Customs (Orange Lava and Baby Blue Lava)

[Drew]

Here we have some custom lava colors I made with existing 90's lava globes. They are as follows:

1. Orange- I did not like the #15 color orange, it seemed too washed out to me, so with the advice of this forum, I made sure to be sparing with the Red when making it. I took a Yellow #08 and a Red #10 and combined them to come up with the perfect (in my opinion) Orange Lava. I used 7/8 parts Yellow to 1/8 part Red to achieve this great result. I have placed it in the photo next to a Red #10 for comparison.

2. Baby Blue- This one I was not as happy with, as it came out looking like a very light Teal color. This one I did before the Orange, and I learned a lesson about dominant colors. When I first attempted it, I combined 1/2 White Lava with 1/2 Blue #13 and it was very dark, barely different from the Blue #13, but then I adjusted it by removing half of the botched dark result and replacing it with the other 1/2 White from before, this makes the combo really 3/4 White and 1/4 Blue #13. The result is what you see in the photo. I am going to reattempt this one by taking more away and replacing with more white to get the lightness of blue I am really going for, when I finally get around to it, I will post a photo.

As far as the process goes, for those that may want to try it themselves, especially for the great orange one, here is what I do:

1. I pop off the top, and pour the liquid from both globes into a holding container, usually a large Water Bottle (Zepphire Hills in this case).

2. I melt the wax, by placing it on a base turned on, until it is good and melted, at which point, I pour each color into it's own round tupperware container.

3. When you pour it out, some of the wax will stick to the side and remain in the bottle, if you really want to get it out, remove the coil from the inside with some tweezers and place it in the microwave (No bottle cap) propped up with a napkin so it doesn't make a mess, microwave on high for a minute- this will heat the glass and cause the wax to melt and gather at the bottom as liquid. Take it out of the microwave with protection on your hands, as it will be hot as hell, which is good because now it won't stick to the side when you immediately pour it into the tupperware with the rest of each particular color.

4. Cover both tupperware containers with their lids, to keep out dust or other foreign material, and place in the regrigerator on a level shelf to cool and harden. Use the freezer after it hardens to the touch if you want to speed this up, but most freezers do not have a level shelf at least not in mine (it is stuffed to the max). Hour in the Frig, 30 min in the Freezer should be enough.

5. Get out a cutting board (plastic, no wood) and hopefully this is a flat one, with no texture to it. You could also use a glass or ceramic plate. Also get a sharp knife. Place the tupperware container upside down on the surface, and push the bottom, and the wax should have contracted because of the cold and should fall right out in a round shape. Cut it into the appropriate size for example to make orange, take the Yellow wax, cut it in half, then take that half and cut it in half to get a fourth, then cut the fourth in half to get an 1/8, place that 1/8 back into the tupperware and store away in the frige, you will not be using it- you could throw it away too if you want. Now, do the same thing with the red, only this time keep the 1/8 on the cutting board and discard or store the large 7/8 portion of red wax, maybe to use on another custom (your choice).

6. Cut these in such a way that you will be able to fit them into the bottle (hint: lengthwise), take one of the bottles, preferrably the one that had the lighter- less dominant color in it (Yellow in this example) and push the wax into it. Make sure if you took out the spring, that you have put it back in before the wax.

7. Now place it (with no liquid) on top of a base for melting. Once it is good and melted, swirl it around to mix it. If it looks too dark, it's ok, it always looks lighter when all is complete, so do not make any adjustments- go with it. The swirling may cause some wax to stick to the side of the glass, this is fine and it will melt back into the rest of the wax during the first official run- don't worry.

8. Now put the globe back into the fridge, for at least 30 minutes, make sure it hardens sufficiently, go an hour if you want to play it safe.

9. Take it out of the fridge and pour the Clear Liquid (from the lighter colored original globe from the holding container) back into the new lava's globe. Best to do this at an angle to make sure the liquid does not hit the lava too hard and create cloudiness.

