HulaLamps.com is Hula lamp shop.
Title
Hula Lamps of Hawaii
Description
Hula Lamps of Hawaii was founded in 1997 by Charles Moore. He began his production of hula lamps based on vintage hula lamp styles. Hula Lamps of Hawaii has since become the worlds premier hula lamp manufacturer . Each lamp is painstakingly cast and finished, resulting in something special and unique that will be cherished for generations. His work continues to evolve and take new directions, and has been received with great popularity. One design evolved into many, each with its own character. The designs continue to evolve as does the creation of other unique art pieces. Charles' current efforts focus on designing and creating his own more detailed and contemporary styled hula lamps. His lamps have become one of the most sought after treasures by visitors to Hawaii wishing to take home something special. As customers enter our showroom located on the Big Island of Hawaii they are astounded by both the variety and quality of Charles' artwork.
Contact
Administrative:
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- Kailua-Kona HI
- US 96740
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- (808) 326-9583
Registrant:
- Hula Lamps
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- Kailua-Kona HI
- US 96740
Additional Information
BRONZE SCULPTURES AND THE HAWAIIAN HULA LAMP
Hula Lamps of Hawaii was founded in 1995 by Charles Moore. He began his production of hula lamps based on vintage hula lamp styles. Hula Lamps of Hawaii has since become the world’s premier hula lamp manufacturer. Each lamp is painstakingly cast and finished, resulting in something special and unique that will be cherished for generations. Capturing the beauty and grace of this timeless dance, he has created bronze hula girls that actually dance. These lamps dance by means of an internal motor that gyrates the skirt in smooth figure eight movement. The movement of the skirt alternates by gently rising over each hip in soothing succession. The skirt mechanism is powered by AC current and is controlled by a separate switch. There is certainly something about these lamps that make them wonderful conversation pieces. Charles has developed a loyal following and his lamps grace some very beautiful places throughout the United States and the world. Each lamp is a signed and numbered limited edition work of art. Each lamp is accompanied by paperwork including Artist biography and a signed certificate of authenticity. These bronze hula lamps impart the spirit of Aloha and the beauty of fine quality bronze art.
Aloha is more than a word of greeting or farewell or a salutation. Aloha means mutual regard and affection and extends warmth in caring with no obligation in return. Aloha is the essence of relationships in which each person is important to every other person for collective existence. Aloha means to hear what is not said, to see what cannot be seen and to know the unknowable. The Aloha Spirit is the coordination of the true self's mind, heart and soul, manifested by thinking good thoughts, emoting good feelings, and sharing goodness with others.
The letters of ALOHA help to remind us of their meaning:
- A – AKAHAI Akahai, meaning kindness to be expressed with tenderness
- L – LOKAHI Lôkahi, meaning unity, to be expressed with harmony
- O – OLUOLU `Olu`olu, meaning agreeable, to be expressed with pleasantness
- H - HA'AHA'A Ha`aha`a, meaning humility, to be expressed with modesty
- A – AHONUI Ahonui, meaning patience, to be expressed with perseverance
The original Vintage hula lamps (The inspiration for Charles' pieces) were produced in the 1930's and 40's by Dodge Inc. The original hula lamps were given away as carnival prizes. They were made of pot metal and were not of the highest quality. Pot metal is a porous exceptionally fragile material and can become very brittle over time and difficult if not impossible to repair to original condition. With the resurgence of all things Hawaiian, they have become very sought after. They are not only rare, but very expensive. A vintage lamp will easily run into the thousands of dollars. As each day passes the original vintage lamps are becoming even more rare and difficult to find in good working condition. These girls can get a little temperamental after sixty years of hula so these are lamps that you definitely operate sparingly. Original lamps are usually finished with electroplating or hand painted for a more aesthetically appealing appearance. Charles' beautiful bronze recreation and original lamp designs will most certainly become a major conversation piece in your home and something to be treasured.
