Tiki Atomica's WITCO Restoration Project

Aloha Tiki Central Natives & WITCO Lovers,

I just finished a full restoration of a wonderful piece of WITCO decor and thought it would be fun to share some photos of the work.

I am not sure when this product was made... but if I had to guess I would say it was probably produced sometime in the early 1970s. I am sure one of the many TC WITCO aficionados could help to more accurately narrow down its probable date of manufacture.

As is so often the case ... this WITCO came to me after suffering years of neglect & abuse. It was water damaged, coated with a thick veneer of cigarette smoke, missing essential elements... and in desperate need of some atomic strength tiki TLC.

The silver lining however was that aside from the missing fabric, electrical elements & some typical wood chinks... the original components were all present.

The work was performed over a 5 day period & included; repairing wood, replacing water-damaged elements, stripping, varnishing, rewiring, gluing, stapling & upholstering.

The following is a short series of images documenting part of its journey back from tiki oblivion.

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WITCO ZEBRA MOOD LIGHT / SIZE: 6 X 36 X 36 / Model: LA-326

Many Alohas to the "Pleasant Tiki Man" for providing me with this WITCO catalog page showing the item in original condition on a showroom wall. This documentation played an essential role in helping me keep the "resto" as authentic as possible.

Please Note: In the copy below the Male & Female sculptural elements have been painted white. On my version they came stained the classic WITCO dark walnut. This was simply a one-off factory variation which was a very common practice... so I have been told.

Front of the Original Badly Damage Mounting board - Missing the fabric background. You can also see where the Male & Female sculptural elements were once attached. I replaced this crumbling material with a fresh sheet of 1/8" finished plywood.

Back of the Mounting board showing water damage stain:

Front of New Plywood Mounting Board with Cotton Batting:

Back of New Plywood Mounting Board with Cotton Batting temporarily taped into place:

Original Dual Light Socket and wiring. The electrical wire and plug were missing. Not a big deal and easy to replace. I was able to salvage the original lamp socket hardware. I also added a line on-off switch.

Male & Female sculptural elements after repairing, stripping, staining & varnishing. Prolific amounts of seeds courtesy of Mr. & Mrs. Maple trees:

Backs of Male & Female sculptural elements after repairing, stripping, staining & varnishing:

Applying cotton batting & replacing missing Zebra fabric (a very essential element of the piece) to front of the new mounting board:

Continuing cotton batting & Zebra fabric to the back of new mounting board:

Front shot of frame after repairing, stripping, staining, varnishing & attaching mounting board:

Front shot of frame with sculptural elements & mounting board nailed into place:

"Money Shot" of the finished Zebra Light... setting that uniquely Dark & Exotic WITCO Mood in my little tiki hut on the prairie. I used a combination of red and orange fluorescent light bulbs to try and simulate the look of a fire/heat element behind the center frame post:

I hope you enjoyed the images and agree that the result was well worth the effort.

Mahalo...

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"A civilized nation can have no enemies, & one cannot draw a line across a map... a line that doesn't exist in nature & say that the ugly enemy lives on one side & good friends on the other." -Thor Heyerdahl (1914-2002) Norwegian adventurer

[ Edited by: tiki atomica 2009-06-12 07:10 ]

[ Edited by: tiki atomica 2009-06-12 07:11 ]

2 THUMBS UP.

Beautiful job!!

awesome.
do they make those flickering candle lightbulbs in regular lightbulb size?

Very cool piece. Looks like it was worth the effort.

YES ! Now thats the pot of gold at the end of that er'.....WITCOW

very well done!

Amy

Aloha TIKI DAVID, aloha.taboo, exquisitecorpse, Murph, TIKIVILLE, Queen Kamehameha...

Many Alohas for the excellent feedback and positive tiki energy. Your thoughtful replies & affirmations have really tied the bow on the experience.

The WITCO story is pretty unique in the history of commercial decor & furniture companies. It is very satisfying to do a project that in some small way preserves the legacy... at least in my crazy tiki head anyway.

Since putting the Zebra Mood Light up on the wall it has elicited a lot of fun conversation. The reactions have been amazing to watch. As we all know... a big part of the WITCO charm is that it is impossible NOT to notice it and/or be affected by it in some way.

I have a fair amount of WITCO decor in my hut... but this is the first illuminated piece in the collection. The electronic glow of color adds a very dynamic visual dimension that really brings the art to life.

Mahalo for now... and may your tiki torches always burn brightly.

[ Edited by: tiki atomica 2009-06-13 08:23 ]

Great job! Nice one.

phoenix water damage restoration

Aloha ceejay2005 and welcome to the forum.