chunk swag lamps

There must be something swag in the air, I found this one dismantled in a free box this weekend and after an hour of wiring, voila a chunky style swag and I only blew a fuse once.

I have a couple myself and it's a chance to show them off again! :)

This one my girlfriend bought me for my 40th birthday.

This one I found years back at the Alameda Antique fair

On 2011-08-02 17:17, naugatiki wrote:
There must be something swag in the air, I found this one dismantled in a free box this weekend and after an hour of wiring, voila a chunky style swag and I only blew a fuse once.

I found a matching candle shade last week! Very cool and especially since it was free! Love your mod perpetual calendar too!

Nice lamp Kiara. I was lucky enough to find one similar to it. I also found a big one that is two feet tall. Unfortunately someone painted it white. It will make a good winter project restoring it. I was wondering if anyone knew who made these black goopy lamps. I was thinking they might have come in kit form back in the day as the hardware and materials seem pretty standard. Happy Thanksgiving.

Here is the one that got painted.

Now that's ugly, guy!

Oh, and in true Tiki Central spirit, ask and you shall receive (courtesy of Wendy Cevola):

On 2011-11-04 13:42, danlovestikis wrote:

Gosh I hope I can convey how excited I am after our trip to Grass Valley. Not just because the next step has been made towards making the chunk style tiki lamps but because of who I'm making them with. Roger Bodine began making these lamps in the early 1960's. He was the first to make them with resin rather than glass so they didn't weigh so much......

These are some of the chunks that his company makes and sells. You could make your own lamp.

This is Roger Bodine and some of his creations.

My personal lamp will have the panels on the left. The tikis will be in the light and dark reds in the center of the panels. He can make these any color or in any way someone desires.

My lamp will be the first one and I'll post photos as soon as it's done.

Here's his Etsy and web pages.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtLampDesignByRoger?page=1

http://www.goldenwestmfg.com

Killer lamps. And stoked that you found someone who is making the resin chunks. I tried pouring my own. Major hastle. Hopefully I can have him make a custom lamp for me or order the materials from him and make my own. My ceiling isn't that high, so the smaller the better. Aloha....

awesome to see that guys work and studio! I am actually in the process of making my first one. Will have to post picks when i get er done. Also just realized i never posted pics of my vintage ones, time to pull out the camera

[ Edited by: OceaOtica 2011-11-26 08:40 ]

On 2011-11-26 08:32, OceaOtica wrote:
awesome to see that guys work and studio! I am actually in the process of making my first one. Will have to post picks when i get er done. Also just realized i never posted pics of my vintage ones, time to pull out the camera

Looking forward to the results! Which also brings us to the question of "toxic fumes" we were discussing earlier.

Hey Sven, hope to have one ready for Tiki Wonderland. As for fumes and such have done research on materials, talked to tech guy at material manufacturer and have access to tools at work to get rid of that stuff. Excited about new shapes and such, now to get back to work

I'm so excited about new resin/chunk lamps being made. It's something I thought of doing for a long time but never got around to.

I was very concerned about the possibility of these lights emitting cancerous chemicals when heated up by even a low wattage light bulb from inside. So, I did a little research.

I had a conversation with my uncle who was a research chemist for Monsanto for several decades. He has hundreds of patents and a research grant named after him. Brilliant guy. I felt a little sheepish asking him about how best to make Tiki lamps, but I bit the bullet and did just that.

He advised against using the kind of resin that we see many Tiki pendants and other objects being made out of. Basically, against anything from Reynolds Advanced Materials over in North Hollywood (a favorite for many in the Tiki community and also for special effects designers).

However, my uncle did recommend two safe options: 1) epoxy fiberglass resin and 2) Polycarbonate CR-39 or other polyester and especially fiber-filled casting formulations using these polymers.

I talked to the guys at Reynolds and they confirmed what my uncle said and then suggested AP products in Pacoima, CA. AP does carry polyester resins.

I never made it up there to check them out. I never got price quotes or found out more about using their polyester resins.

However, I thought I'd pass it on and maybe somebody else would find the info useful.

