Oozing Goo - The Lava Lamp Syndicate

One works fine, the other looks like the wax is just a white mass laying in the bottom of the globe. Ive read a few of the other discussions, now, I'm really lost, I thought the bulb provided the heat, what is a coil?
Maybe someone would be nice enough to go A-Z and explain how this all works, I think this lamp was made in the 80' or 90's but just a plain conical globe with blue water.the Lava (wax?) is white, just laying on the bottom. If you're so inclined, an email would be nice... mas570@yahoo.com

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Well, the bulb does provide heat. The coils diteibutes the heat evenly. Without it the bottom would get really hot in one spot only. If the wax is not moving it could be the buld, if it's clear try a frosted bulb and vice versa. If that does not work, see if the wax is attached to the coil or sitting above it. If it's not attached you can try twisting the globe back and forth to see if it reattaches. If not you probably need to replace the coil.
If the globes have not been used for awhile and have been moved around the wax can be positioned wrong in the globe. If this is the case, the coil will not be at the bottom as it should. The wax will eventually melt and the coil settle at the bottom, but it may take hours to do so. Double check that the bulb is a 40 watt appliance bulb, (assuming it is a standard 32 ounce or 52 ounce globe, if it is larger you will need a larger bulb) Also, the room should be about 72 degrees, if the room is cooler, it can take longer for proper lava flow.
Let us know how it goes!
Yes, the coil is a circular spring inside the globe. It sits at the bottom, and serves three purposes: First, it evenly distributes the heat from the light, into the wax. Second, the main mass of wax at the bottom might actually rise, itself, leaving none at the bottom to continue the multi-blob flow. The coil holds a large mass at the base, allowing only small portions of it to rise and break off. Third, the wax's surface tension will not allow a blob falling back to the bottom to merge with the mass already sitting there. When the blob slides down the side and touches the coil, it breaks the surface tension and the blob rejoins the mass.

The coil, when the lamp is cold, should be visible embedded in the solid mass of wax. Look underneath - it should be visible on the bottom. If only part of it is visible, or part extends out the top of the mass, allow the lamp to heat fully and then gently rotate the bottle as it sits in the base, or tilt it slowly from side to side, until the coil drops and sits flat at the bottom. In any case, the wax should adhere to it at all times. And yes, twisting the globe may also reattach wax to the coil if it is not.

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