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Agreed! I've never seen anyone walk into a tiki bar, say, "Ugh! They're playing Martin Denny!" and then leave. I *have* seen people depart tiki bars specifically because they're playing Justin Bieber.

I calls 'em as I sees 'em! 😅

You are welcome!

Howdy Scott! I'm glad that I was able to provide what you were looking for! Good luck with your lamp project!

Maryann, you can reach out to Tony through his website at www.tonycanepa.com/ to hire him to design you some swizzles. He doesn't manufacture them himself though--for that you'd need to go through Royer Corporation. Be warned that they have a minimum order of 10,000 (yes, you read that right).

We all wish the others were available cheaper! Maybe someday Taschen will reprint them.

True! And I'll wager most of those are Sabal or California fan palms, which are much better to carve than Mexican fan palms!

I am envious of your proximity to Trader Vic's! My wife and I took a trip to the Bay Area in 2021 specifically to visit Trader Vic's when it was in danger of losing its lease. Of course, we made time to visit a number of other tiki destinations around the bay!

Myself and my wife are recovering journalists who come from teacher families, so I can sympathize! On the bright side, I have both and the smaller one is a much, much better value!

On the bright side, Tiki Pop may well be the best of Sven's output (I've yet to get Art of Tiki and Palm Springs Tiki, but they're on the list). Tiki Pop has way more content than Book of Tiki.

Happy to help, Tala!

You and me both! It is a deep and twisty rabbit hole we have fallen down!

I consider Smuggler's Cove the best first tiki book anyone can get! It covers the history of tiki culture, the revival, gives a good overview of rum types PLUS includes a bunch of recipes to enjoy. There are a lot of good tiki books available these days, but that one covers all the bases. I even dedicated my third Moment of Tiki episode to it: th-cam.com/video/4qQjS_GIx7E/w-d-xo.htmlsi=eAajH6s8TI3pO1b0 And don't feel bad. I paid the full $25 for Tiki Pop as well. I still think it's a crazy good deal!

That's just nuts!

That is for the small, condensed version. It’s the copy I have as well. You can tell because the title is in red, not yellow, like the full sized version. Still a great book though and a steal

@@ziptiepepe Right. That's what the video is about.

@@LagoonofMystery lol i commented before realizing you were going to take out the small version

Alas, that's not his call. Unless his publisher, Taschen, decides to reprint it (or they relinquish their rights to the book and Sven could find another publisher willing to take on the project) it is doomed to remain out of print. Once an author delivers the contracted manuscript there's not much control they retain. Illustration-heavy books like this, particularly those with full color, are crazy expensive to produce. That's why there aren't many publishers that will take them on and why the resulting books come with high price tags.

Many thanks!

Yes, they are wrapping things up in May, I believe. First we lose Oceanic Arts, now we lose Nautical Antique Warehouse. 😪

@ It’s sad. I got two more big rope covered glass floats, those are now about $32 each. Got some pulleys and deadeyes for rigging, netting, and distressed floats for decor.

@@wildcatdiva4974 Yes, I'm hoping to make a trip there within the next couple of months myself to say goodbye (and make some good buys!).

@@LagoonofMystery Yes. I hope you find what done good buys. We hoped to find a ship’s wheel but didn’t find any. I had also wanted a port and starboard light but didn’t find anything I could afford. I found some oil lamps as an option on eBay that might work for that idea.

Thank you, James! I need to commit to more carvings in the coming year because improvement only comes with practice!

Do it! Just don't skimp on safety!

Thanks for the kind words, Hamo! Good luck!

Thank you, Joseph. Alas, that particular project predates A Moment of Tiki by several years. However, I was doing a build-along blog at the time. You can read about it at this link. If you attempt it yourself, the biggest advice I can offer is DON'T use oak plywood. Instead, choose something with even, innocuous grain, like poplar or birch: jlbgibberish.blogspot.com/2017/11/tiki-build-along-pt-14.html

Thanks for the kind words, Justin, but that's not entirely accurate. This is my fifth large tiki attempt--the pecan Moai several years ago was my first (disappointing) attempt, then I did the Tiki Bob stand alone and Tiki Bob table (which I count together), the Hawaiian Eye tiki and 11-foot dead palm carve. Other than those, I've used a dremel to carve some small tiki ornaments every year since 2018, plus router and Dremel work on molding, baseboards and chair rails. That's not all tiki carving, true, but it builds familiarity with the tools and carving process that helps with the learning curve. As the saying goes, it takes many years of effort to become an overnight success!

@ my bad, I didn’t mean to leave the other carvings out! You made this one look very easy!! Did I do everything I was supposed to do for the giveaway on TH-cam? I’ll send you a picture of this plastic tiki that I picked up from marketplace last week. I’m gonna touch it up with acrylic multi surface paint bc most of it was chipped off

@@justinmartin1493 I think you're good. Acrylic paint's a good choice for repair jobs like that. It's cheap, very easy to work with and comes in an insane variety of colors and finishes.

That's great! People tend to fixate on the cocktails because they're so elaborate, but tiki is primarily escapism, with can be accomplished without the booze. Trader Mort's does have a neat souvenir mug, so it might be worth a stop your next visit to San Diego, regardless!

​@@LagoonofMystery good to know. Thanks!

The best wood to carve is the wood you can get! The Polynesian people didn't carve palm logs because that was "the best" to carve, it was the only wood available. My palm log access is relatively limited--these California fan palm logs I acquired a couple of years ago and am almost out. Mexican fan palms are far more common here in Central Texas but they're full of water, fibrous and like trying to carve rope. Some parts are so structurally unsound as to be impossible to carve. My first carving, a Moai, I shared here a few years ago was out of pecan. That's one of the hardest woods available and I wouldn't recommend for beginners. I have some live oak pieces (also super hard) and hackberry (not hard at all) and plan to get some larger cedar/mountain juniper logs to carve in the future. Those are crazy common around me so I'll ultimately carve more of those than palm. I confess that the cedar smells fantastic when I carve it and for a softwood it holds details well. But again, whatever you can get access to is the best wood to carve. 😁

Trader Mort's is sooo distinctive. That's a big reason why I chose it--so I could judge if I crafted an accurate likeness!

You are welcome!

Preach it! Budget limitations are the mother of necessity. It's amazing how much one can do with a handful of Dremel bits and a cheap rotary tool from Harbor Freight! That's not to say one can't do a whole lot more with a more impressive setup, but you can learn a whole lot with a bare bones setup. 😁

Thank you!

Thank you for the kind words!

Aw, yer makin' me blush!

@@LagoonofMysteryDude your carvings are some of my most prized ornaments, they make me smile so much. Blush away!!

Thanks for the kind words! Maybe someday...

I have that same mug! I should've included it in the video!

Glad you liked it!

Everyone needs new carving tools! 😉

Very cool! That sounds like many simple projects that grew and took on a life of their own!

Let me know how it turns out! Just don't skimp on the safety!

Much appreciated!

Yay for pilot holes! 🥰🥰🥰

If it's any consolation, my earliest efforts weren't great and even now the flaws stand out for me!

@LagoonofMystery Yeah, but even the little flaws make them unique and special!

Good luck, Lori!

Thank you!

Thank you!

No, it is "The Secret of Tiki Island" by Kevin Macleod. It's certainly inspired by Martin Denny and Les Baxter, tho.

You are very much welcome! The whole interview was a blast, except for the unseasonably hot weather!

You are most welcome!