French "Lavaboilers"

[stevemo]

Hi
Just been looking at the photgraphs of the French "Lavaboilers" from Jonas Clark-Eliott in the Photos section. I was fascinated to see that there are so many different ones. I've only ever seen one in the UK, a friend bought one from a car boot sale about 10 years ago, it had glass beads in the bottom, and when it warmed up, there was a sudden "eruption" of bubbles from the beads. What is the story of these lamps?. I've never seen them on general sale in the UK.

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

Of the two links below... One is a "lavaboiler", like the one in the OP's description, save without beads. There were three types of these: plain, with indentations (like this one) to bounce the rising bubbles around, and with beads (to make smaller rising bubbles).

The other unit shown linked is NOT a lavaboiler - I apply this term only to lamps having colored oil with clear liquid above. Standard "boilers" like this one (which is a design I hadn't seen before) fill slowly with liquid, then 'boil' violently, drain, and repeat. "Bubblers" are already full of liquid and bumpers (beads or gravel) in the bottom generate bubbles of vapor which rise constantly. "Glitterboilers" encase a boiler inside a glitter lamp. And "fountainboilers" force the bubbling liquid to spout out of a glass nozzle into an enclosed pool. "Lava fountains" have colored oil which is spouted by a nozzle into clear liquid. "Hand boilers" are just that - standard boilers operated by hand warmth. I also include liquid hourglasses, as they were made in the same style in France.

Jerome, could you send me photos of yours?

[Modulo '70]

I think these lamps are sooo cool, there is a never ending aray of delightful designs it seems.

The French are so stylish with this design of lamp.