Lava Lamps
- Thread starter Valveglow
- Start date
Great idea! To make this even simpler, these things should come with a disclaimer, saying that:
Green content turns you into "Hulk"
Red content turns you into "Iron Man"
Blue content turns you into "Mystique"
Hmm... I wonder what would happen if you'd mix them all up & drink all three together?
These?
mathmos.com
Giant Lava Lamps by Mathmos
Giant lava lamps by Mathmos, inventors of the lava lamp. Create a statement with big floor-standing lava lamps expertly made in Britain.
mathmos.com
I hope not, as Mathmos is already overpriced enough as it is... They kinda remind me of Technics & SL-1200 in a bad way, but that is a whole other discussion for some other place & time.These?
Giant Lava Lamps by Mathmos
Giant lava lamps by Mathmos, inventors of the lava lamp. Create a statement with big floor-standing lava lamps expertly made in Britain.
Anyhow, if you're from the States, there are other alternatives for huge lava lamps:
Grande Lava Lamps | 27 Inches Tall, the biggest Lava Lamp
Make a grande statement with the biggest lava lamp available. Sized at over 2' tall with 250 ounces of liquid, these are a hit for lava lovers. Shop now!
lavalamp.com
I also remember seeing yet another "World's Largest Lava Lamp" but from a different brand somewhere on YouTube. If I ever find the video again, I'll make sure to link it in here for future reference.
On a side note, I would like to use the moment & talk about LED Lava lamps. Apparently these things had been taking over the market recently, slowly (but steadily) phasing out old-fashioned, incandescent lava lamps. And while /some/ people think that having LED Lava lamp might be a good (cool?) idea, I wanted to talk about disadvantages & design flaws.
One of the main advantages for LED lamp is the ability to change colors on the fly, thanks to the built-in RGB module underneath the bottle. Unfortunately, this also means that the wax is heated up by the heating element, rather than a bulb and this is where majority of the problems come from. Every once in a while, people leave bad reviews stating that the lava lamp lights up but does not melt (flow). Alternatively - some folks actually reported other way around ... lamp no longer lighting up but the wax continues to flow. One way or another, this usually happens within the first couple of weeks, or months in best case scenario.
Of course, finding a replacement heater /or/ RGB module of that particular shape & size is going to be impossible, meaning that you need to buy another lamp. Therefore just go with traditional, incandescent lamp instead. This way, even if (or rather - when) the bulb goes out, you can simply replace it for another one & keep on using the lamp over & over.
I also find it ridiculous (not to mention hilarious) that LED Lava lamp are considered energy efficient, since it uses 26W of electricity. 1 or 2W for the RGB LEDs (and its circuitry) while everything else goes into the heating element. On the other hand, most incandescent lamps use 25, 30W of electricity at most. Those huge ones use 100W, but we are talking about "World's Largest Lava Lamps", from the link above which is definitely NOT your typical lava lamp.
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Doug G.
Lunatic Member
In an earlier post, I related how I have a lava lamp-shaped "tornado lamp" and the general action of it is as I described. However, the material that spins into a "tornado" is NOT glitter. They are white particles and the internal lighting changes colors to illuminate the particles into those colors.
I guess it got to be too long since I had had it on.
Doug
I guess it got to be too long since I had had it on.
Doug
Oh yeah, I've seen those around... They are catching up, I'm guessing due to LEDs and being able to run off USB power.In an earlier post, I related how I have a lava lamp-shaped "tornado lamp" and the general action of it is as I described. However, the material that spins into a "tornado" is NOT glitter. They are white particles and the internal lighting changes colors to illuminate the particles into those colors.
I guess it got to be too long since I had had it on.
Doug
yeah, that big red one on his desk had to be 2.5 feet tall
just dave
vintage rules!
Try it, you can be the first!
Yeah... Though it might seem like a colorful sunset cocktail think I'm going to pass, thanks.
It's time to switch on & warm up your lava lamp and/or go out & buy some if you still don't have one, as the National Lava Lamp Day is nearly upon us, on April 5th.
One of my lava lamps got knocked over. Broke the bulb and now the cap is loose and dented. I can get another bulb, but I'm wondering about running it with a loose cap.
Does anybody know if it's just a regular bottle cap ? I have a capper for beer bottles....I wonder if that would work ?
Does anybody know if it's just a regular bottle cap ? I have a capper for beer bottles....I wonder if that would work ?
