Kahaka's Tiki Lamps

Mahalo braddahs. Polynesiac, I'm about ready to send one your way. I'll get back to ya in the next couple weeks!

Aloha Ya'll,

I hadn't looked at or done much with my Flickr page where I upload pics of my lamps in a while, but I just edited, deleted, and rearranged some stuff on there. I would one day like to have a website, but I think their new layout looks awesome, and probably much better looking than something I could put together myself.

Here it is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rocknrollwoody/sets/72157600546621178/ It's the same site that's in my signature.

Mahalo and Cheers!
Woody

On 2013-07-04 12:58, KAHAKA wrote:
This is the 4th lamp I've finished this summer, on the 4th day of July. Happy 4th, ya'll.

An IOU for Nacho:

Cheers,
Woody

Frickin' Amazing KAHAKA!

As a general reply to interested parties through PM, all lamps listed on the Flickr page can be replicated, considering the supplies I have on hand. And, if there's something you see on one lamp that you'd like on another, that can be done as well.

Mahalo!!
Woody

Rad stuff!

Woody, your lamps are fabulous, specially the last one it's so complicated yet so well put together, great job.

Woodtiki... I really dig your art! You really need to post more of it on here. You're name is Woody also? How cool is that.

Hiltiki... Thanks again!

My sister in-law's dad has been battling throat cancer, and hasn't been doing too good lately. He asked for a lamp a while back, so I finished this one for him today in hopes that it might help him feel a little better. It's a twin to the last one I made to Nacho, with a slightly different bottom.

Thanks for lookin'.
Woody

Wow, awesome lamp...
Hope he is ok.

Jon

Woody,
That fish lamp is awesome!! & the one for Notch too!! Great work as always. Looking forward to seeing you & what you are bringing to Oasis.

Mahalo!

See ya'll at Tiki Oasis in the morn'. I'll have these lamps and a few others fer sale out there. Head on by the huge Moai postin' hitch, ya hear?!

Cheers,
Woody

Aloha TC,

I recently finished the biggest lamp I've built in 10+ years of lamp making for a customer. 24" x 18" didn't sound as big in an email as it looked when it was completed. This sucker is huge.

Anyone figure out a better way to cut the bamboo trivets like the ones on this lamp? I use a miter saw with a 200 toothed blade, but the bamboo still splinters and I have to hand sand each one clean. I've tried a bandsaw, but I can't get straight cuts on pieces this small.

The masters at Oceanic Arts told me they used to order huge bags of bamboo trivets already cut from China back in the day. Those were the days!

Thanks for lookin'.
Woody

Looks like a light for a private back room bar.

[ Edited by: tikiskip 2013-12-03 09:14 ]

Thanks Skip. I've tried to find another miter saw blade with 200+ teeth to replace the one I have to no avail. I might eventually have to go the jigsaw route.

Yup.

[ Edited by: tikiskip 2013-12-03 09:14 ]

Aloha,

I've wanted to try a seahorse panel lamp for some time now, so I'd been saving all of my leftover resin and smashing the pieces into tony bits to collect enough for a faux stain glass effect. I'm guessing there's over 25 hours in this project and over 4 pounds of resin. There's a lot I learned through making this one, but I'm glad to be done. This one is going to my brother and his family for Christmas.

Mele K,
Woody

You are so good.

On 2013-11-10 13:46, tikiskip wrote:
Looks like a light for a private back room bar.

[ Edited by: tikiskip 2013-12-03 09:14 ]

Ha... Nope. This one was for a customer in Illinois. I'm guessing he has really tall ceilings!

Thanks hiltiki! I'm still learning.

Woody,
Stunning!! Your lamps are always awesome.

Thanks TikiPops... I'm digging the work you're doing on those lamps too. You're kickin booty with that router!

I tried to make a hat that would fit on top of the seahorse lamp, but it was too dang tall. I used bamboo ribs that didn't flex much. I found out that rattan is the way to go from a certain lamp maker. :wink:

I made another quickie lamp that would work with the hat. This one is going to my brother as well. Now he'll have 4, whereas I still don't have one of my own. One of these days....

Thanks for looking.
Woody

Custom Tapa Swag Lamps and Sconces Built By Kahaka

[ Edited by: Kahaka 2013-12-17 16:57 ]

Love the hat trick on the bottom of this light.
Before people start going "I got one of those lights and mine is made of bamboo"
Your right the old ones are made of bamboo but I think they had good fresh just cut
bamboo, not the old stuff we get here in the states.
Sooo that bamboo would flex more.
But if you use rattan it will flex more and be better for this hat makin project.
That's why I said rattan.
Guess I shoulda told you how to get more of a slope for the rattan sides.
Nice light.

Old Kahiki hat outa bamboo.

New hat made outa rattan made with a method of mine. (I think that Franks cane and rush has photos of how I did it on their website Still)

I didn't have any references making this hat, other than pics I found of old Orchids' lamps, but I think I've figured out the necessity of an upper ring to give it the bell curve. Learning seems to happen along that same curve.

And that hat you made is incredibly bitchin there, TikiSkippers.

Thanks KAHAKA,
I did show kinda how that was done here on TC somewhere long ago.
And I did use a upper ring but think that you could get away without one
and still get a curve.
BUT... you need to have that curve in the rattan/Bamboo before you make hat.
Was going to do a how to on the way I bend rattan but
think that has been put off.

