Converting netted glass float balls into hanging lamps

Good one Loogie! That's called gedankenexperiment, the act of carrying out an experiment only in your mind. The term was popularized by Albert Einstein, who applied gedankenexperiment to his work conceptualizing the theory of relativity. :D

On 2010-10-27 15:06, 1961surf wrote:
Had two more glass floats break again while drilling with diamond bit , however the third
one came out A ok. Since these are hand blown , there are thin on oneside of the glass
ball and thicker on other sides.Until you actually start cutting you really cant tell
which side is thicker or not.Thought about cutting and drilling hole where the nipple is
from being hand blown , but the bit won't come down close and even to surface while
drilling .Here are a couple of pics of the cobalt blue glass float before I frosted it
and shipped it off to WestADad in Nebraska .

These don't look like "real fish floats." I don't see those colors much. Are they old flotsom or are they new decor pieces?

I am assuming you are using a drill press. Correct? I would only do this very slowly with a DP. I got some cheap ones recently ($24 of one foot diameter) and have been considering trying my hand at it. Better to throw away $24 than the usual $65-75 these things run around here. As the old saying goes, let the tool do the work. i.e. next to zero pressure...

Details man, details! Me want! I thought surely someone had solved this puzzle by now...

@ Swanky most of the colored glass float lamps that were made in the 50's & 60's that were
hanging from the ceilings of tiki establishments, were never actual real Japanese net floats.
Most were made for exactly that.... hanging lamps.You of all people with your vast knowledge ,
I would think- would know that.You can not use a drill press... been there done that- too much
vibration!Most original Japanese net floats were clear green only .
I am converting reproduction China made glass netted balls (seven colors )into hang and swag lamps.

The glass ball sits in a concaved large rubber donut to absorb vibration when
cutting , while a second person is shooting a water stream to cool diamond core bit.
Keep in mind , I have a local glass shop that is very knowledgable in glass cutting,
actually cutting these for me .... and charging me up the kazoo to do so !

@Lugi and MadDog ...I wish that theory actually worked!
My next goal is to find the right chemical acid wash to etch the inside of glass,
primarily for outdoor and exterior applications.I don't like working with
chemicals that you have to wear gloves so it doesn't burn the skin right
off your arms.It's necessary though to withstand the elements , as discussed
prior in this thread .WestADad's turned out well ....I am sure he will post
an exterior night shot once he gets it hung up.The cobalt blue looks great at night.
You watch.... WestADad will eventually have at least 5-6 glass float lamps in
his tiki hut and backyard !

[ Edited by: 1961surf 2010-10-29 20:53 ]

Hey there! UPS man brought me a big box of blue ball today! Another succesful shipment, no breakage.

I'll get it home, tied up and some pictures taken soon.

Bill, I put the cradle/box back on UPS today as well. Will PM you the tracking number if you need it.

After the holiday's are over I'll order a yellow ball next.

Thanks again Bill, great work.

Chris

'61, you may already be familiar with it but Michael's Crafts sells a product call Armour Etch

An acid creme for etching glass. Because it is a creme, it stays in place and is safer than a liquid (it's still caustic, but it's easier to control where it goes)

It's made for etching designs in glass, it can be difficult to get even coverage on large areas. Maybe etching twice would give better coverage?

I didn't mean were they the real thing as in what hangs in Trader Vic's. Those are not real fish floats. I meant are they real, pulled from the ocean fish floats because I have some I have considered trying to open up. The best solution would be to just find some clear or translucent globes already with the opening for the fixture. I found about 5 a few years ago and have yet to do anything with them because the colors are just off.

And I assume a glass cutter is not an answer either? Anybody got a plasma cutter?

Temporary location....

Glad to hear it arrived safe WestADad .Tough to photograph the float lamps....the flash
from camera makes the bulbs brighter then they really are inside the glass.Yellow will
look incredible with these .

On 2010-11-02 08:59, MadDogMike wrote:
'61, you may already be familiar with it but Michael's Crafts sells a product call Armour Etch

An acid creme for etching glass. Because it is a creme, it stays in place and is safer than a liquid (it's still caustic, but it's easier to control where it goes)

It's made for etching designs in glass, it can be difficult to get even coverage on large areas. Maybe etching twice would give better coverage?