I've used regular crown beer bottle caps to reseal lava lamps that have been filtered to reduce cloudiness. Requires a bottle capper like the one shown in the picture. The double lever handheld cappers won't work for most lava lamp bottle shapes.
It depends on the make & model. Some of the lamps indeed use a regular, beer bottle caps, some use screwed caps (which are usually glued onto the threads) and some are pressed onto the bottle and cannot be removed easily (mine for example)
Not related, but maybe? Looking at all the lava lamps started me thinking maybe some of the lava lamps have huminculi living in them? Not that it was influenced by my favorite new series. Small Prophets.
In case anyone wants to know...
I followed my own advice on reducing the power output by swapping out the original R39 reflector bulb for appliance (T26) one, while maintaining the same wattage, bulb socket & voltage rating. It didn't work.
Or rather, yes - it /did/ work as intended, but it only shifted portion of the light (& heat) down below, into the lamp socket itself, resulting with minor damage & a very nasty smell of burning plastic & rubber cable insulation. I actually measured additional 10C on the outer jacket & base stand, compared to the original R39 bulb of the same power rating - around 30-something for the original bulb & mid 40-s for the T26 appliance bulb. What's even worse is that the actual globe did not receive enough energy and because of that it took a very, VERY long time to get the wax up & flowing (around 2 hours, if I remember correctly)
Of course, being a 25W equivalent it didn't have the necessary capacity to create any permanent damage, therefore the lamp is still safe enough to use, but just in case you were wondering - NO, apparently it is NOT safe to use any other bulb shape or size, other than the one specified in the manual & within the base.
For once, these guys (lamp designers) actually knew what they're doing & asking for ... what a shock in this day & age!
I followed my own advice on reducing the power output by swapping out the original R39 reflector bulb for appliance (T26) one, while maintaining the same wattage, bulb socket & voltage rating. It didn't work.
Or rather, yes - it /did/ work as intended, but it only shifted portion of the light (& heat) down below, into the lamp socket itself, resulting with minor damage & a very nasty smell of burning plastic & rubber cable insulation. I actually measured additional 10C on the outer jacket & base stand, compared to the original R39 bulb of the same power rating - around 30-something for the original bulb & mid 40-s for the T26 appliance bulb. What's even worse is that the actual globe did not receive enough energy and because of that it took a very, VERY long time to get the wax up & flowing (around 2 hours, if I remember correctly)
Of course, being a 25W equivalent it didn't have the necessary capacity to create any permanent damage, therefore the lamp is still safe enough to use, but just in case you were wondering - NO, apparently it is NOT safe to use any other bulb shape or size, other than the one specified in the manual & within the base.
For once, these guys (lamp designers) actually knew what they're doing & asking for ... what a shock in this day & age!
Mathmos are expensive,though after your reviews of the cheap knock offs,theres a reason behind it.You have reported no permanent damage but earlier you mentioned a nasty smell of burning plastic & rubber insulation.
That doesn't bode well and you continue to use it.
That doesn't bode well and you continue to use it.
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Uhh, okay?
I'm not sure I see your point, but if you are referring to my upper post regarding different bulb shape & size, then all I can say is that the outcome was entirely on me, not on the lamp itself. It was just an experiment, out of curiosity to see "what would happen if...?"
For what it's worth, both Mathmos & Innovagoods (or any other generic brand name) use the same electrical components. They both use the same line switch & same socket - the only difference is within the liquid solution itself & perhaps CNC machining that's looking better ("sharper") on Mathmos than on any other generic lamp. Therefore, if you find those finishing touches worth the extra price, go for it.
Personally, I don't ... and because of that have zero regrets with going generic, rather than "branded". I mean, seriously - even with all 3 lamps in total, with 6 original bulbs and additional T6 bulbs the overall cost is LESS than a single Mathmos, not to mention replacement bulbs which are advertized for 14€/each (seriously...?!)
True, although there really wasn't much damage to begin with. What happened is that the bulb overheated and "baked" the bulb socket, gave it a light brownish tan. Nothing more and nothing less, all the contacts are perfectly fine and nothing got charred or deformed. I obviously inspected the whole thing & was even willing (and ready, if necessary) to replace the entire socket.
I also double-checked the threads, to make sure that the bulb is seated firmly and held in place which it is. So really, other than brownish tan & disgusting smell, there was nothing unusual to report. Keep in mind that both bulbs are 25W, so regardless of its shape & size, it wouldn't be able to deliver enough damage to melt the whole thing. Now, if it had been a 30W (or 40W) bulb, I would most definitely be needing a fire extinguisher, but that's beside the point.