"I didn't have any references making this hat, other than pics I found of old Orchids' lamps"

That's how I do it that and getting lucky and buying lots of lights from the Kahiki and
being able to see how they are made.

Aloha,

Here's the last lamp I completed for 2013. This was a custom order by Forgotten Tikiman. Thanks buddy!

Cheers,
Woody

Nice...an excellent outcome seems to be the norm when you create!

Woody.
Lov'in the resin work. The inlaid lava rock is awesome. I going to have to try playing with resin. Just seems like so many options.

Woof. Another excellent lamp maker. Very nice work. I gotta drop in more often.

Thanks A Frame, TikiPops, and foamy!

TikiPops... resin is fun stuff, just messy as hell, expensive, and fumy. It does open up windows of possibilities for lamp making!

I haven't done a thread of a lamp build from start to finish in the ten years I've done this, so here goes.

I'm making a drum style lamp with bamboo sides with a resin, ship wheel style bottom.

I use this goofy caveman "tool" a while back to make my circles. I then divide the circle so that there are 8 spokes leading to the center circle.

After cutting out the windows between the spokes, I line all inner walls with woven edging I get from Benson's Imports.

After cutting down some bamboo into 3/8" trivets, I use 2 part epoxy to glue the pieces into place on a sheet of synskin, before I pour the colored resin over the top.

Next to fill the other windows with shells, and pour the resin...

Lookin good.
Will be cool to see how you make yer lights.
I have been wanting to make a knock off of one of your lights
for myself not for sale.
Never can find the time.
After I did a how to make a basket light on TC I can never find baskets for lights now.
Could be a coincidence.

We still need to do that trade, TikiSkip!!

Kahaka, you're killing me! Dude, your stuff is amazing! Thanks for the in-progress pics!

Resin!

I use this wax to dam up the imperfections in the wood so the resin doesn't run all over hell.

Then I use wax paper for the panels and painters tape to prep for the resin. Wax paper pulls off cleanly- doesn't stick to the resin once it hardens.

All the panels taped up.

This is the resin I use... I get it at Tap Plastics.

Poured. Ready to work with in about an hour.

Next up, the sides and bambooing.

Custom Tapa Swag Lamps and Sconces Built By Kahaka

[ Edited by: KAHAKA 2014-02-09 20:03 ]

Great work! Your attention to detail is what makes your lamps so rad!

One of these days I am going to have to get a Kahaka lamp. Although I was thinking it would go in the Tiki lounge, I lately have been thinking the dining room might be a better fit. Sure I was just going to keep Tiki in one room of my house but I got some creep going on...LOL You do beautiful work.

Is that your car key in the resin?
HA! made you look...

On 2014-02-09 19:20, KAHAKA wrote:
We still need to do that trade, TikiSkip!!

Going to sell all Tiki, I'm going Spanish conquistador!!!
Please join me at Spanish conquistador central.
Where oddly enough we will talk about Tiki and bacon.

Jokes aside, I have already got some new tips here.
Great job on this one!
Stuff like this makes TC great.

I lost all 8 of my keys in the resin on this one!

BigK, thanks man! I'm havin' fun with it.

I've wanted to do this for a while, Skip. Your how-to-threads were/are always fun to watch and inspiring. Glad you've found something useful in this one!

Next steps!

After the bottom is done, I join it to the top circle with four beams. The top piece has an open center to provide access to the bulb.

Then I lay out the synskin I'm going to be cutting out to adhere to the abaca matting I'll be wrapping around the frame. With pencil, I trace the edge of the frame as I roll it to find out how much I'll need, then repeat on the other side, then cut it out. The synskin will defuse the light from the bulb and give the sides the necessary glow.

I like to iron out the abaca matting to get rid of the creases before spray gluing to the abaca.

Synskin adhered to the abaca.

When I moved to the house we're currently in 2 years ago, I was finally able to set up my air compressor in my work space. All previous work spaces were too small to even allow me to use it. Hot dog, I love this thing. I use a pneumatic stapler to staple the matting to the frame. I also recently bought an air nailer, which I used to nail on the bamboos.

Finishing steps up next!

And I'd be happy to make a lamp for ya, VampiressRN!

That looks beautiful! That lamp would really catch a person's eye with all of the details.

Lovin' the tutorial!

Inspiring as always.....

Can't get any better.

Now your giving away all your secrets, looks great!

Thanks for the kind words ya'll!

Next up... Edging. I use this woven material found at Oceanic Arts and Benson's.

I iron it flat before hot gluing it on. I iron it again after I've glued it to spread the glue around and to get a tight fight around the bamboo.

Then I coat the bamboo with a few coats of this matte clear to bring out the color in it and to protect it.

And that's a wrap! Lotsabamboo with the Shipwheel Resin Bottom, headed to Texas.

Mahalo!
Woody

Regardless of the fact that you sign your posts "Woody" I never put it together that you were the same Woody that is Notch's friend until recently.

Yes...I catch on quick!

Awesome lamps as usual. Crazy how much work you put into these things but man does it pay off in the end!

[ Edited by: SandraDee 2014-02-14 18:30 ]

Wow, they're all so awesome!!!! Do you do any table lamps?