Tiki Finds

I found these about four years ago. They have been hanging on my back porch and I didn't realize they were Witco until a couple weeks ago. I scored on my on back porch!

On 2004-01-29 10:05, FLOUNDERart wrote:
I scored on my on back porch!
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Welcome to the club!

I found some cool stuff today.... and I thought a SoCal antique mall would be way over priced or picked clean!

The Tiki Bobs were $20 for the pair, the other is a Latitude 20 for $10, the war club was less of a bargain at $20

yesterday was the closest to finding tiki mugs in a local thrift store that i have experienced in awhile, though they are not tiki mugs. One is the brown Hawaii mug, which i think was depicted here recently, for 99cents. The bottom still has a silver sticker on it, though most of the writing has worn off. the twist to it is that on the opposite outside of the mug, painted in enamel, is Aloha Hawaii 1977 with some flowers. If I am not mistaken, sans the flowers, these mugs were made by daga. other than that, two older sitting samurai w/ fan white benihanna style mugs for 99cents. A stack of Hawaiian records for 99cents or less. including a box set entitled Hawaiian Paradise, put out by readers digest, dated 1970. My Hawaii by Ed Kenney, Al Nobriega's at the top of the outrigger, and an early european recording of South Pacific. Also an ice bucket which appears to be pretty old for a buck 99. i only mention it because there is a strip of burlap looking material around it, fancifuly done, that makes me think it possibly could have been out of an old tiki hotel or one the the beachbum accessory lines in the 60's. two Kahala Hawaiian Islands shirts for $2.99 each.
Not a great haul, but one of the better ones I have had in the Valley.

Those Tiki Bob's are hot...never see them around here, only the white faced palm tree guy...And you probably couldn't buy that club from Jack's for less than 60 dollars. Even mass produced they are still hand made.. http://www.jacksfiji.com/store/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=jacks&Category_Code=011

Does anyone have any info about unmarked versions of those Tiki Bob's? I noticed on page 49 of Tiki Quest that the Hawaii Kai used similer designs, but these seem to be identical to the Tiki Bob's, just unmarked. I just scored a set of 4 on eBay, and am eagerly awaiting their arrival.

[ Edited by: badmojo on 2004-02-02 17:34 ]

I bought a Arthur Lyman record-Yellow Bird. $5, slight scratches but no skips. Sounds great. Only one thing-I don't remember how to clean records. Anyone able to refresh my memory?

I also got a 60's-70's barkcloth dress (Pomare' Tahiti, Honolulu) for $5 and a cool 70's cotton Sears Aloha shirt in fire tones. Also $5!

At another place I picked up a bamboo wall pocket, turquoise with brown glaze, 50's, for $12. I saw another one for $20, teal, in the shop next door!

Found an old 'honeycomb' fold out party decoration pineapple-from the 60's or (more likely) before. $1.

For $2: a yellow/chartreuse to blue barrel mug with handle. Marked 'Taiwan'.

For $2.50: a pink insulated coffee mug with grass matting. Matches my set (I only get pink ones.)

What a day!

:drink:

Tacky

You can clean your vinyl records with soap and water. Just use a damp cloth that wont leave fuzz on the record, and use very little soap, hardly any soap at all, and gently rub the record. I have used a washcloth on my records and it worked out well. Just be sparing with the soap.

Today Doctor Z and I found a few nifty things at garage sales.

I found these for a dollar:


Yma Sumac set of 78s - Voice of The Xtabay. This is about the third set of these I've found. Yawn. I'm soooo bored. Where are all those rare Tiki Leilani mugs I've heard about.

This is about the fifth "Arthur Lyman at The Crescendo" lp I've found too. I wish I could find something other than this stinking Exotica music in every box of Yard-Sale records. Where's the John Denver, for God's sake?

Oh Yeah. Doctor Z found this cool book:

Copyright 1955

"Here, at last, is a book that takes the very sensible position that man will always drink and it's high time that he learned to drink like a civilized human being."

There are chapters by Sherman Billingsley, owner of the Stork Club, Owen Brennan, Bob Cobb of the Brown Derby, Toots Shor, and others.




(Maybe we can get Doctor Z to read us a passage or two)

I found a few other bizarre items that I'll post to the "Beyond Tiki Finds" thread.

