What are the hanging lights called???

I see pictures of restraunts with the hanging glass ( looks like glass ) round lights in fish netting and wondered what they are callled?? I am building a tiki hut this year in the back yard and thought they could play a roll in the finishing touches, OR is there a place to buy over the net because being in Michigan I dont see such items.

Hey welcome to TC. Great to see another native trying to re-tikify Michigan. Your looking for glass fishing floats used to float the nets. If you use the search feature up in the right corner and type in the below search you will get a ton of help. As soon as the warmer weather gets here check out the flea markets the floats turn up even in michigan. Good luck.

Tikiskip's / Kahiki lamp,Tiki bar lights, fishing float light

"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2008-02-10 04:42 ]

E-bay is also a good source for decorative repros; the real ones are there as well but pretty competed for. Keep an eye on the sizes when you bid as well. The real foats are quite interesting. Most of them are Japanese crab and tuna floats. I've collected them for years, as the "stories" these floats tell are amazing and the variety is addictive. Some of the ones washing up as we speak have been floating at sea for 60 years or more; they get stuck in swirling currents until a storm in the right place at the right time washes them out. In the real deal you see about twenty to thirty baseball-sized floats for every one large one. They come in a wide variety of shapes. There is also an excellent book by Walt Pich entitled "Glass Ball, A Comprehensive Guide for Oriental Glass Floats found on Pacific Beaches" that describes the wild variety of shapes and Kanji markings. They are a great part of beachcombing from way back making them an obvious fit when the Vic Bergerons and Donn Beach's of the world were creating the Polynesian Pop style back in the 30's.

I don't know about you BK but I have not found many real fishing floats
that have a light in them.
Or a hole for a light.
The ones I got from the Kahiki are big plastic balls.
And the glass ones look like vases.
Also when I see them at Trader Vics, Mai Kai they look
plastic or vase like too.

the ones that OA had made were from a company that specifically made the floats with holes in them and sand blasted them - so (as far as I know) none of their fish float lamps were actually used in the fishing industry. skip, you're right about many of the lights being plastic - it's a much more forgiving material than glass when drilling.

Real fishing floats are relatively easy to find - they pop up on Ebay quite regularly with the larger ones going for some serious coin. HOwever, if you are patient and a good hunter, they occasionally slip through at a low price (especially if they are untied!). Unfortunately they are also easier to find on the west coast because they still wash ashore in alaska, washington and oregon with some regularity, tho the quantity is dwindling.

If you are seriously interested about collecting vintage fishing floats - bk's book reference is a very good one. There are also resources for north american made fishing floats, european, and scandanavian ones too (they have a REAL cool rope pattern on them and cool anchor markings).

On 2008-02-10 09:48, tikiskip wrote:
I don't know about you BK but I have not found many real fishing floats
that have a light in them.
Or a hole for a light.
The ones I got from the Kahiki are big plastic balls.
And the glass ones look like vases.
Also when I see them at Trader Vics, Mai Kai they look
plastic or vase like too.

Well, sure, Skip...even I make those..here's an 18-incher hanging in my shop, composite plastic globe with a standard swag fixture, interior glass stain and a sheet bend float rig tied by me. But I suggest to anyone the joy of collecting the real deal as well....wonderful things..

For sure the old ones are the best!
Plus it helps to look at them to see how to tie them.
They are just getting too expensive.
Nice red float, got one just like it.

Here are a few of mine...My favorites by far are the rolling pin floats..most of these are from the Hokaido Island fishing region of Japan, and wash up all over the South Pacific and the West Coast. The double-knotted rig shown on the green 14-incher is called a monkey's fist rig and is hard to find. And if you look at the 2-piece mold clear float in the photo on the floor, as well as the amber and clear floats on the shelf photos, these are European floats. I also have a scarce Anchor Hocking float. Most of these came about during WWII when western fisheries couldn't import Japanese floats due to the wartime trade embargo. Man-I have to say some of the stories behind these floats that I have heard are amazing...many of these have come from estate sales and flea markets from the folks who either beachcombed them or spotted and gaffed them while sailing the Pacific! Mana, mana, mana.

https://tikicentral.com/uploads/502/47afc08a.jpg[/img]
img]https://tikicentral.com/uploads/502/47afc00f.jpg[/img]

The Cockeyed Mayor Of CarvaKaKai.

