Kahaka's Tiki Lamps

....and well worth the wait - that light is AWESOME. Love the sea glass, I always thought that the nice sand blasted glass pieces would look good in a tiki lamp...and you just proved it! Those other lamps you're pumping out are just as beautiful. Each one unique and a work of art!

Totally awesome, I bet Notch's shop looks bitchin' with all your lamps hanging there! I gotta see that place one of these times I'm up San Jose way.

Just absolutely, positively jaw-dropping, Kahaka.

Looks great!
Always wanted to use that sea glass stuff.
But it's kinda high dollar once you start doing a whole light.

Awesome Woody...just awesome .

I LOVE that lamp! I spend my time at our beaches with my head down searching for seaglass - some places are treasure troves of the stuff! I'm partial to the glacier blues and the VERY rare reds. Nice job - and hear you on that resin thing! I have to tell myself "Patience, Grasshopper. Patience." when working with it!

Polynesiac, Tikiskip, and Mr. Pupu Pants- Thanks so much... I really appreciate the compliments, especially coming from top notch artists like yourselves. Just trying to keep up, because you guys keep setting the bar higher and higher!

Bill- Thanks Man... always appreciate your compliments.

beadtiki- The royal blues are my favorite too. I used some pretty cool sea green colors too, but it didn't photograph too well. The sea glass looks super cool illuminated. I should have made 2 of these things... one to sell and one to keep!

Just finished another for a customer. No blue in this one (as per the customer), just some greens and whites.

Mahalo fer lookin'!
Woody

Wow Woody!!
When the time comes (and the budget allows) I'd definitely like see if you could make one of those for my basement.
That is just one of my all-time favorite lamps. Soooooooooo cool.

We love it!

Woody's lamps = Cool x infinity + 2

Fantastic job you did on them lamps buddy, your works Kicks ars!!
I need to fill up the Tiki bar with them lamps!.....Now Get back to work!!
Awesome!~ Notch

Pupu, you need to try your hand at some lamps. You'll knock 'em outta the park!

Murphdog! Thanks again... looks great in the bar!

Nacho, thanks my dawg. You might recognize these next shots, being that you own the ceiling in them.

A new lamp. It's for sale in the marketplace.

Playin' around with that sea glass.

This little bugger is a newer one too.

These lamps and others will be available at Notch's Ku Bar at Tiki Oasis... Back to work!

Woody

Custom Tapa Swag Lamps and Sconces Built By Kahaka

[ Edited by: kahaka 2010-07-18 08:36 ]

[ Edited by: kahaka 2010-07-19 12:59 ]

a couple mo for ya.. nice work Broham.

Sure wish I'd taken shop way back in high school! I'm trying to figure out how you make the slatted bottoms on those tapa lamps! Very nice!

Nice shots, Notch. Look at the dollar darts stuck in the barrel behind the lamp. We need to keep at it until we have enough dollars to fill it full of rum.

Beadtiki, you need to get yourself a compound miter saw (atleast that's what I use). Cuts perfect 45s.

COOL stuff, Woody! Ya better get to work and get yer lamp stock up for Oasis. I remember last year when they just started flying outta the KuBar.

Remember Oasis attendees, if you see Kahaka's lamps at Oasis, don't think, just say, "I'll buy it!" Last year some folks were cryin' when they came back to find the lamp they were "thinking about" SOLDsoldSoLD!

Thanks to everyone that purchased a lamp from me at Oasis! Much obliged, much obliged (as Omar from the Wire might say).

Found some puffers over the summer and made this mobile (not for use above a crib... I have many holes in my fingers that say so).

I'm still tryin' to figure out the bulb color configuration. 3 blues, center red? Any thoughts about how it looks?

crickets

Ok, how about 2 orange, 1 blue, center red?

Swet Woody.I would do red, blue and green bulbs .

I like the second configuration. Super cool, Woody!

(not for use above a crib...)

:lol:
Cool concept and great execution!

On 2010-09-29 19:58, KAHAKA wrote:
crickets

More like speechless!

Love it!
Three orange, one red.

Green, Gold and Red!!!

Welding Gloves.

( that neo-Luau one killed me! :wink:

p.s. awesome lamps as always!

KAHAKA - I really dig your work. The Flickr pics are nice, and I'm sure handy, but with your level of work you outta consider firing up your own website. Sophista-tiki and I use Yahoo SiteBuilder and like it.

