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!!!

[Pretzel Gal]

Just wanted to add a note about the Goo Kit surfactant since I seem to recall a previous conversation about it elsewhere...

For my experience:
LESS Surf = larger globs and more elongated flow.
MORE Surf = smaller globs and a faster flow.

It seems totally wrong, but that's how it worked out for mine. I ended up doing two globes.

Also, I can't stress this enough... When redoing a lamp, start with a NEW coil. Using an old coil (even if you think it looks fine and you clean it vigorously) will cause you a world of frustration.

[Modulo '70]

Hey great rescue job. A lesson to us all I think.

[Kris]

So delicious looking. It looks like Mathmos but BETTER! :D

[Jennifer]

The lamp looks great! Perfect flow! The wax sticking to the sides is my issue all the time too, I think I'll order a brush. I usually just rely on the Dawn and alcohol and keep my fingers crossed! Great Job!!!!!!!

[Pretzel Gal]

Nothing like learning through one's mistakes, right? :/

[Pretzel Gal]

I think the wax sticking to the sides has more to do with the coil going bad. Everytime I dealt with that, once everything was clean and the coil changed out... it was FINE after that. It's So Weird.

[Pretzel Gal]

I wish I owned a Mathmos to compare to actually. Ohhh the Lava sickness has hit me bad. I'm sure I'll have a collection at some point. :?