Tiki Bill tikis are hand carved with fine carving tools. While Tiki Bill will use a chainsaw for cutting the ends of the log or hollowing out the mouth of a tiki, the majority of carving is done with just a hammer and chisel. Tiki Bill tikis are not painted! Each tiki is finished by burning the palm wood with a propane torch, then it's brushed, and finally, a weather resistant coating of "Minwax Polycrylic" is applied. The finished tiki has an aged look, like it actually came from some exotic island! While Tiki Bill is influenced by many native island styles, these tikis are NOT replicas of Polynesian gods, nor are they supposed to be. They are inspired by memories of Polynesian pop from the late 1960's to early 1970's,  native carvings from many many different island regions, and watching way too many cartoons.