Sabu

[ Edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy on 2004-02-07 18:24 ]

I think I cursed BK by traveling with him, but it got me going. Stopped at a few places near the KY border to TN today and got these:

A pair of TV S&P for $6.95
A pair of Sheraton Kon Tiki Molokai Mule Daga mugs for $1
4 Kon Tiki Daga mugs for $10. A nice haul.

It was one of those shops you walk in and see the tons of ceramics and know you have to find something. Odds are too good. I thought the S&P shakers would be it. I found the Molokai Mule and almost missed the other 4 mugs. They were out of sight, but, all were 1/2 priced!

On 2004-02-04 15:27, TikiGoddess wrote:
You can clean your vinyl records with soap and water.

NOOOOO !!!

please please please do NOT use soap on vinyl. Ever.

A little story:
about 7 or 8 years ago I was at the local mastering house having my newest release cut. What is unique about this place is that you could sit, hangout, watch & listen while your 12" was cut. By that I mean not just "sweetened" to a master tape, but actually cutting a master platter on a lathe. The owner, Ron Murphy, is sort of a Detroit legend. He's been cutting records since the Motown days, and his personal collection was something like 1.5M records.

Anyway, Ron loved to BS and bitch about this & that, and this time he pulled out a handful of old records that someone had brought to him in desperation. They had used soap, and the grooves were clogged. Almost beyond repair. Ron then gave ME a lecture about cleaning vinyl (cussing every 3rd word).

BTW, the local record shop uses this method too: rubbing alcohol used sparingly. the higher percent the better. Remember, if you use 70%, then 30% of it is water, and thats bad. so aim high. Also, don't do it often. Once or twice in a records' life is plenty of trauma as it is.

-Z

What some recommend is to use soap and water once. That is, they actually record the LP with soap and water on the record! Wet. Then they toss it. They get their one good recording and don't care any more.

I'll actually float a film of water on an old record that appears scratched beyond repair. The water keeps the needle from skipping and removes all those "pops". Like Swanky said, I use this just to get a good recording off the lp. Then I can toss it.

Sabu

On 2004-02-09 21:58, Sabu The Coconut Boy wrote:
I'll actually float a film of water on an old record that appears scratched beyond repair. The water keeps the needle from skipping and removes all those "pops". Like Swanky said, I use this just to get a good recording off the lp. Then I can toss it.

Sabu

I've used this method for years. I can vouch for it. You loose just a little high end though. I first tried it out on some old Yardbirds records. Oh how time flies...
TG

I am not saying to take a bar of Ivory and rub it pell mell all over the records! Heavens no. Just a tiny bit of soap on a rag, if you wet the rag and wipe it gently over the soap bar, then rub the record gently with the rag. I have been using this method for ages and I dont get the ridges clogged with soap. I use 98 percent water and 2 percent soap. But to each his or her own.
Remember that Discwasher stuff they used to sell? I used that until I couldnt find it anymore, when turntables were phased out, sob sob.

They still make the Discwasher stuff...I did a quick search online and you can purchase it at one of the places here...

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=discwasher+record+care+system

It's called Discwasher(r) Brand RECORD CARE SYSTEM with D4+(tm)System :wink:

[ Edited by: Cool Manchu on 2004-02-10 20:46 ]

[ Edited by: filslash 2008-09-10 13:52 ]

Fil,
Muy Bien, Verde Senior Bob. Shelley found this Benson and Hedges "100 Recipes from 100 of the Greatest Restaurants" booklet the other day

There is a recipe for the "Moonkist Coconut" from the Mai-Kai.

3/4 Cup Light Rum
3/4 Cup Dark Rum
1/3 Cup Milk
1/3 Cup Coconut Syrup
2 Tbs Fresh Lime Juice
2 Tbs Sugar
Several Dashes (see The Jab's Post) of Aromatic Bitters
2 Cups Crushed Ice

Combine all ingredients in blender; blend for ten seconds. Pour over ice in glasses or coconut halfs. Makes four servings.

The other recipe on the page is from the "Windows on the World" restaurant. The place that was on top of the World Trade Center. It's on page thirteen, bad luck.

[ Edited by: Alnshely on 2004-02-11 00:43 ]

My last weekend's flea market finds, most of it dirt-cheap. It was a good day to buy. Please pardon the mixed subject matter.