10. Finally, cap it back up with your bottle capper of choice- I use a hammer capper with a rubber mallot, best way in my opinion. Then make sure there is no liquid on the outside of the globe (wipe it away if there is) and turn it on. You are done and on your way to glory.

[Kris]

More info please! I love the red/red combo. Yes, more info please. Did you use lava world wax or something else? Are those bases/caps painted?

Hows the mathmos light, is it cool?

[Drew]

I failed to also mention that I have been waiting around forever for a (Electric) Red 32oz Lava base, so I made my own and it is pictured here. The picture does not do it justice, in my opinion it is better than the factory one from LavaWorld. It is like a candy apple red or fire engine red. I used Dulicolor Engine Enamel spray paint (Ford Red), and the effect is wonderfull. Another thing is that this base was originally black, this has an unforseen benefit, of being better than a factory red cap, because the light can not pass through it like the red plastic one you would get with a real electric base. I have a real red cap that came with a Cranky the Clown Ceramic Lamp I have, and I never liked how the light passed through it. I also made a Lime colored base with the Duplicolor (Grabber Green) Engine Enamel with a similarly awesome turn out. The rest of the bases in this pic, though are all original factory made (Orange, Blue and White). I plan on doing more colors because, for one thing my electric Yellow and Purple bases are not nearly as vibrant a color as LavaWorld should have made them, especially the Purple (Lame washed out look) and also, it is way cheaper than tracking down the originals. I highly recommend this to people who know how to use spray paint (follow the directions!!!) I also did some 52oz Metallic Bases with the Duplicolor Metalcast Yellow and Orange with fantastic results (photos on my profile) I love custom painting these, the results are truly astounding, and the materials to make it happen are cheap. What more could you want?!

[Drew]

Yes, I used original 90's LavaWorld 32oz lava to make these, the Red is the only custom base in the photos, and the mathmos light is cool. I got it (Solar Eclipse) from lamplust.com- it is an american version (U.S. electrical plug). The only complaint I have is that it is supposed to phase through many colors and it does, but it spends a significant time, on Blue (most time), Purple and Green, It turns Yellow, Orange and Red, but it almost flashes through them and goes back to the three previously mentioned ones. I wish it represented all the colors more evenly, especially since I am more partial to Orange, Yellow, and Red, and because it is called a "SOLAR ECLIPSE" - the sun doesn't turn blue green or purple- dumb. I also have a Lunar Eclipse, which only turns Blue and Green, and it is very cool also. I got them both at the same time because LampLust gave free shipping when you bought both.

[Kris]

Lots of good info here! TONS of good info. Sucks to hear about the solar eclipse thing though. Do you think it might be a dud? Are you able to pause on a specific color? I know I can do this with my Big Blimpy light.

I might try painting a 52oz base a nice bright blue. I think that would look sweet with a clear/blue globe. That Ford red is amazing, I have used it before on other things. How long did you wait for the paint to cure? Any smells during use?

[Drew]

I don't think it's a dud, just spends more time on certain colors, it's still cool as hell. You can't pause it on a specific color either.

I waited 7 days before using it for the first time after painting. It did give off a smell at first, but it went away after a little use and was not all that strong anyway. I will definitely do more.

[LampHead]

Very cool, are you mixing the fluids from the different bottles or keeping them seperate ? They all look to be flowing perfectly, very nice job.

LampHead

[Drew]

In these photos, I only mixed actual lava- I kept the liquids separate. I have switched out liquids and made some weird combinations on other globes, which I may post soon as well. One particularly interesting one, is my Pink Liquid with Blue #13 lava. It's pretty cool, not sure I will be able to get accurate color representation in any photo, I can try though.

[Drew]

Here is my second attempt at the Custom "Baby Blue" Lava, like the Orange, the magic ratio seems to be 1/8 Blue #13 to 7/8 White lavas. This, when mixed yields a very light blue colored lava as seen above. I am much happier with this outcome than the first, The photo does not quite do justice to the effect of just the light coming from the base, but it is the best I could do.