Dealing with poor flow

[Steven Medley]

I once had an original lamp that I bought in 1970, and which broke in a 1983 move, so I know what good flow looks like. My old lamp ran perfectly for 20 years , and I never had a problem.

In 2005 I decided to replace it, and that is when I learned about the sorry state of lava lamps, or should I say china lamps. I bought one, and as you can see in the photo the flow is awful. As soon as it heats up I end up with a bunch of red balls up at the top and this kind of gooey thing at the bottom.

 Last year I decided to try again and I bought a smaller lamp. The first thing I noticed was all the holes around the top of the base which are obviously there to cool down the bulb. Unfortunately, white light is emitted, and I find that very distracting. However, this lamp flows pretty good for the first couple of hours, and then red balls begin to collect up at the top.

I tried a dimmer, but it didn't help and was a hassle trying to get enough heat into the fluid. I read the Lava Library's <Why is the flow bad?> which states that this sort of thing can be fixed by running it until it gets too hot, and then letting it cool, and running it again, over and over for a month, until it sorts it self out...does this really work?  The FAQ also states that this is a density problem, and can be solved by removing some of the liquid, by small amounts, and replacing it with distilled water. Has anybody had success with this?

Is there really a way to fix these lamps, or should I just get a Goo Kit and start over? Does pressure have anything to do with this. If I remove the top, can I just leave it off while I am experimenting with the mix or do I need to reseal it each time? Thanks for the help!

[Autumn]

Sorry about replying so late, I forgot about the post. The newer china lamps are no good. You will have to look on ebay for an older lamp made before 2003. I wouldnt bother trying to goo kit the lamp either, its cheaper and easier to just buy an older lamp.