His work continues to evolve and take new directions, and has been received with great popularity. One design evolved into many, each with its own character. Charles' current efforts focus on designing and creating his own more detailed and contemporary styled hula lamps. His lamps have become one of the most sought after treasures by visitors to Hawaii wishing to take home something special. As customers enter our showroom located on the Big Island of Hawaii they are astounded by both the variety and quality of Charles' artwork.
MODERN BRONZE SCULPTURE: THE NEW AND IMPROVED ART OF LOST WAX
In the third millennium B.C., somewhere between the Black Sea and the Persian Gulf, an artist crafted a vision in beeswax, covered it in liquid clay and cooked it in a fire. In the flames the wax was lost, replaced by empty space. Tin and copper - alloys of bronze - were gathered and heated. Once melted, the metal was poured into the cavity of the fire-hardened clay. The metal cooled and the sculptor knocked the clay from the metal. The first bronze was cast.
Ancient "Lost Wax" bronze castings have withstood the centuries, visually telling the tale of past cultures, their religions and their social structures. For example: Chinese bronzes often depicted ceremonial imagery, Indian and Egyptian castings frequently represented deities, the Africans cast images of nature, and the Greeks re-created the human Form. Many of these cultures have grown obsolete, religions have evolved and societies have changed, but an intriguing visual history survives through the surviving bronze works. Civilizations may have vanished yet today many of their bronze artifacts remain.
The "Lost Wax" process performed by today's modern foundries has certainly been refined from the original principles, yet bronze casting remains similar to how it was done in 2,000 BC during the Akkadian period.
It is at the foundry where Charles and his crew will skillfully apply the art of the lost wax process to transform his original visions into fine Bronzes. He has refined his casting method over the years and is now working with better equipment at more modern facility using a newer process that utilizes superior materials. The process is explained in detail below to give the reader an appreciation for the painstaking labor of this creative and technical process.
THE RUBBER MOLD
To transform a sculpture from the original medium (wax, clay, wood, marble or virtually any material) into bronze it is molded using rubber. The original sculpture must remain stationary during the mold making process. To accomplish this, half of the sculpture is nestled into a base of soft plasticine clay; the other exposed half is painted evenly with a clear, viscous rubber. (Polyurethane rubber is best for single or small editions while larger editions require silicone rubber.) When the half painted with rubber dries, a protective and rock hard "mother mold" made of reinforced plaster is built around the pliable rubber. The sculpture is then turned over, and the process repeated. When the second side is complete, the mold is opened and the original removed from within. The rubber is rejoined with the other half, rendering an exact "negative" image of the sculpture in rubber. The mold is often done in several sections to facilitate proper and even flow during the actual bronze pour.
THE WAX POSITIVE
The original sculpture is now used exclusively as a reference point. >From the "negative" rubber mold, a wax "positive" must be created. Wax is melted to about 210°F, poured into the mold and evenly coated or "slushed" inside. Slushing is repeated three times using cooler wax each time to avoid melting the previous coat. It is left a few seconds to increase the section thickness and then the rest is poured back into the melting pot, you now have a hollow wax positive.
Under ideal conditions, the wax wall will be about 3/16" thick --- any less might create flow problems for the bronze; any more will result in a heavier than necessary sculpture. . Due to the complexity of Charles' motorized hulalamps the final product must be hollow requiring that the interior of each wax be filled with a soft plaster material called a grog that creates a "core" within the wax allowing for a hollow bronze casting approximately 1/4" inch thick. When the mold is opened and the rubber peeled away, an almost perfect wax reproduction is removed.
WAX CHASING
"Wax chasing" is the delicate process of joining the wax pieces back together to form a complete "positive" of the sculpture (including removing seams and repairing imperfections with heated customized soldering irons or tools: dental tools being ideal).
Retouching wax: The sculpture now in wax with core inside is ready for final inspection by the artist. He will check the integrity of the wax, tidy up all the seam lines from the waxing process and resculpt as necessary the fine detail before each is signed and numbered.
SPRUING & GATING
After the wax is chased and approved by the artist, the piece is then advanced to "Spruing" or "Gating." This is where channels, through which the molten bronze will travel to the artwork, are added to the wax version. These channels are also made of wax.
