving after remove ridges by file wood. After
soften the carving with Sikwanga I now apply sun
paper for extra smooth. After doing this I may
leave the carving naturally color without apply
polish for shinning or I may apply polish to
make it shine. I apply a brush with polish to
rub around all carving. Then I put the carving
in the sun to dry, then I use wrap cloth to make
it shine. |
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Note: Ebony tree have two colors in two layers.
Outer layer is white and inner layer is black.
In some of my carvings I don't remove the bark
of tree so as to show the originality of the
tree because most of my customers do not know
the ebony tree that have two layers. The white
outer layer is seen in the image below-left of
the Masai head man. |
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Ebony
tree colors |
Polished color |
Natural color |
Polished color |
Polished color |
Polished color |
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