GooKit Conversion

[Vadeem Beginnin]

I just did my 1st Goo conversion.

Here is the way it started out:

[Vadeem Beginnin]

I pried off the cap carefully with a screwdriver. I moved evenly around to keep the cap intact, just in case my beer capper used some other size cap.

Then I dumped out the blue water. I could not be sure what it was made of, so it went into an anti-freeze jug - not down the drain. Twice a year the city takes any household toxic waste - I'll let them deal with it.

I heated up the wax in a pan of water, and poured the wax into a canning jar. I filled the globe with a cup of hot water and cleaned out the last bits of wax. I retrieved the coil with a coat hanger.

[Vadeem Beginnin]

Next I put a clean glass jar into the hot water and filled it with Goo.

The GooKit directions say that when the Goo becomes OPAQUE it is time to add the color. This must be a typo, because the Goo quickly becomes clear (Opaque literally means "not transparent"). The Goo never became Opaque (well at least until it cooled down again), so I added the included color to the clear Goo...

While the Goo was melting, I shortened the included coil to fit the base of my globe. The original coil was 3/8" in diameter, the GooKit one was 5/8". I dropped it into the globe and made sure it was laying flat on the bottom of the globe. (The GooKit directions show how to make a ring out of window screen, they made no mention of the included coil).

The kit comes with a funnel and tube. I tightly connected the two and used it to fill the globe. I did not measure anything, I just filled the globe to the point where it changes shape. I set the globe out in the snow so the wax could harden. You do not want to pour the water on top of soft Goo!

After 15 minutes, the Goo had become opaque and hard. The color had become very light. So light, I almost considered adding more dye. I left it alone figuring I could always add more latter.

I filled the globe with distilled water, leaving 1.5" at the top for expansion. I used a measuring cup so I would know how much water I used.

The GooKit directions tell you to add Milliliters of the included surfactant to Quarts of water. I had to look up how many Cups equal a Quart (4 cups = quart, BTW).

I used less surfactant than called for, figuring I could always add more. I plugged in the lamp and an hour or so latter it simply worked! No slowly adjusting the mix, no worrying about how much surfactant to add, no coming back hours later to fool with it, no dissolving salts or measuring specific gravity.

Folks, for all of the trouble of following those mixtures and formulas on YouTube, just get the GooKit. A few hours of your time is certainly worth the $50!

[Vadeem Beginnin]

The water is so clear, it is amazing compared to my other lamps that I previously considered "really clear".

Once the Goo cooled down and was reheated a second time, most of the bubbles in the Goo dissipated.

The Goo was nice and dark once it became hot again, no worries about the color (cobalt blue).

I used a clear GE Appliance Bulb for my lamp ( http://www.monstermarketplace.com/Home/Landing6920a59.html ).

Because the Goo is kind of transparent, and the bulb filament glows slightly red, it causes purple highlights to form in any Goo connected to the coil. An interesting and unexpected effect.

[Pretzel Gal]

Where did you purchase your Goo Kit? Looks like you did an outstanding job! :D

[Vadeem Beginnin]

http://www.gookits.com

Make sure you turn off your computer sound if you are at work! They use an obnoxiously noisy web template.

[Music in a bottle]

I just wanted to applaud your environmental concerns, regarding saving the blue liquid rather than just pouring it down the drain. Hats off to you. The lava looks very beautiful by the way! Enjoy!

[Jonny Magma]

Vadeem,
Great job! All your notes have been dually noted and forwarded to my design guys. You DID receive an older version of the instructions that didn't include our new coil stuff. I am glad you got it sorted. We are shooting a "Revamp your Lamp" video for youtube so your (and everyone else's) response to our product is beneficial.

Jonny