"Vents" (thin wax sticks) and "Gates" (thicker wax sticks) are affixed to the wax reproduction with heated tools. Later in the casting process, the space occupied by sprues or gates become runways through which the metal flows and trapped gas escapes. Distribution of the bronze, low turbulence, ventilation and shrinkage are important considerations in the science of gating and spruing.
Nails are now hammered half -way in through the wax into the core all over the sculpture, these nails keep the core central when the wax is melted out in the kiln.
INVESTING
"Investment" is the process of building a rock-hard shell around the wax sculpture. Later in the process, when the wax has been melted out, the investment will serve as a mold for the molten bronze. For most of history, an investment consisting of plaster, sand and water was used to accomplish this task. In the last 15 years, a new technology called ceramic shell has become the industry standard. You will see examples of both methods utilized in the creation of Charles' works.
Charles utilizes a unique method of spraying a specially formulated ceramic coating on each wax. This is followed by dipping the gated wax into vats of slurry followed immediately by a bath of sand. This process builds a very thin wall of silica around the wax. When repeated multiple times, allowing for drying time in between dips, a hard ceramic shell forms around the wax.
Prior to the invention of ceramic shell, solid plaster investment was used. To invest by the solid plaster method: tarpaper was loosely wrapped around the wax reproduction in the shape of a cylinder. The enclosed space surrounding the wax was then filled with a wet plaster/sand mixture. When the plaster hardened, the tarpaper was removed and a solid plaster investment is ready for "de-wax." Whether ceramic shell or plaster is used to make the shell, the wax is a "positive" which must disappear in order to create a cavity or "negative" for the bronze to fill. Thus the phrase "lost wax casting" comes from the process of the wax being melted or "lost" from the shell. Plaster shells are "de-waxed" in a high-pressure steam chamber known as an autoclave; ceramic invested shells are de-waxed in a kiln.
THE POUR
A large graphite crucible, fired by a furnace, is filled with bronze ingots that are melted. The metal begins to melt at 1700°F. Bronze "seizes" (stops flowing) when confronted with cold, which might occur if molten bronze was poured into a room temperature shell; therefore at the same time the bronze is being blasted by a natural gas furnace, the ceramic shells and the crucible used to carry the bronze to the pour site are heated in a kiln to approximately 1100°F.
When the "Dance of the Pour" begins, a smaller portable heated crucible is filled with molten bronze from the main gas furnace crucible. Larger castings may require even larger crucibles that are lifted using a crane. At the same time, the glowing ceramic shells are brought out of the kiln to the pour area where they are submerged in a sand pit to support the investment. Two artisans will carry the crucible in a "jacket." One artisan will direct the pour and is considered the "lead pour," the artisan assisting with the crucible balance is known as the "deadman." A third member of the pour team pushes away dross and slag on the surface of the molten bronze.
The entire pour is very fast and very precise; one crucible of bronze holds almost 100 lbs of bronze and can fill one or two large shells or ten or more small shells. The first pieces poured are those with thin walls and intricate details; requiring hot, fluid bronze to move throughout the channel system. Bronze is an alloy which once combined makes the final product better and stronger than the individual elements. The material used in Charles' most recent work is known as "silicone bronze". It is a high grade bronze chosen for its rich lustrous properties ideal for both beauty and longevity. The metal is made up of the following elements: COPPER , MANGANESE, ZINC, TIN, SILICON , TRACE ELEMENTS. Silicon is an additive that helps the "flow ability" of the bronze.
DIVESTING
"Divesting" is the process during which the investment is removed from the metal. Approximately one hour after the pour, the piece is cool enough to handle. Skill and strength are combined with hammers and power chisels to knock the investment off the freshly solidified metal. Not only must the exterior be removed but a soft core will remain on the interior of the piece. This must carefully be removed. This void will create the opening that will allow the mechanism and wiring to run through the entire body of the sculpture. The gates and sprues must also be removed with a high intensity electric arc that can cut through the bronze like butter. The final step is to sandblast any fine investment remaining from the bronze. When clean, the sculpture advances to the metal shop.