[ Edited by: Basement Kahuna 2008-02-10 19:40 ]

A few more..Wierd thing about these little baseballs is they almost all wash up in Alaska now, but still in great variety. Most of the big floats go south for some reason..

The Cockeyed Mayor Of CarvaKaKai.

[ Edited by: Basement Kahuna 2008-02-10 19:43 ]

On 2008-02-10 19:23, Basement Kahuna wrote:
Well, sure, Skip...even I make those..here's an 18-incher hanging in my shop, composite plastic globe with a standard swag fixture, interior glass stain and a sheet bend float rig tied by me. But I suggest to anyone the joy of collecting the real deal as well....wonderful things..

Basement Kahuna, Love the floats too, but its the rest of your workshop that makes me jealous!! Its like one of those "hide and seek" books. Find two tikis, two old lanterns, a wood mallet and the word "Oahu". :)

TikiMeplus3, Here's an old 11" float I picked up at a yard sale a few years ago for 10 bucks. It was a rare find!
Even the rope is original. Notice the japanese marking stamped on the side.
This one will not be getting a hole drilled in it for a light!
Its been hanging on my back porch for awhile which would explain the layer of dust. I guess it needs cleaning.

Looks like the "double F Kita" kanji mark, or "North", for the North Sea Canned Crab Company! Very nice 1940's float..

all this talk of washed up floats... has anyone got any stories of actually beachcombing a float yourself? I'll start with mine...

during a dream-fulfilling trip to Easter Island we were rock-hopping on a quiet part of the coast after doing some amazing snorkelling in some rockpools and close-to-shore reefs when I spotted a real, washed up fishing float amongst the rocks. Unfortunately it wasn't vintage, nor glass, but the thought of finding a real washed up float on the coast of an exotic pacific island was so amazing...

unfortunately this photo is the only souvenir I could take with me as I was backpacking through south america and this thing would have taken up too much precious room in my backpack!!! Would have been cool in my soon-to-be home tiki bar though...

PS maybe I should start this in a new thread and see what other stories are out there...?

Edited to add link to new thread on Your beachcombing stories

[ Edited by: harro 2008-02-12 04:55 ]

If you want to make a good repro yourself the EASY way, complete with light, for under $35, follow me...

I don't take credit for this idea, because it came from the combined ideas of Polynesiac and Howland. But their ideas were in separate threads, so I'll combine them here for easy future reference.

You will need:

• IKEA makes a 10" glass ball lamp. It is frosted white. $13
• IKEA also sells a 7 W compact flourescent bulb. I noticed they don't sell the bulbs online, but hopefully you can find the low wattage ones like this at Home Depot or Lowe's. $4.50 each.
• A cotton (not nylon) basketball net. I got mine from Sports Authority. $6
• A package of dark brown Rit Dye from the grocery store or Target or a fabric store. $2
• Stained glass spray from a craft store like Michaels. $6

If you have an IKEA near you (as I do), great. Otherwise you can order the lamp from their website, but you will have to pay for shipping, which is probably not a big deal if you are ordering several.

1. Spray the lamp with the stained glass spray. It helps to have the lamp turned on so you can see the effect you are getting and so that you can spray evenly. You may have to do a couple of coats.
2. Weave a piece of cotton rope (or a piece from another basketball net as I did) through the bottom of the basketball net to form a circle a couple of inches in diameter. Tie off the ends and hot glue the knot. This will cradle the lamp ball, so it needs to be secure.
3. Dye the net for about 15 minutes. The dye is really dark, so I didn't leave it in too long.
4. Once everything dries, assemble it and tie off the netting at the top.

That's all there is to it. Thanks Polynesiac and Howland for two great ideas! Worked like a champ. I'm definitely making more of these. They will look great alongside the real glass floats I have (that I am definitely not cutting a hole into). I'll post some pictures, hopefully tonight.

GatorRob, thanks for those directions! Eagerly awaiting the photos.