Super work.

Thanks you all... For the time being, I settled on the configuration in the 2nd pic (until I find me some more Christmas bulbs!). I must have done 7 different set ups until I just plain gave up!

Robb, thanks for the heads up on the Yahoo site builder! Your page looks awesome. The Flikr page is pretty hokey, I know. I need to get my arse in gear and make a more official looking page!

Now who wants to set one up for me? :wink:

Love the puffers! Great idea! My husband would say all orange!

Made this one for my buddy Eloy who's whipping together a tiki room.

Was watching Pirates of the Carribean when I thought about cutting wood to look like crab legs for the side of this lamp. I was looking through my tapa stash and was stoked to find a similiar squiggly line pattern on one of the pieces of tapa.

Used a 6 sided Asian hat that Notch found out hunting. Torched it, accidentally burned holes through it, patched it with tapa and abaca matting, and stained it to look old. Now when you look up underneath it you can see some of the tapa patches. Kinda happy about the accidents.

Holy Muther of Cows!!! |
nice lamp brotha.|
I would have to have that baby hanging in my bar!!
love your work always my friend....

Notch

Thanks Notch, and for the hat too. Now find another, please. Ha.

My first for 2011. Whoopity doo! This one is for a customer. I used a rattan ring that a buddy of mine found for the center, then built the frame around it and attached the tapa and rope stuffs. When I coated it with polyurethanen(because it's gonna hang outside), all the glue I had used failed. I had to wait for the son of gun to dry, then reglue just about everything. You live and learn.

Lights on. Be careful not to stare directly into Lake Surfer's Kava Kava Man's eyes in the background...

Lights off:

T'anks for the peeks.

Woody

Nice lamps Kahaka. Did you coat the tapa cloth with polyurethane too?

Thanks Man. Ya, coated the tapa. Tapa absorbs moisture and will mildew if you don't treat it for the outdoors. I should have coated the tapa first before I started the gluing process. Next time!

So clean and so Fresh! Another sickkkkkkkk lamp!

Kava Kava Man looks trippy back there staring out!

Another great lamp Woody! Your resourcefulness with materials and ability to make it all come together is incredible.

I'll trade 1/2 of my carving talents with 1/2 of your lamp making talents any day! Lighting is such an important part of the tiki bar, and you've got skills my friend!

I agree with Dave, ya got the skills to pay the bills! I should keep my eye out for stuff you may be able to use for lamp production. Oh, and you shoulda come to the Cove. Drunk hilarity in full effect.

Pretty sick looking lamp Kahaka. Just of curiosity, what was the name of that glue that failed to stick? Want to make sure to avoid

Thanks you guys. You're some talented mofos yourselves!!!

Gold Z, I use spray glue to adhere the tapa to the fiberglass skin that goes around the frame, and hot glue for the detail stuff. If you're gonna coat with polyurethane (which I would avoid unless you're going to put your lamp outside), coat the tapa first and let it dry before you do the detail work with the glue gun. Might add sn extra day or 2 to your project, but it'll be worth the wait.

Looks great!
Been wanting to do tapa lights.
But it's harder to get in Ohio.

Here's my latest... I call it "Tapa Marquesan Rattan Face with Aqua, Blue, and White Sea Glass in Four Circles on the Bottom of It" swag lamp.

Now off to Nacho's bar to take some pics of it lit up. Man I love vacation.

Woody, your lamps are absolutely SICK!!

Love em'

Chris

Killer!! LOve it!

You could have called it "wine rack no more"
Nice job!

Thanks guys!

The rattan is actually scrap from an ottoman and a breakfast in bed tray. I pulled some pieces, reshaped, torched, and stained them. The circles on the bottom were cut into plywood.

Now off to look for a rattan wine rack! Would have made this one simpler.

Custom Tapa Swag Lamps and Sconces Built By Kahaka

[ Edited by: kahaka 2011-02-25 11:44 ]

So nice when a found object can be made into
a light.
Heck tiki bars were green BEFORE there was a green movement.

You know the wine rack I'm talking about.
Hard to find those anymore.
Great job!!!

Totally, Skip. I get excited when I can find something to piece together into a lamp.

Both of these are for sale.

Wish I was Rich!!!!!!!

Here are a few new ones for a customer that wanted lots of blue.