Minimum cooling time?

Just how critical is it to cool the wax down completely after a lamp has been operated? Is there a minimum length of time required to let the lava cool down between periods of operation? I have my Lava Lamp on a dimmer switch and enjoy it for extended periods of time. The liquid is clear right now and the wax seems to be quite healthy, but I am wondering if I must let my lamp rest for a full 8 hours before operating it again, or if it is simply a matter of waiting until all the lava seems to have fallen to the bottom of the globe and has begun to solidify. I want to avoid over-cooking the lava or causing the liquid to become cloudy.

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Permalink Reply by TomK on March 29, 2014 at 1:21pm

I can relate to your lamp experiences! You never know what you're gonna get. But hey! Jumping down to your ideas about filtering...have you tried running your liquid through a couple coffee filters? I vaguely remember trying it with some success. In any case, it's cheap enough to be worth a try. If that doesn't help I would go for the fluid replacement.

Mmm... said:

Yes, it is, indeed, a crap shoot! The first lava lamp I purchased (a 14 inch yellow/purple) was for my sister. I knew nothing about them at the time. Purchased one off the shelf at Menards. It rolled around in my trunk for weeks during the dead of winter. Eventually, I brought it into the house and kept it there until I could make the 7 hour drive from St. Louis, to Wisconsin. Believe it or not, that lamp was crystal clear when my sister opened the box!

Then I started ordering my own lamps on-line through Amazon because I could not find the 16.3" size in local stores. The first one (yellow/purple) was crystal clear, but the base didn't work, so I had to ship it back. Wish I could have just returned the base and kept the globe, but it doesn't work that way. The replacement they sent me was a nightmare -- very murky, obviously used, returned, and then sent on to me. I complained to Amazon and requested a refund.

Then I ordered another yellow/purple and that one arrived in good condition, but just a little bit murky. The cloudiness cleared up completely after only 3 cycles, and it remains a thing of beauty to this day.

The last two that I ordered arrived in the same box, which was left lying on its side on my front porch. The wax/coil chunks were found floating free in both of them, but I was able to correct that thanks to help from Oozinggoo members.

The liquid in the yellow/blue one arrived in startlingly clear condition. That lamp is so beautiful when it flows! But the yellow/purple one is somewhat murky and I am cycling it to try to clear the liquid. It seems to be working, albeit very slowly. If it doesn't clear up completely in a couple of weeks, I will either return it or try to change the liquid only. (I am not about to spend $90 on an MSR filter just to clear the liquid from a $34 lava lamp!) Right now I am hoping to find a cheaper filter alternative for clearing cloudiness from lamps, just in case the cycling doesn't get the job done. But if I can't find one, I may try dumping out the liquid and replacing it with the home-made recipe, although I am reluctant to open that globe and mess around with all that. We'll see...

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Permalink Reply by Mmm... on March 29, 2014 at 2:18pm

I've considered that, but read that it isn't effective. Apparently the pores are too large in coffee filters. Someone else suggested running the liquid through some old panty hose, and another person suggested using filters sold by auto repair shops for filtering oil. I might try a combination of those ideas, if the cycling doesn't get the job done. The only reason I hesitate to do the goo kit thing is because I don't know if I can replicate the purple liquid. Also, I am not entirely sure that I will be able to secure the bottle cap properly after I open the jar, but again, that's a hurdle I'll deal with, if necessary, when the time comes.

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Permalink Reply by Jus on March 29, 2014 at 11:09pm

Side Note: The pantyhose trick (the one I posted, anyway) is for filtering wax. Obviously if coffee filter pores are too large, pantyhose pores are gargantuan, but just wanted to note before anyone wastes their time trying to filter the liquid portion through pantyhose. Good luck, whatever you do!

PS-I know I've tried to replicate the purple fluid, and never could get it to look right...

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Permalink Reply by TomK on March 30, 2014 at 11:45am

Have you tried McCormick food coloring? They have regular colors and some intense neon colors including purple neon that may fit your bill.

Jus said:

Side Note: The pantyhose trick (the one I posted, anyway) is for filtering wax. Obviously if coffee filter pores are too large, pantyhose pores are gargantuan, but just wanted to note before anyone wastes their time trying to filter the liquid portion through pantyhose. Good luck, whatever you do!

PS-I know I've tried to replicate the purple fluid, and never could get it to look right...