I messed up my lamp - help fixing it )-:

[Jonathan Hoffman]

So I've got a 1974 lamp that used to run awesome.  The lava moved smoothly from top to bottom in a soothing fashion.  But there was a little bit of the lava stuck up on the glass above the liquid.  I thought if I turned it upside down and let it sit like that for a few seconds, it would melt that lava and allow it to rejoin the rest.  Well it didn't.  All it did was make it so now 90% of the lava STAYS up at the top.  It no longer moves smoothly.   I am very distraught about this situation, because I loved that lamp!  Can someone please help me resolve the issue??  I'm freaking out worried that I ruined it for good!

Thank you for your time!

[Brad]

i didn't read every post, but have you tried using a different bulb? the clear ones burn a bit hotter than the frosted ones, so perhaps that may be an easy thing to try. i agree that it sounds like the globe isn't getting hot enough since the wax is cooling at the top and not able to fall again.

[Mr MaGoo]

So agree!

MileHigh said:

The best way to ruin a good lava lamp is to shake/move it while it is warm :(

You could have easily resolved the problem by simply covering the lamp with a towel which would have made it hotter and melted the wax on top.

A hairdryer could have been used to do that as well.

If the lava and liquid have not been mixed up too bad you should be able to simply let the bottle sit cold for a month or two and maybe it will return to it's original condition.

You should have requested help or asked questions BEFORE doing anything to it  ;)