On 2008-02-11 07:39, harro wrote:
all this talk of washed up floats... has anyone got any stories of actually beachcombing a float yourself? I'll start with mine...

during a dream-fulfilling trip to Easter Island we were rock-hopping on a quiet part of the coast after doing some amazing snorkelling in some rockpools and close-to-shore reefs when I spotted a real, washed up fishing float amongst the rocks. Unfortunately it wasn't vintage, nor glass, but the thought of finding a real washed up float on the coast of an exotic pacific island was so amazing...

unfortunately this photo is the only souvenir I could take with me as I was backpacking through south america and this thing would have taken up too much precious room in my backpack!!! Would have been cool in my soon-to-be home tiki bar though...

PS maybe I should start this in a new thread and see what other stories are out there...?

Here's my story.
About 14 years ago I was camping out near a beach called Wainapanapa black sand beach park near Hana on Maui, woke up early that morning to catch sunrise and ventured down to the beach and walla... Found a beautiful 12-14" greenish/blue float laying on the beach with heavy crustaceans around the middle part.. It looked like it had been floating out there for years...I had been wanting one of those since I had moved to the islands.. Later on I let a friend babysit it out on her lanai while I went travelin to indo for a few months and unfortunately while I was away somebody stole it... I just hope there enjoying it as much as I did..

I made a lamp the other day using a piece of bamboo about 6-8" long and 4-5" wide put a small light inside the bamboo and siliconed the bamboo to the top of the glass float, the bamboo is camouflaged by the netting,it lights up the ball beautifully.. and I didn't have to attemp to drill any holes in the ball. I was thinking of frosting it, not sure though..
aloha

[ Edited by: beachbumz 2008-02-11 19:04 ]

Cool thanks so much for the reply's !!1 I didnt realize tey were floats but thought lights, shows how much I know and how new to TIKI I am. I thought they would be a cool light and still do BUT love the thought of having a few in my bar/hut once done. So thanks again and I will keep an eye out for a few or found many on ebay so there is a source if I cant find some myself. Love to learn new things so thanks again.

just posting to add link to new thread on Your beachcombing stories - no point clogging up this thread.

thanks beachbumz for your story, hope theres more out there!

also looking forward to gatorrob's pics - great summary of how-to-float-lamp-101!

Okay, as promised, here's a picture of the "IKEA" glass float I made following the instructions posted earlier in this thread. I just hung it up in the bathroom temporarily to snap this pic as it doesn't have a permanent home just yet. The electrical cable will be hidden when it is installed in the tiki lounge.

Not too shabby for just a few hours of work.

GatorRob, that looks great, I think I might have to try that.. now all I need is a tiki lounge :wink: It's in the works..

AlohA

The IKEA Tiki Lamp looks great.
Nice work.

On 2008-02-10 21:42, Basement Kahuna wrote:
Looks like the "double F Kita" kanji mark, or "North", for the North Sea Canned Crab Company! Very nice 1940's float..

Wow BK! Great info there, I had no idea its age or what that marking meant. Mahalo!

GatorRob, You've inspired me to make my own lighted "glass float" out of an old hanging light i've had stuffed in a shed for many years. Its a 16" white glass globe. I also have one of my old hammocks, its a bit rotted but maybe I can salvage enough to make a net for the globe. (I don't throw anything out that has even the slightest chance of being useful in my future tiki hut/bar!) I will either have to use a colored lightbulb or paint it using the spray you mentioned earlier, or maybe I can remove the inside white coating. Will post my results if at all successful.

Gatorrob - that light looks GREAT! I'm glad you put it all together. I went to ikea the other day and noticed that they weren't selling the table lamps anymore, but now they sell the same globe hardwired to be hung from a ceiling. it includes the metal plate and all. It's a bit more expensive ($25, i think?), but still very affordable.

THat 16" light will make a great lamp - and your hammock net will do just fine in making a net - cut a rectangle piece wide enough to fit all the way around your globe, then sew up the sides of the net, cinch it at the bottom (like gatorrob did) and cinch it at the top. I made one for Sam's ( a hefty 2 foot diamter one!) and made the net from old fishing net using the same technique.