@ MadDog....I will check that out .This may work [email protected] vintage glass balls are
thick and do not break when cutting.They work great for lamps , however the colors look
the best as swag lamps and hanging float lamps .The vintage floats you are referring to
work well for putting the lit up puffer fish inside as well.Swanky you still have any
large puffer fish available....I could use a few .

On 2010-11-02 17:35, WestADad wrote:
Temporary location....

They look great Scott!

On 2010-11-02 22:50, 1961surf wrote:
They look great Scott!

I've been called worse. :)

Chris

When I made my faux fish float lamps, I found a glass frosting paint at the hobby store I used. Swirled it around inside till everything was covered and then let it all drip out and dry. That gave me the translucent look I wanted so you can't see the bulb inside. No acids used, just a bit of "glaze."

That's cool if that is right and these floats I have are the real deal. I may see if I can drill one open. They are very heavy.

On 2010-11-03 05:32, WestADad wrote:

On 2010-11-02 22:50, 1961surf wrote:
They look great Scott!

I've been called worse. :)

Chris

Opps sorry about that Chris.I had just sent an email to a Scott and brain mal function
there I go .Hope you are stoked on your new blue float!

:) :drink:

Chris

Back at yah WestaDad :D :drink:

[ Edited by: 1961surf 2010-11-21 14:41 ]

Have been working on the float lamps in between the storms in my backyard.The air quality and temp
have been perfect for spraying the inside of the glass .

The yellow glass seems thicker then the other colors .Have not had any of the yellow break so far ...knock on wood !

Yellow and red before frosted inside The green has been frosted and ready to be re-netted .

Any new lighted pic's coming? and..what is the full list of colors you offer.

MC

I helped design a long time friends back yard in College Park(Costa Mesa ) and we are
getting to the exterior finishing touches.I am installing four glass float lamps side by
side running the length of a sixty foot length fence.The four lamps will be tied
into an existing Malibu system which turn float lamps on at dusk and off at 2:00am thru a
sensor and timer .The same Malibu system -lights up the palm trees ,plants and outside
tiki statues.This is a low voltage lighting system , so I had to use standard socket 12V,
15 watt appliance size light bulbs .I will be finishing the job over this weekend ,and
will follow up with some great looking pics .@ Maui chimes.. .the colors available are:
Purple,Green,cobalt blue, light sky blue,turquoise,yellow and red .
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=36988&forum=12&start=0

[ Edited by: 1961surf 2011-03-05 15:42 ]

Tough to really get the shots the way I want them , so these will do until I can come
back and replace them with better pics.

Vertically mounted bamboo poles facia about 50 feet in length ,four mounted glass float lamps behind
the barbecue and jacuzzi area

Night shots

I used porcelin sockets and brass hardware for the float fixtures to withstand the outdoor elements
and weather

Outdoor fireplace piped in the gas and installed tempered broken glass which disperses
more heat

Wow, I was just looking over Crazy Al's tikis yesterday and the tiki above looks like Al's Four skull trophy tiki

Looking Good Bill!

@Teakey ....yeah I thought the same thing .This was an existing tiki at the home, I had nothing to do with any of the tiki
carvings .Who ever carved did a nice job though.WestAdad ...thanks so much .

I am now making all my own fixtures and not having them outsourced .It involves alot
of work which includes hand spray painting eight separate parts that make up the fixture.
It takes 15 separate parts just to make one fixture.I am using all UL approved parts
including wiring , sockets , plugs etc .Before hanging one of these in your tiki room,
tiki hut or bar , take a look and pay attention to the meticulous detail I have gone thru
to put these together the right way, so not only do they look good ....they will last you
a long long time !

The beginning

Now

Hey, Bill! You should move the pics of your place into the Home Bar thread & show us more. I love that Hamm's sign.

BH those are pics of a friends home that I installed lamps at .This thread is primarily
to show the making and construction of the glass float lamps and the fixtures .I will
however eventually post pics of my crib , bar and backyard .

