(Lava Chat)

Patent searchin'

Hunting on Google Patents, found some interesting ones...
3531635 - John L. Hancock's patent on the oil glitter, shown in the MasterCrafters "Magic Lite"

4072855 - Italian patent for the solvent glitter!

6681508 - That awful plastic blender thing Lava called a "magma lite" that sprays up Wave Machine fluid and makes tinny electronic whooshing noises. Patented by people at MIT??

3174688 - Patent on rain lamps. Shows some mind-blowing ideas I wish I could try to build, including: X-shaped and tied-back curtains and a spiral design. Wow.

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Permalink Reply by fog rider on December 2, 2009 at 10:41am

Well done. I've always wondered what that nasty liquid was in those Italian and French glitter lamps.
(7-11 parts by weight of trichloroethylene per part of dichloroethylene). Mmmmmm... chlorinated hydrocarbons. They supress the nervous system (that's why they're used in anesthetics). Trichloroethylene is a carcinogen. Yummy....

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Permalink Reply by Paul Flock on December 3, 2009 at 1:58am

The Patent site is really interesting it's great looking at those original lamp diagrams.
I found some interesting Crestworth,and Hunter patents as well.

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Permalink Reply by Jonas Clark-Elliott on December 3, 2009 at 4:18am

I'll say a non-lamp-related bit about carbonated solvents... There's a local antique shop/clock repair run by an old man named Lick. Lick is a nice guy, has tons of great stuff, but he's a bit absent-minded and rather shaky. One day, I bought a Wizard off him and, having heard about the exploding lava lamp, asked me "Hey, ain't those things dangerous?" I told him what had actually happened, and added that the only 'dangerous' ones were lamps - like the Wizard - using nasty solvents. Perchloroethylene, Trichloroethylene, Trichlorotrifluoroethane, Carbon tetrachloride, etc.

Lick replies "Ehh, ain't so bad, those. I use carbon tet all'a time" and he pulls out one of those solvent-filled glass 'bomb' fire extinguisher globes, the Red Comet type. Says "I use this stuff for cleanin' clock parts, takes the grease right off 'em. Just dremel off the thin glass tip an' pout it out". You get proper ventilation, right Lick? "Naw, ain't that bad. Used this stuff in tha war to clean brake shoes!"

...now I know why Lick is so shaky and forgetful. Solvent exposure. Eek.