Lava Lamp restoration

ecandle

There's hope for you yet Russell
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any one done this , I have read a few websites dedicated to this , I'm curious if anyone has tried it , I have the large Original Lamp from the early 70s and its a bit cloudy and the wax is not so good. :tears:
 
:lurk:

Same boat. I have a cylindrical one from the early 70's. One day while it was operating, a friend of mine, in a "lava lamp" kind of mood ( :smoke: ), walked over to it and shook it up. That was the end of that. I've tried overheating it to see if I could get the wax to reform into one mass, but no luck.

I assume you've visited www.oozinggoo.com . I haven't really seen much on actual repair of originals.

The lamp may go to the curb this week, along with the dehumidifier in the thread below.
 
:lurk:

Same boat. I have a cylindrical one from the early 70's. One day while it was operating, a friend of mine, in a "lava lamp" kind of mood ( :smoke: ), walked over to it and shook it up. That was the end of that. I've tried overheating it to see if I could get the wax to reform into one mass, but no luck.

I assume you've visited www.oozinggoo.com . I haven't really seen much on actual repair of originals.

The lamp may go to the curb this week, along with the dehumidifier in the thread below.
Im thinking about popping the cap off:tears: , and slowly pouring out the liquid though a screen to filter out the floaters , maybe just replacing the wax :scratch2:, then pouring the old liquid back in ??
 
:lurk:

Same boat. I have a cylindrical one from the early 70's. One day while it was operating, a friend of mine, in a "lava lamp" kind of mood ( :smoke: ), walked over to it and shook it up. That was the end of that. I've tried overheating it to see if I could get the wax to reform into one mass, but no luck.

I assume you've visited www.oozinggoo.com . I haven't really seen much on actual repair of originals.

The lamp may go to the curb this week, along with the dehumidifier in the thread below.
keep the lamp base it's worth money .... is it gold ?
 
The fluid is colored mineral oil, and the "ooze" is a paraffin wax. Smaller flocs (or globs) have a higher surface tension per particle weight than larger ones, and thus tend to rise or float better. I suggest temporarily putting a lower wattage bulb in to allow the smaller globs to "re-agglomerate" without being heated sufficiently to keep rising. Should do the trick with a long re-melt at the lower temperature.
 
The fluid is colored mineral oil, and the "ooze" is a paraffin wax. Smaller flocs (or globs) have a higher surface tension per particle weight than larger ones, and thus tend to rise or float better. I suggest temporarily putting a lower wattage bulb in to allow the smaller globs to "re-agglomerate" without being heated sufficiently to keep rising. Should do the trick with a long re-melt at the lower temperature.

the web site/s I read indicated that the fluid was some sort of stuff dry cleaners use in their process ? could it be as simple as colored Mineral oil , it's such a true act of science , science for all man kind...:D
 
:lurk:

Same boat. I have a cylindrical one from the early 70's. One day while it was operating, a friend of mine, in a "lava lamp" kind of mood ( :smoke: ), walked over to it and shook it up. That was the end of that. I've tried overheating it to see if I could get the wax to reform into one mass, but no luck.

I assume you've visited www.oozinggoo.com . I haven't really seen much on actual repair of originals.

The lamp may go to the curb this week, along with the dehumidifier in the thread below.

i had that happen to one of mine..
i had to get the spring back to the bottom of the glass so it would heat back up like it should..
i eventually got it going again..

and to kill the idea of opening them.. there is pressure inside. even when not heated..
i cant think of a way to get that pressure back..
the lamp will still work.. but not as well..
not as much lava will arrise.. it will be more pathetic.. :D
 
i had that happen to one of mine..
i had to get the spring back to the bottom of the glass so it would heat back up like it should..
i eventually got it going again..

and to kill the idea of opening them.. there is pressure inside. even when not heated..
i cant think of a way to get that pressure back..
the lamp will still work.. but not as well..
not as much lava will arrise.. it will be more pathetic.. :D

ouch , thanks :tears:
 
With this discussion, I had to fire my old Lava Lite up. I had not plugged it in and turned on in at least 5 years, been shelved in a closet. Seems to be working OK. I've had this one since the late '70s. The liquid inside gradually got about 2" low and I unscrewed the cap and topped it off with distilled water. No oil or pressurization noted.

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The fluid is colored mineral oil, and the "ooze" is a paraffin wax. Smaller flocs (or globs) have a higher surface tension per particle weight than larger ones, and thus tend to rise or float better. I suggest temporarily putting a lower wattage bulb in to allow the smaller globs to "re-agglomerate" without being heated sufficiently to keep rising. Should do the trick with a long re-melt at the lower temperature.

I have two (one Lava, one from another company) that both have some separation issues. I'll give that a try.
 
Have you tried repeatedly running it just until it starts erupting then letting it cool down? That will sometimes clear up the water.
 
Found some interesting info from a 1988 "The Straight Dope" about Lava lamps, when the factory in Chicago where they were made was still in operation...

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/568/how-do-lava-lamps-work


More info I came across that might help restoring one

http://www.ehow.com/how_4523962_refill-liquid-lava-lamp.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_5856138_restore-lava-lamp.html

Thanks ! this one you posted sounds the best

http://www.ehow.com/how_5856138_restore-lava-lamp.html

who's first ?:tears:
 
Don't EVER get any of the stuff in a Lava Lamp on you...It is a double-first cousin to that horrible, awful acid that's in the center of Golf Balls that will eat all the way to the center of the Earth, if it ever gets loose...My best friend's brother's wife's cousin's father-in-law's brother, who's an Eminent Chemist told us that...An' WHO could argue w/HIM ?!? (grin)
 
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