Here's a sampling of some of the glass fishing float lamps I've made in the past:

An order for Atlanta Trader vics through OA:

anybody have any pictures of them actually hanging?

In my kitchen:

Forbidden Island: (the JAB took this picture - I couldn't take one this good!!!!)

I have some at Hulas in Monterey and a whole bunch at people's home bars. The float lamps are my ALL TIME favorite lamps in tiki bars.

Those are some nice lamps Poly...Hint,hint.

Agree.... More attractive and better stuff for bars than any other ceiling lights at home.

Polynesiac - These pics are from my last visit to Vic's Atlanta last November. Not sure if any of these are your lamps. Sorry the lamps are a bit overexposed.

And, yeah, I saw that other hanging lamp IKEA sells too. Actually, there are two. One is a 10" diameter for $25, but it looks like it has a fixed length stem on it that the bulb hangs from. The other is a 12" one for $35, which has an adjustable length. I almost bought one of those. Maybe I'll go back and get one. I hope they haven't discontinued the table lamp that I used before because I want to pick up a couple more. Our local store had loads of them a couple of weeks ago.

And if you want to get into some unusual ones, check out these babies from Bahooka!

I keep an eye out for the gazing balls at craft stores on clearance. Most are crazy colors, but some are more plain. Swirl some "glass etching paint" in side and drain and dry to get a translucent look. The net tying is easy enough. You'll need a lot of rope though. A dozen 8 foot ropes. A cord and night light bulb. Fish float lamp!

The gazing ball this is exactly what I was thinking while this discussion is going on. We have a store called hobby lot and they have so much stuff is overwhelming. Gazing balls for me would be a great alternative to the original and if they were broken some how , oh well get another. I think I may try that.. :)

Looking forward to seeing your pictures too...

pax
Paco

Wow...
I just joined Tiki Central yesterday, although I've seen it pop up in web searches for Tiki stuff. This is the first thread that I've read, and I'm really inspired! I'm looking forward to trying one of these lamps for my own lounge now.

Looking forward to reading more, getting to know folks and expanding my ever growing, and on going Voodoo Tiki Lounge.

Pax

Paco

Welcome to TC paco, not a bad thread to start with!

THanks for the pics, gatorrob! some of those are in fact ones that I made! - and I agree about the resin ball lamps, there are quit a few wild examples from the 50's and 60's out there, including a few "how to" pamphlets I've seen on ebay as to how to make them yourself! wild indeed!

Here's a picture of my meager collection of the "real deals" (please excuse the disgusting pink rug - f'n landlord!):

2 are marked - one with the double F (I've seen many of this mark around so cal - so maybe a pretty common mark?) and one with NW (the small one), which I assume is a north american made one (NW - stands for North West?). The other two I'm unsure if they were used in the fishing industry. They are old, but there were a few companies in the 50's and 60's that made repro fishing floats (the same thickness as the real thing) for decorative purposes. but who knows. I also have a bunch that were beachcombed up in Alaska (the smaller 3.25 diameter baseballish sized ones), and some really nice amber colored ones.

I wish that it was more cost effective to make the real fishing floats into lamps - as they look gorgeous all lit up. I've made a few of the smaller ones into lights (one I've had for onatiki for a long time...sorry bro - it's coming your way soon!) and they look great - but they're just too expensive, and if you crack 'em? that's a bummer! Any of you wouldn't happen to have a lead on a bunch...and want to share?!?!?!?

Well guys i made my own but am having a hell of a time with the netting part. Tried my own but didnt like the outcome, I may just buy some netting and give it a try. I really like it though when it looks hand tied. Any tips on hand tying??

Here's a good link to tying your own float.
http://www.olypen.com/elgato/ballnets.htm

That's a good link, here are some more links pilfered from another thread. These show how to start a net and are quite easy to follow.

http://www.bertaut.com/netmaking.html
http://nightshaderose.com/netting/start-net.php

and if you're really into experimenting with knots, buy the Ashley book of knots:
http://www.amazon.com/Ashley-Book-Knots-Clifford/dp/0385040253/ref=pd_sim_b_img_5

it has every knot for every function. and lots of fun little drawings.

Have fun! (the more you practice, the better they come out!)