L to R: old lunch counter stool top with googie pattern, Burke model 115 chair, two Orchids R-91 mugs, Arthur Lyman's Bahia, 20 Martin Denny Golden Hawaiian Hits, Burke model 116 chair, Les Baxter's Skins, four small ceramic stacking tiki cups with different faces on each side (some of them have a 69 incised on bottom; they look very much like the ones on page 178 of BoT), Martin Denny's A Taste of Honey.

Arthur Lyman's Taboo, Les Baxter's Tamboo, Martin Denny's Afro-Desia, Martin Denny's Exotica, four more stacking tiki cups, orange lunch counter stool top with incised googie pattern, two more Burke 115 chairs.

I'm wondering if its wise to play the mono LPs with a stereo needle. The guy who sold them to me (eight for five dollars) said that monaural groves were wider as were the needles that played them and that stereo needles tend to gouge out the bottoms of the grooves. Anyone know about this?

Hello all...
Found this at a flea market the other day. Looked very familiar to me, but my wife was upset I paid $3.00 for it. Until we saw it in some Mai Kai pictures, that is...

I have some more pics that I will post later, but just wanted to start with this one.
JonPez (formerly known by the confusing JonTiki moniker, and soon-to-be-owner of Flounder's great Kahona painting))

Hey again...
Anybody know what the heck this is?

The "mug" is about 9" tall. No markings. Its mouth is a hole, which makes it impossible to drink from. Too narrow for a candle, as well.
The eyes are chunks of glass fired into the glaze.
Any help would be appreciated on this mug/vase/thingy....

It looks like at one time it was, or on its way to be a Strikow Decanter. What it is now?

Tacky Techie Tiki Bar

[ Edited by: Turbogod on 2004-02-12 07:52 ]

Maybe it was from the original Strikow mold (or molded off of one). It has no markings (I know the Strikow usually were marked on the bottom-I've seen a good half-dozen of the Mayan/Aztec decanters before) and the top was cut off pre-glazing. The mouth and eyes were also cut out before the firing. They used a glaze that must have had lots of solid chunks in it, it's kinda lumpy. It appears to be white porcelain.
It screams 60s, and is probably that old.
How tall is the Strikow decanter, and is it just a matte black glaze or did they use black/dark gray clay?
Thank you!
JonPez

My decanters are both white, and made of bone china. They are about a foot tall. I seem to recall one on ebay that was some sort of ceramic class project. So maybe the form was sold as a project piece. Maybe some one else may have some info. That's about all i know on it.

[ Edited by: Turbogod on 2004-02-13 06:31 ]

Wow jonpez, nice score on the mai kai mug!
the other peice looks like someone got their hands on a mold or just molded it themselves. i have a couple of "homemade" tiki mugs that i wish someone had kept the history of.

Wow filslash, I love those green tiki bobs! They have such a cool texture to them.

Great finds everyone! I love to see what people unearth in different parts of the world.

i acquired this several years ago, but it occurred to me and i searched extensively, and have find nothing that matches...

it's embossed copper, approximately 12" by 18" (305mm x 457mm)with a blue translucent glaze at the "sky" and some paint touchups, particulary at the flag in the background.

the lower right corner reads

"Artesan" or "Ortesan,""Chile"

j$

[ Edited by: Johnny Dollar on 2004-02-24 13:43 ]

Here is the best find I've had locally in nearly 6 months! A Polynesian themed ice bucket!

It was marked $4.00 but the lady at the counter marked it down to $3.00 when she saw the tiny pressure crack in the acrylic on the lid!

JohnTiki

Aloha from the enchanted Pi Yi Grotto in exotic Bel Air Maryland!

[ Edited by: johntiki on 2004-02-15 14:45 ]

Floratina & I visited the Pasadena Antique Mall today, and I picked up a swell tiki:

It's 9" tall, and has a label on the bottom that reads:

Hand Carved by--
RUIHANA
Rotorua, New Zealand

Also picked up this Coco Joe's-esque figure -- I'm pretty sure I've seen it before, probably in the Tiki Quest book, but it's still packed so I can't check.

