Epic Fail. I Need Expert Advice....

[Pretzel Gal]

I recently had bought a 52oz Aristocrat on Ebay and had gotten overconfident in my abilities to swop out for a clean liquid. I used a solution of epsom salts / distilled water / and the tiniest drop of Dawn dish washing liquid. I ended up frying the wax and all it would do is stick to the sides of the globe and go nowhere. Wah! :(

So I bought a Goo Kit and decided to redo it.

Beforehand I ~thoroughly~ washed out the empty globe with HOT water, Simmering water and then distilled water. I was convinced that it was clean. I did not take the coil out as it looked clean as well.

I used the Goo Kit instructions and followed them to the letter. I put the new goo in, let it cool completely and then refilled the globe with distilled water and 10 milliliters of the surfactant provided.

When I fired it up, the wax half melted and then sent a huge mass of it to the top of the lamp where it sat. I let the lamp continue to heat up and started to get a normal flow of goo underneath the unmoving mass. After running the lamp for 3-4 hours, the mass at the top wasn't going anywhere so I turned the lamp off to let the whole thing cool down. The large mass cooled and fell to the bottom of the lamp with the rest of the cooled goo.

So today I start the lamp again. All I get is a large flow that sticks to the side of the globe and won't go anywhere. I put tinfoil around the glass for an hour or two and still no separation from the glass. ARGH!

I have pics attached of the ugliness...

I'm at wits end with all of this. HELP!!! What do I do next???

Questions as well:

~ Can I still save and reuse the goo?

~ I can't find a bottle brush skinny enough to fit in this bottle. How necessary is that?

~ Does anyone know if the Gookit surfactant will work with older wax? I have a red globe that I am also experiencing similar problems with.

SUMMARY:

What worked in rescuing my globes:

~ LW wax will not work with Goo Kit ingredients.

~ Clean out & rinse the globe with distilled water only! Purified water ~if~ you have a filter.

~ Dawn dishsoap only!

~ Bottle brush is a must!

~ Use a rubbing alcohol rinse toward the end if you wish. This is optional.

~ If you want translucent goo, go lightly on the amount of dye you use.

~ USE A NEW COIL NO MATTER WHAT!!!

[LampHead]

Read this post first, there is alot of good info inside... http://oozinggoo.ning.com/forum/topics/cursed-mediteranean

Questions as well:
~ Can I still save and reuse the goo? Yes
~ I can't find a bottle brush skinny enough to fit in this bottle. How necessary is that? Very necessary
~ Does anyone know if the Gookit surfactant will work with older wax? I have a red globe that I am also experiencing similar problems with. The surfactant is not to prevent the wax sticking to the globe, so no I would not attempt it.


LampHead

[Pretzel Gal]

So it would seem that I didn't get the bottle clean enough then? Argh. :(

Thanks guys for the links and input! I will order a brush and read the advice on this forum voraciously. I'm very bummed not to have a functioning lava lamp right now. I really want to get my two globes fixed and I don't want to screw up any further.

[LampHead]

WalMart has a bottle brush that should work well, you could also check local kitchen type stores. If you have a brew supply store local they will also carry the brushes. http://www.midwestsupplies.com/bottle-brush.html this is a very good bottle brush that will fit the 32's and 52's. Remember to use Dawn brand dish soap and remove the coil to clean it.


LampHead

[Pretzel Gal]

RESCUED! I now have Happy Blue Goo thanks to the Lava Louie Goo Kit! :D Attached is a pic of how it turned out. I know I shouldn't have it by the window, but I wanted to show off the color and the crystal clarity of the liquid. Not the electric blue I was hoping for, but verrry pretty nonetheless!

So it seems that the previous issue was that the globe was not clean enough. I followed the instructions from the other thread linked in this post and washed the bottle out with dawn dishwashing liquid in distilled water. I used a bottle brush and gave it a good scrub down! * I then rinsed it out with rubbing alcohol and then again with the distilled water vigorously. I also gave the coil a soak in Dawn and a good scrub as well.

I found an excellent and easy to use brush through Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/King-of-Wine-Bottle-Brushes/dp/B000RK2L3C/ref...

One further note about the blue dye: Not much of the dye is needed to color the goo! I made the initial mistake of using the whole dye pack and it made the goo look more like black than anything else (see previous pics).

[☆VixenGypsy☆]

Gorgeous! DO WANT!

[Pretzel Gal]

If I hadn't already placed my Amazon order, I would have gotten this brush. I must say the one I had bought worked fabulously tho! That key handle at the top makes it real easy to get in there.

[Pretzel Gal]

Now that the sun has set it's looking tealy blue. It's verrrry pretty! I have to say that I'm impressed with the Goo Kit! Just go lightly on those dyes...

[Keith]

Melted Smurfs ;)

[Pretzel Gal]

La LA la la la la... LOL!

[☆VixenGypsy☆]

[Pretzel Gal]

Laughs!!! That's great! :D

[Pretzel Gal]

Thank You! I'm realllly pleased with the results of the Goo Kit! Had I cleaned the globe out properly the first time, I would have had this result right out of the gate. My only possible criticism of the kit is that I wish the instructions were written more specifically. I found myself heavily relying on the feedback I read on this forum to get the job done.

I have a red globe to fix now, using the traditional water/glycol/surf formula. I hope I have as much luck, but if not... I still have enough materials from the kit to redo it.