Thanks for the links they did help. I get the basic idea BUT I am having a few issues yet. How can this be made uniform so as each knot is the same distance from the starting point or is that unrealistic?? I dont have the patientce to do this but I am trying because I want a nice product in the end, I also tried with less ropes than suggested but it didnt look right to me either, so I think 12 ropes is the way. The ball size I have is around 10 inches so the amount of rope is in question too. Thanks again guys for the help any other suggestions appreciated.

Just use an impromptu spacing gauge, which you can make from a slice of wood like a ruler. You can also buy shuttles by Netcraft usually on Ebay. Polynesiac-those double "f"'s you have are also North Sea Canned Crab Company. Often-seen mark but any Kanji is better than none..keepers!

Following this and some related post threads inspired me to try my hand at making my own float lights out of some Christmas lights I bought on closeout. They are about the size of softballs and are made of a sort of melted-together plastic bead. I've been trying to think of a way to make them look more tikified for the backyard tiki hut.

The lights, and some craft store decorative netting. (Wish I'd straightened up the work bench a bit)

Wrapped the top with jute twine. A length of split bamboo will hide the white electric cord.

Installed along the end beam.

Turned on - hope the bulbs last a long time, because I super-glued the twine to keep it from unraveling.

[ Edited by: Tiki Zen 2008-02-18 08:17 ]

This is a great post. Thanks for the info everyone, BK and Polynesiac......nice collections too!

Here is some of my vintage and not so vintage stuff...one of a couple double floats I have

A nice big blue one

I found this jug yesterday at a flea market....they knew nothing about it except "it was used in a pirate movie"

A lot smaller than this water jug

One of Polynesiac's creations in place....day shot.....much better at night

The pufferfish float-lamp I made a few years ago. I broke the first vintage 12"float I attempted to cut into for this project.....was very nervous about damaging this one too, but turned out O.K.

I found this 15" new float at a Bali import store last year. It already had a hole in it so it was easy to add a light

The other end of our Tiki bar has this 15" red float that had a hole also. Provided by TiKitOny from a defunct bar in Palm Springs? I added the light

Wow! Is there a thread with more photos of your tiki bar?

On 2008-02-18 12:43, Tiki Zen wrote:
Wow! Is there a thread with more photos of your tiki bar?

Here is a whole thread on the Rincon Room... :wink:

Shots of the New Rincon Room.

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=19716&forum=17&hilite=itd

Well I finally DID IT!!!! My first fishing lamp float all tied in its netting. Now keep in mind that I used a "gazing globe" for my float because I didnt want to destroy a real fishing float so I could make a lamp out of it. I will post pictures asap.

Tiki zen - very creative use of x-mas lights to tikify your bar. Your "floats" turned out real nice!

Bongo - You have a very impressive collection, I LOVE the binary floats. They are some of the coolest (and most bizarre) out there! great score! The picture of your binary float (with the ships wheel in the background) reminds of Tony's on the Pier in Redondo

From a gigantic ships wheel they hung a bunch of fish float lamps (at least 18" diameter - they're HUGE!)

Here is a Polynesiac special, hanging in my basement.

Polynesiac's float lamps are the best!
Your basement looks swell as well, any more pics?

Well guys here is my first lights I made. The blue is truly the first and then the red is my second, I think I like the net work better on my red one but again this is my first shot at these. And remember these are "gazing balls" about 11 inches across, I think they will suit the tiki hut just fine!! I frosted the blue one to see how I like the look and I am going to make adjustments on how the netting is finished on the the blue one too. On the red I braided the the upper part of the netting and lashed it together so I can hang the light from the actual net and I like the look PLUS it hides the electrical better.


ALSO here is the mech I made for the electrial shown as it would be installed into gazing ball. IF you notice the red ball would be a tight fit but the blue was not so I had to buy a different blub socket so it would fit correctly.


Let me know what you think guys, I think my next ones will be real nice I have it down now!!

The stopper is a good idea - what did you use?

Nice uniformity on your knots - I can't even tie my shoelaces the same way twice.

"The stopper is a good idea - what did you use?"

do you have a plan to release the heat produced by the light bulb?