It's 4" tall, and the label on the bottom reads:

KANOA
MADE IN HAWAII with
EXOTIC BLACK CORAL
From the deep tropical seas of Hawaiian Islands

Michelle,
The bust was made by Frank Schirman. They sell on Ebay for around $50.00. Good find.
Mahalo,
Al

[ Edited by: Alnshely on 2004-02-15 23:28 ]

On 2004-02-15 23:27, Alnshely wrote:
They sell on Ebay for around $50.00. Good find.

No kiddin'? Cool! I picked it up for $15, marked down from $20.

The bust was made by Frank Schirman. They sell on Ebay for around $50.00. Good find.

I saw one of those in an antique mall today; I think it was about $39...I'll keep watching it. I picked it up and it was really heavy; I can't believe it would be made of coral...maybe a bit of coral in a resin though.

Hello all...
After spending the last week or so getting our house re-roofed with new shingles (you can imagine the looks I got when I asked about thatching), I decided to spend my Sunday reworking my tiki room.
I finally set up the bar I purchased last month. This is the first unveiling (unless you count the dimly lit glance that Tweedtone got in the parking lot of the Hawaiian Inn)...

It's roughly 4 feet wide and 3 1/2 feet tall. Don't know the age, but the top is formica and the sides are covered wih really nice matting.

Bent bamboo legs on the sides. Two sliding doors should help protect things well.

Just barely got all of this alcohol to fit. Maybe I'll have to drink more to make room.
Didn't break it in too much today, I'll probably wait until my next party to really give it a go. Left the space open above it for Flounder's painting....

JonPez

That is one fine bar. Totally kickin
Mahalo,
Al

Most recent finds:

nothing too noteworthy except for the blue Moai because it's the first homemade craft mug I've bought. I always used to snub them as inferior to mass produced mugs, but after seeing a couple of pages of them in TikiQuest I think they're kind of cool.

On 2004-02-15 23:27, Alnshely wrote:
The bust was made by Frank Schirman. They sell on Ebay for around $50.00.

holy crap! I've got one but I can't tell you how many I didn't buy because they were too expensive -- like $10-$15 instead of $2 for a Coco Joes!

-Sweet Daddy T.
Because crap doesn't buy itself.

[ Edited by: Sweet Daddy Tiki 2008-09-17 23:28 ]

On 2004-02-15 23:32, Humuhumu wrote:

On 2004-02-15 23:27, Alnshely wrote:
They sell on Ebay for around $50.00. Good find.

No kiddin'? Cool! I picked it up for $15, marked down from $20.

tres cool! i just got almost exactly the same one for about $17, mahalo ~ j$

JonPez,

What kind of hootch is in the black inca bottle? I just got three similar bottles in mini size. Two are full, but I'm guessing they are 40 or 50 years old.

JonPez,
You might think about putting "risers" in your bar so you can get at stuff in the back easier. it looks like the top shelf is tall enough. Put a 4 inch shelf in there and then you can see what's in the back. Might help.
Just so you know, the bent bamboo part is rattan. Bamboo doesn't much bend, but you can soak rattan in water and bend it all sorts of ways. You can also tell rattan because it is smooth all the length.
Nice bar!

On 2004-02-16 07:49, nice fishy wrote:
What kind of hootch is in the black inca bottle? I just got three similar bottles in mini size. Two are full, but I'm guessing they are 40 or 50 years old.

Its Pisco Brandy from Peru. The old label on the back has a recipe for a Pisco Sour. Wish I had the Moai bottle they make...

Picked it up at a garage sale for 50¢. The cork had broken off from the top and fell in, but I think it was undrinkable before that. It's good for show, anyhow.

[ Edited by: JonPez on 2004-02-16 14:10 ]

Went to the flea market today and found a few things.

"Tabu" by Ralph Font and his orchestra (no font jokes please), a Matson Cruise Lines New Zealand menu (I accidentally hid the tiki in the pic), a Jim Beam Kamehameha decanter (has Diamondhead on one side and King K on the other) in fantastic condition, a wooden tiki from Moorea and a Coco Joe's #262 Hula Dancer. The whole lot was under $30.