Yes Tom, important distinction, not all resins, or epoxies, are suitable for this craft. I question the use of polyester resin, as mekp, the catylist, is particularly noxious and even in post curing the vapors and smell are evident for quite some time after. Polyester resin is also brittle and does not hold up particularly well to heat. A common form of this resin is found in hardware and autobody supply for car and boat repair; to be reinforced with fiberglass. Higher quality resins, unlike most common filled casting resins such as Smoothcast are not suitable for this application, where higher temperatures will be a constant. There are high temp resins that when properly post cured and given adequate time to outgas, from my research and conversations with manufacturers, are suitable for this application. I am also due to have a further conversation with a Dean of Sciences about the materials.
I and numerous others have the vintage resin lamps in our homes, all made with the resins available in the sixties, when the chemicals used in the manufacturing were commonly much more hazardous. I have posed this question before, and wonder what test can be found to see if these lamps, now 50 years or so old, are continuing to outgas, and if so are the amounts negligible (in impact to health)?

[ Edited by: oceaotica 2011-11-29 07:00 ]

My uncle said that fears of outgassing are often exaggerated, but a way to double-check on any particular material is to look up its MSDS Sheet (Material Safety Data Sheet):

http://www.msds.com/

A Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) (also known as PSDS (Product safety data sheet) or a COSHH data sheet in the United Kingdom) is a form with data regarding the properties of a particular substance.

An important component of product stewardship and workplace safety, it is intended to provide workers and emergency personnel with procedures for handling or working with that substance in a safe manner, and includes information such as physical data (melting point, boiling point, flash point, etc.), toxicity, health effects, first aid, reactivity, storage, disposal, protective equipment, and spill-handling procedures. MSDS formats can vary from source to source within a country depending on national requirements.

I'm sure that the perfect material is out there and you will find it. Good luck with your research!

I picked this green beauty up at a small shop in Omaha for $75, after seeing it in the background of a Craigslist ad. It looks similar to the Sears catalog photos earlier in this thread.

Brought it home and I think it really makes a great addition to the room.

I still want to buy one of the beautful pieces from this thread and will get one someday: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=41701&forum=12&51

Really nice BigRed! I'd go so far as to say it MAKES the room! (And you've a very swanky pad goin' on there.) Love the green on that lamp-- kinda takes to an outer space place.

I'm gonna go out on a limb & say "That's prolly the coolest room in Nebraska!" Is that white, spaceship-looking thing a Hi-Fi?

Since Wendy's discovery of Roger and the Laguna Lamps story, this thread has made a big step forward in resin swag research. I love giong thru the pages and marveling at the incredible variety of the art form.

I recently was at Kevin & Jody's studio in Anaheim again, and decided to document some of THEIR lamp collection, only the unique examples:

The "French Toast" and the "Planet":

classic Pear:

resin fish net?:

and Tiki head:

(I forgot if it's old or revival)

Great pics, Sven. I love "The Planet".

Excellent find Mike! Goes great in your space.

Thanks for the pictures Sven, love the lamps.

On 2012-01-08 09:45, Big Kahuna wrote:
I'm gonna go out on a limb & say "That's prolly the coolest room in Nebraska!" Is that white, spaceship-looking thing a Hi-Fi?

The "space ship" is stereo, a Weltron 2005, more on it in the Beyond Tiki Finds page: http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=5588&forum=6&start=750&761

Thanks for all the complements and to Sven for posting the new pics!

Wow, I love these lamps. That tiki head is wonderful. I wrote to Roge about some of the lamps to see if they were his from when he had Laguna Lamps in the 60's. Here's what he said. Wendy

This is by Laguna Lamps. This design has not been made again since the 60's.

The top two are Laguna Lamps #102 the bottom is by someone else.

This 8 sided lamp was by Roge or his Laguna Lamps made in 1978 (the year I married Dan).

12"id, 15" od Globe, amber/gold rock. I have made several in the past 6 months, see them on etsy.com. Laguna Lamps made quite a few in the 60's and I remember them as being 10" or 12" but I can't remember if that was the inside or outside diameter. In the 60's the basic shell was fiberglass. What I use now is clear acrylic.

Here are a few that Roge is making now and selling on Etsy.com.

I sculpted the tikis for him to cast.

This is a wonderful thread. I loved finding all the lamps that tie Roge to the tiki palaces of the past. Cheers, Wendy

Roge has shared his brochure from his lamp company from 1962. These specific lamps are not for sale, check Etsy for what is. He keeps coming up with new designs and I will be doing some more tiki related sculpts for him. Cheers, Wendy

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtLampDesignByRoger?page=1

Check out this whole tree of Laguna Lamps at the famed Trade Winds restaurant in Oxnard!:

What also belongs in this thread are OceaAtica's cool mini resin lamp ornaments, of which I got two at the Tonga Hut Christmas sale:

Love that brochure Wendy. I got my lamp from Roge. As soon as I get it hung up I will get a picture of it. Might be a while before that happens so if I can get it in some decent position to view it lit up I will snag a pic. It is going to look awesome over my liquor cabinet. I have one of Bill's glass float lamps to put in the other corner of my lounge...yee haw...finally some lighting ambiance in my future. Roge's lamps are just FABULOUS!!!!