METAL CHASING & FINISHING
Like wax chasing, bronze must also be chased or cleaned to address the slight imperfections that may result from the casting or shell building process. On larger sculptures, where assembly of cast sections is required, chasing is essential to take down weld line formed by the joining of two planes. Metal chasing usually starts with large electric or pneumatic grinders to remove the bulk of the unwanted metal. Then, more refined and smaller tools such as die and pencil grinders are used to re-create the artist's subtle surface texture. Finally, each piece is carefully polished to remove any blemishes to create a smooth uniform finish. The multiple castings must then be carefully matched and assembled using a variety of tapping and welding methods to form the basis for the final motorized sculpture.
PATINA
Patination is enhancement of bronze by the chemical application of color. Three water soluble compounds form the basis for most patinas: Ferric Nitrate produces reds and browns, Cupric Nitrate creates the greens and blues and Sulphurated Potash produces black.
Each foundry develops its own proprietary (and carefully guarded) patinas that result from a carefully orchestrated blend of different chemicals, pigments and application technique. Wide ranges of colors, both transparent and opaque, are available to the experienced patineur. The final step is putting a thin coat of clear wax over the bronze to enhance and preserve the patina. We recommend that this wax be replenished from time to time to protect the finish.
FINAL ASSEMBLY AND FABRICATION
The piece is not yet complete, each beautiful sculpture must be transformed into a lamp. The motorized pieces must of course have the mechanism and motor installed requiring many additional steps to create these very unique, conversation invoking lamps. The skirts are hand fitted to conform to the unique contours of each lamp. They are hand assembled, motorized and wired to create the very unique motorized lamp you see before you. The complete process from original to completed sculpture is very time consuming, taking many weeks by skilled craftsmen. Once one has an understanding of the labor and human energy that goes into the creation of each piece usually an even greater appreciation for this type of work is formed.
For once in bronze, the sculpture attains a permanency-a kind of immortality-that spans the generations and quite possibly centuries. Perhaps, one day in the distant future, it may give some insight into our unique place in time.
Composition of Bronze - What is it?
Variations of Tin Bronze
- Phosphor bronze contains a small amount of phosphorus. Phosphorus further increases the hardness and wear resistance of bronze. In addition, it allows molten bronze to flow better, which enhances its casting quality.
- Leaded bronze has lead, usually small amounts, mixed in to act as a lubricant. Such bronze is often used to make machine parts, such as bearings, that must endure a lot of sliding action against other parts.
- Bell bronze is very hard and provides a special tone to bells that no other alloy can match. It is one fifth to one fourth tin.
- Nickel bronze, which adds nickel to the alloy, is hard and resistant to wear. It is used to make gears and machinery bearings.
- Silicon bronze has small amounts of silicon, which makes it grow stronger when it is worked, such as by rolling. It is also particularly resistant to corrosion and is used in boilers, pumps, water wheels, parts for ships, electrical parts and fine art.
Today bronze composition may vary significantly, and contemporary bronzes are typically copper alloys which may contain silicon (Si), manganese (Mn), aluminum (Al), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), iron (Fe) and other elements, either with or without tin (Sn). The variations in bronze (both in proportion and elemental composition) can significantly effect its characteristics, whether it is providing a higher resistance to wear, better machinability, less corrosion in water, beauty and luster, etc.
Some alloys of copper without tin are also called bronzes. For example, there are copper-aluminum alloys called aluminum bronze. This alloy may also include iron, nickel, and silicon to add greater strength. Aluminum bronze is used to make tools and, because it will not spark when struck, many things that will be used around flammable materials. Aluminum bronze is also used for aircraft and automobile engine parts. Manganese bronze is actually a brass that contains manganese. It is often used to make ship propellers because it is strong and resists corrosion by seawater.
These bronzes range in color from a dark yellow-red to a bright yellow-gold depending on their composition.