Now that I have your attention:

Not a find so much, unless you count finding something you forgot about in your cabinet. I was cleaning out my kitchen cabinets a couple of weeks ago and came upon this mug that I forgot I had. I bought her quite a while ago and don't really remember where I got her (ebay?). I got to looking at her and she's pretty interesting to me now that I know a little more about tiki/Polypop mugs. She's an exotic gal, polynesian or SE Asian perhaps, likely topless, leaning against a big barrel. On the bottom it appears to say UC121, Horvath, 1949. Anyone recognize her or know anything about her?

Added some contrast so more detail can be seen:

[ Edited by: filslash 2008-09-10 13:55 ]

Here is some of what I found this weekend.

The KU statue is monkey pod and cost me 30 bucks.

The lamp was five bucks, but now I have to find a shade. I almost won a perfect one on eBay earlier today, but at the last minute the price sky rocketed....

I also found a Mauna Loa stir stick with the Mauna Loa tiki on it...

The KU made my weekend...He's Huge!

Cool-

Nice finds! That Ku is great!!

I also just found a Mauna Loa swizzle, but still the Mauna Loa mugs alude me.

This little tiki was actually found by my future Mother-in-law. She had forgotten about it and in a recent move, gave it to me!

The tiki was originally a bottle opener, but that part was all rusty and nasty, so I removed it. She found it at a gift shop in South Carolina sometime in the '70's, we don't know much more than that. It's a rather nice shelf piece now. Anyone else know anything about this piece?

"Hey! Careful, man! There's a beverage!" - The Dude

[ Edited by: Polynesiac on 2004-02-17 11:12 ]

On 2004-02-16 08:02, Swanky wrote:
JonPez,
You might think about putting "risers" in your bar so you can get at stuff in the back easier. it looks like the top shelf is tall enough. Put a 4 inch shelf in there and then you can see what's in the back. Might help.
Just so you know, the bent bamboo part is rattan. Bamboo doesn't much bend, but you can soak rattan in water and bend it all sorts of ways. You can also tell rattan because it is smooth all the length.
Nice bar!

Thanks Swanky!
I guess it is rattan. It had sections, which made me think it was bamboo.
I put all the alcohol on the bottom section and will try and in risers this weekend.
The upper section with the doors contains a few mugs, bar supplies such as some plastic cups, tiki napkins and such. Everything seems to fit great.
I may get a glass top cut for the top. That way I can display some napkins, postcards and menus under it.
I appreciate everyone's comments and suggestions.
JonPez

JonPez,
I would suggest putting the liquor on top. The mugs and stuff you will use less, and need to "see" less than the mixers, etc. Put the most used on top shelf. A glass top is a great idea. Try to keep stuff under it away from the edge. In case of a spill, liquid will get to the outer edge. Adding a little light inside is another good idea. Also some shelf paper. Looks like the doors are removable. That's a plus.

On 2004-02-17 14:05, Swanky wrote:
JonPez,
I would suggest putting the liquor on top. The mugs and stuff you will use less, and need to "see" less than the mixers, etc. Put the most used on top shelf. A glass top is a great idea. Try to keep stuff under it away from the edge. In case of a spill, liquid will get to the outer edge. Adding a little light inside is another good idea. Also some shelf paper. Looks like the doors are removable. That's a plus.

I put a small light in there, but I might put some of those small under-the-counter lights in there. The doors are removable, so I got in there and cleaned it good. I put in shelf paper as well.
The glass top will be pretty thick, with the edges ground down so there will be no sharp edges...
I put the liquor on the bottom because it was open and more visible. The enclosed area seemed better for "non-tiki" yet bar-related things that I didn't want to see all the time. I may rearrange things, tho. I am looking for some rattan baskets to fit in the bottom area for storage of those things...
Thanks again!
JonPez

Today on my travels I drove by one of those roadside shacks that sell every kind of chainsaw carving for your home and garden where 90% of them are bears. On a whim I stopped in to possibly commission one of the burly gentlemen to render a lawn tiki or at least see if that was an option. Then I saw these babies on the wall and after a little haggling got the pair for $70. I'm not sure if they're Witco (It would be nice, they measure 36 inches by 9) since they have no tags and on the back have a large "D" dug in them. Other than that they're dead ringers. Anyone have any clues? Is there a resident Witco expert in this form?

The Waikikian Tiki Gardens
http://members.tripod.com/gregg-n/waikikian_tiki_gardens.htm

[ Edited by: naugatiki on 2004-02-18 18:34 ]