Oozing Goo - The Lava Lamp Syndicate

Hi! I was given a lava lamp my freshman year in college by my former dorm roommate. I'm not sure if she gave it to me in 2000 or 2001. Anyway, I still have it, but can't find this particular style anywhere except for one that was for sale on ebay... but the seller couldn't provide any information. Also, it seems to be not flowing. I got a new bulb and it still doesn't really do anything. The large coil is flush at the bottom and the smaller one was in the middle. When I heat it up I try to get it closer to the center. I'll provide a picture of course of what it looks like. Hope someone can help me with the model and what could be wrong with it! (It was kept in a closet for years, so there was no direct sunlight involved.)

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Not sure of what this is called.  It isn't a Lava brand lava lamp though.

But to help you out, the wax in the middle needs help melting so what to do?  The easiest thing would be to cover the globe with a towel as it heats.  This will keep more of the heat in the globe, allowing the wax to melt and return to the bottom.  Try that for a few hours when you can keep an eye on it, checking at about half hour intervals (after the first hour and a half or so, it will need probably that much time to even start melting)  There have been almost no problem happen when using this method, but a few times globes have broken if left unattended for several hours.

Hope this helps and keep us informed!

Thanks for recommending something to help melt that stubborn wax at the top. I've had it on for hours and it only melted up to a half inch. You could see it sort of moving and the top you could feel that the glass was cold. I'll definitely try using a towel and post the results!

These were a Spencer Gifts distributed brand called "Molten Motion" and were carried back in the early 2000s during that brief period of time (2-3 years) when they stopped selling Lava Lite. They didn't always flow the best because of the heat distribution in that funky globe shape. They came in a variety of colors, potentially glitter and black or silver bases. This was around the same time they had the Glow Oozy lamps and those chain link lamps. I'd agree with Keith, with regards to using a towel. I had purchased one at that time and returned it for the same reason. I do, however still have a set of string lights they sold that were mini plastic version lamps in that shape. 

Thank you for your response! I was so curious as to what this brand was! I haven't tried the towel yet, but I will tomorrow and report back. Hopefully it will work because I would like to sell this lava lamp. Anyway, thanks guys for the info!

So, I tried using  a towel and it did help heat up the wax, but it just moved up to the top. I tried it a few times, but no lava flow.  I am guessing that it's just broken? Are there any other options or why this could have happened?

Thanks!

it apparently heated it up just enough to free it from the bottleneck but not melt the entire glob.

Try a hir dryer or put the towel back on , wrap tightly and let it cook for a while.

When enough has melted that you think you can get it past the  nek shut it off and let it cool so it floats to the bottom

Thanks for your response! The lava definitely got past the neck and kinda consolidated into a smaller amount all the way to the top. When I put the towel on there, it got super hot. Left it on for 3-4 hours and turned it off. The lava just stayed there. It looks like there is a bit more lava at the bottom now, as I can't see the coils anymore.... plus some weird dark small globs of lava hanging out on the bottom. I noticed some tiny globs of lava also hanging out on the bottom of the top lava. Do you think my lava is dead? I'll keep trying this method though.

Claude J said:

it apparently heated it up just enough to free it from the bottleneck but not melt the entire glob.

Try a hir dryer or put the towel back on , wrap tightly and let it cook for a while.

When enough has melted that you think you can get it past the  nek shut it off and let it cool so it floats to the bottom

Another possibility is that your wax has separated. What happens is the less dense wax separates from the more dense wax. Here's a link that gives instrcutions on how you can get it fixed. It will involve opening your globe, however.

Wax Stuck at the Top of the Bottle

I've heard of wax losing its elasticity... which could be the case since it's so old. But, thanks for the info. :) I'll definitely check it out! I'll report back if I decide to take this thing apart. The plastic cap seems to be stuck though :/

Alex said:

Another possibility is that your wax has separated. What happens is the less dense wax separates from the more dense wax. Here's a link that gives instrcutions on how you can get it fixed. It will involve opening your globe, however.

Wax Stuck at the Top of the Bottle

Another thought; room temperature should be low 70's (up to 74), and the lamp should be out of any drafts.

I keep it plugged in our little walkway (wooden floor) and to the left is our living room with a carpet. The wooden walkway goes from the front door to the kitchen. I'll move it and see what happens. The temp is usually 70-75 in the winter. We have a really old house, so it is drafty. I'll try moving it where it isn't so drafty. Thanks again!

Keith said:

Another thought; room temperature should be low 70's (up to 74), and the lamp should be out of any drafts.

Those temps are whats recommended for regular use, so higher temps would be okay for now.  A corner is usually a good spot to avoid drafts.

Victoria Blades said:

I keep it plugged in our little walkway (wooden floor) and to the left is our living room with a carpet. The wooden walkway goes from the front door to the kitchen. I'll move it and see what happens. The temp is usually 70-75 in the winter. We have a really old house, so it is drafty. I'll try moving it where it isn't so drafty. Thanks again!

Keith said:

Another thought; room temperature should be low 70's (up to 74), and the lamp should be out of any drafts.

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