Vamp I'm so excited that you have your lamp. I'm looking forward to the photos.
Sven this is a terrific thread and I send new posts to Roge often, like today.
His passion is these lamps and it is so much fun to have him back in the business.
Cheers, Wendy

I am trying to fix a couple chunk swag lamps I picked up cheap.... anyone here know where I can fine the small lucite gravel stuff that is normally used to fill in inbetween the larger chunks?? does anyone still sell the stuff? thanks in advance!

Hey Tipsy, here's a guess...try an aquarium shop. I've seen all kinds of gravels in colors for sale for the fish tanks. Roge doesn't have gravel. Good Luck, Wendy

thanks!! I did think of that as an option, but they need to be translucent.... the pet shop fishtank gravel is just painted pebbles, non translucent.... the stuff I need has to be resin chips or resin gravel.... can roge throw some chunks in a grinder of some sort ? I'm trying to match the gravel in some vintage lamps.

Hi Wendy, yes those are #103. If you were there you could look under the lamp and you would see 3 sides, not 4. Also at 1/3 the way up the side of the lamp is where the top of the 3 sided pyramid starts and goes in & up to a point. Hard to wire because of the tiny inside area. I never new about this customer because I only sold wholesale through stores at that time.

Trade Winds

Hi Tipsy, I'll ask him. Did you look at the colors he has available and find what you need? Wendy

Tiny gravel: Injection molded plastic is probably okay and if you can find one near you, they come in pellet form before melted and molded. Usually opaque, maybe translucent.

Wendy, forgot to add for Tipsy……polyester resin in fish tanks is an unknown for me. I would not do it. Go for colored rocks, stones etc…R

Tipsy I would really like to see what you are repairing, Wendy

On 2012-01-15 13:58, Tipsy McStagger wrote:
I am trying to fix a couple chunk swag lamps I picked up cheap.... anyone here know where I can fine the small lucite gravel stuff that is normally used to fill in inbetween the larger chunks?? does anyone still sell the stuff? thanks in advance!

David you are one of the most creative guys on here, thought you would know this one.

[ Edited by: tikiskip 2012-01-31 13:02 ]

[ Edited by: tikiskip 2012-01-31 14:51 ]

thanks skipper !!

Glad to help David.

Wendy these lights are too cool!!!

Looking over this thread I see I've not posted all of mine. I just found this one- a steal at $10, although I had to wire it up.

It's open at top and bottom and has these rods through it, with balls on the ends:

These two match in style, although I found them at different places, dfferent times:

This one has the little plastic pieces mashed together, but no large chunks:

And then, I think I posted a picture of this one somewhere, sometime back:

Good stuff BB, your finds are always solid.

Finally after long time on the hunt I got all chunked up this weekend. Got this one for a song. After a careful bath and a rewire just for the heck of it it's ready to go. And is in wonderful shape as well.

Been a good week for chunky goodness. Picked up this lava looking swag this weekend. Nothing in the wild in the way of chunk lamps for years and now two in one week. Gotta love it.

Nice lamps Uncle Trav!

Nice shootin', Trav!

Great scores on those lamps! Appreciate the photos!

2 great scores

Saw this modernist marvel on the net, nice lines!

DC

Picked this one up on ebay, $20

Below, also ebay $15, I scored locally this crude "Friar" shop display of chunk wall lamps, they are quite large, one small square one missing and a couple of bits broken but individually still perfect for my next bar, would look great mounted to the ceiling maybe...

Here is my find from a 2nd hand store today.

Real Mid-century chuck swag globe lamp. I am happy to score this :D.

After getting pretty far in to making a few of my own, I finally read this thread. I stayed away from researching at first to see what I could come up with own my own, and I'm happy with what I've got so far.

Sven, Wendy, and everyone else, thank you for contributing so much to this thread. I loved seeing all the photos and reading about Laguna!

Found these two on my local Craigslist.

Think I'll get the blue one, but the giant UFO orange is 200 bucks!