Glass Float Lights - A Moment of Tiki Episode 48

Coming to you from my home tiki bar, the Lagoon of Mystery! My tiki lighting journey continues this episode with one of the most iconic elements of all: the Japanese glass fish float! Glass fish floats date all the way back to the beginning of the Polynesian supper club days, hanging from the ceilings of Don the Beachcomber's and Trader Vic's as part of the beachcomber aesthetic, and never left. I have no idea who the first person to drill one out and insert a light bulb was, but their inspiration does not go unappreciated. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with buying a glass fish float lamp that is pre-drilled and pre-lit, if you're like me with a limited budget, that may be cost prohibitive. Fortunately, after some cautious experimentation, I've learned that converting your own glass fish float into a light is not difficult at all--as long as you have patience to spare, because the process is quite time consuming. There are no quick shortcuts here! The drilling of the glass takes quite a long time, but if you need to tie a new net for your float, that's going to take even longer (I am no genius when it comes to knotting netting--for that I tip my had to Batjak Knots. Check out the link below for a great step-by-step guide to tying rope for fish float lights). If you don't have a busted lamp handy to scavenge for parts, worry not! There are plenty of candelabra sockets available at all the usual places online--they even have standard screw terminals, so you don't have to worry about lineman splices and heat shrink tubing. Here are links to some supplies I used in this video. Note that these are affiliate links, which means I get a small commission on purchases made at no additional cost to you: Diamond hole saw set for cutting glass: https://amzn.to/3hlPgxp Candelabra sockets: https://amzn.to/3UDExwF Cork stoppers, size 11: https://amzn.to/3fGUWS9 C7 multicolor LED bulbs: https://amzn.to/3WDh2W9 Sisal rope 100'x.25" (30.5mx.6cm): https://amzn.to/3t6w5dp A quick recap for those who may not be aware: Glass fish floats originated in Japan more than 150 years ago, used to buoy long-line fishing nets in the ocean. When the nets inevitably broke in rough weather, the floats escaped and prevailing currents carried them to the West Coast of North America, with the colorful glass balls washing up on the beaches of Alaska to California. The most common are green, but blue, red and amber can be found as well. Authentic floats are rare these days, but modern blown-glass replicas can often be found in seaside tourist souvenir shops and these work just as well. Finally, let me apologize for the sound distortion in this episode. Not sure where that's coming from. Also, I probably shouldn't have worn a black shirt whilst demonstrating knot tying with a dark rope. I'll know better next time. Batjak Knots: https://www.batjakknots.com/weave-a-g... Don't forget to subscribe! Never miss an episode! FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM:   / lagoonofmystery   Join the A Moment of Tiki group on Facebook:   / amomentoftiki   Please visit our friends at SECRETS BY MISS LISA: https://www.secretsbymisslisa.com/   / secretsbymisslisa   ALL THAT RAAZ: https://allthatraaz.com/