[ Edited by: 1961surf 2011-07-27 20:55 ]

Beautiful work! I love the fact you are using actual glass instead of plastic as some do, plastic just don't look the same at all. My dad has a old floater ball from when he was in the Navy and stationed at Diego Garcia. He found it on the beach there and the sucker is pretty damn heavy, plus it has several smaller bubbles in the glass at the base. I would love to make it a lamp but am terrified of even the remotest chance of it breaking. I wonder if it would look good lit from underneath somehow on a base or something? What do you think?

Tigertail it can be done.The older floats are much thicker glass and less prone to breaking .Pm me if you want me to do it for you .

Had four glass balls break today while cutting them , needless to say I am f**kn pissed to say the least !

With the good .....also comes the bad ! Here is one of four that broke in the last several
days while my glass man was cutting .He stated he could hear the air or gas escape when they
imploded !

Blown glass breaks very easy.
I think it's because of the small
bubbles in the glass.
They heat up when cutting and expand
and then the glass cracks.
So sure you can put a hole in a real float at a rate
of 4 out of ten good cuts.
Put an old blown glass bowl in the microwave and see what you get.
A pissed off wife that's what you get, cuz you just broke her bowl.
Plus a lot of the "glass floats" you see these days are thin Mexican
blown glass.
Not that thick Coke bottle type of the past.
The old Coke bottle type are even harder to cut cuz they are three times as thick.
It's very rare to see a real glass float light in the bars of old.

You are 100% correct on all accounts Tikiship.If there was a way to have these made with thicker glass I would be a happy camper .It's very discouraging when these break , not to mention the money I lose every time one breaks.What would be nice is to have these made with 2 1/4 " holes already in them.Thanks to some info from Polynesiac , I am expermenting with new product to frost the inside of the glass for a floats that will be used outdoors .The downside is... it's toxic and
I have to wear gloves and a mask and be very careful !

[ Edited by: 1961surf 2013-09-10 13:09 ]

Ahhh ....pure bliss ! Six came out with no fatalities today !

Cobalt blue-sky light blue -turquoise aqua -and yellow

Great thread '61Surf! I just found the "real deal" at an antique shop near murrells Inlet, SC. I couldn't pass it up!
It's very heavy and does have several bubbles in the glass (plain green). I'm still debating whether I'll attempt to drill it or not...

Thanks for all the tips and pics!!

Have not posted on this tread in awhile.I am working on a different glass float lamp
that is going to absolutely knock your socks off ...so stay tuned for update and some
new pics !

bill im interested to see "the new"

Sweet

Looking forward to what you have going on, Bill!! Now that we have a space to hang this stuff, I'm all about it!

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=43239&forum=20&78

Looking forward to what you have going on, Bill!! Now that we have a space to hang this stuff, I'm all about it!

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=43239&forum=20&78

I'm looking for some broken glass (especially red) for a project...if you happen to come into some let me know.

[ Edited by: jimsflies 2012-09-10 19:23 ]

I've got my aqua lamp up, will try to get a picture during the crawl. It is hanging a little lower that what I want, so will adjust later...plus still needs to be hooked up.

"Oh waiter, another cocktail please!!!"

[ Edited by: VampiressRN 2012-09-10 20:59 ]

Okay Bill, mine are out of the box and plugged in but not up in the air, they look good on the floor next to my Peacock chair! I'm trying to figure out how to hang these, we have 12 foot ceilings . . . and I don't do ladders!

They look great, I have an aqua and a blue . . . definitely will be wanting a red and a yellow OR any such animal as an orange?

I wish I could see where you are hanging them .You may want to consider having swag kit
made like I made for Vamp Greg .

Making more float lamps over the weekend .Next step is the cutting and drilling .
These will be shipped to Canada .

[ Edited by: Psycho Tiki D 2014-07-02 15:14 ]

Cut some more glass and made several more lamps for customers before I took off on my road trip to Nor Cal.

two part solution uesd to cool the diamond bit while cutting

After the inside is totally washed out with dish soap ....I let the glass dry out and sit for two full days before I can frost the inside of glass