More customs (Bases and Lava)

[Drew]

Ok, here are some new ones I have been working on lately. From left to right we will call them numbers 1,2,3,4 and 5.

Number 1 is a custom Pink Base with a standard #14 Clear/Pink Globe
-It was extremely hard to find heat resistant paint in Hot Pink, but I finally came upon some, and attempted to make a better Pink than the factory Electric Pink. It came out darker, and in my opinion better, but still it is very close to the factory satandard Pink.

Number 2 is not special or custom, it is only placed here for comparison to Number 1- It is just a factory Electric Pink Base with a #04 Pink/White Globe.

Number 3 is The Baby Blue Lava that I made and mentioned before in another post, now however, I have made a matching base to go with it- A Baby Blue Base. I made this with heat resistant spray paint in "Pontiac Blue". This Lamp looks amazing and the pictures do not really do it justice.

Number 4 is a Standard #08 Clear/Yellow Globe on top of a Custom Painted "Gloss Yellow" Base- I thought that the factory Electric Yellow was not vibrant enough a Yellow for me so I made this one myself- again using heat resistant paint. It came out great.

Number 5 Is the standard factory Electric Yellow Base placed here to compare with the Number 4 custom Yellow. However, the globe is a Custom made with Yellow Liquid and White Lava. The Factory made White-lava globes came in all liquid colors (Blue, Orange, Pink, Red, Green, Purple) except Yellow for some reason- so of course I had to try it out myself. It is very similar looking to Clear/Yellow in the dark, but in a well lit room it does have a deeper Yellow Look. I love this one.

I tried to take a bunch of pictures with different lighting and angles so you can try to see them as closely to reality as possible. Even still they all look much better in person, but again I tried.

[LampHead]

Very nice. I had to paint a cranberry and teal base to make a full rainbow. Its a fun little project to take on and you get alittle more pride when running the lamps you made.

LampHead

[Drew]

Thanks, I will be doing Plum Purple and Ruby Red (like cranberry) next. I have high hopes for the Plum Purple as the Electric Purple Factory Base is a joke- it's the one I dislike the most. I want a base that really goes with a #09 Purple Globe and with a little luck it will match. I will more than likely use the Cranberry with the Ruby Red base once that one is done. I still have not got around to buying a paint color to go with the teal globe, that will have to be down the road, I guess. I also thought I might try to make Grey Lava, but not sure about that yet.

[Kris]

Looks very nice. These are exactly like my 50's/60's collection idea. Love them! If I could make a suggestion? Not sure if you have done this yet or not, but paint the insides of the caps. Would look much better!

Again, very nice! If you ever make another baby blue - let me know.

[Jeff]

Oh, they look very great! Do you have to use the heat resistant paint though? I spray painted a base white, using heat resistant barbecue paint, but I keep thinking it would be possible to then spray over that with another non heat resistant paint.
I think Mandy'sbus uses Krylon clear coat and her paints are acrylics (if I remember that correctly) so maybe you can just use whatever spray colors you like without having to find them in heat resistant?

And that yellow liquid/white lava: Love it! :O)
Is that just food coloring you added to a white/clear? Did you make the white/clear out of two different globes, or was it a rainbow globe transfer?

[Drew]

I am not sure if you really have to use heat resistant paint, but I felt most comfortable using it. So far on all my custom base painting jobs I have only used engine enamels- the heat of the lamp actually cures the paint which contains ceramic- which helps disburse heat. I suppose I could try regular spray paint, but I would have to try it on a dinged up base just as an experiment, I wouldn't want to risk ruining a perfectly good base, if the paint was only going to crack and chip off because of the heat. I was always interested in what paint Mandy uses, to paint her custom bases- I would have assumed it would have to be a certain type in order for the heat of the lamp, not to be a problem. Who knows if hers are really even made to last or not, I do not have one of hers myself.

As for the Yellow/White combo, yes I made it out of 2 different globes- a Pink/White #04 and a Clear/Blue #13. I basically traded the fluids of the 2, so that I had a Pink/Blue and a Clear/White, I then colored the Clear liquid with food coloring. The Pink/Blue is also one of my favorites, I have never seen anyone mix these 2, but the results are stunning. I will post a pick of that one soon along with some others like, Green/Blue (one of my absolute favorite customs), among others.

[mandysbus]

fyi ...you dont have to use heat resistant paint.....when mandy first started painting her custom bases
we did a test where we ran a painted base with a 60 watt bulb for 24 hour straight.....
it got hot but no bubbling etc......
she uses regular krylon spray enamels and acrylic artists paints..then clears the bases with clear krylon..
most spray enamels will withstand 200+ degrees
.......phil

[Drew]

Well, that is good to know- thanks a bunch, I will have to try that spray paint - just wish the cans of paint said what temperatures they could tolerate like the engine enamels do. You said most of them can withstand 200+, but it would be my luck that I would pick the one color that doesn't.

[Jeff]

I was afraid too when I painted mine, that's why I used the barbecue paint, but I see that MB replied about the paints she uses so I feel safe now trying some colors! :O)

Now I remember your thread about your trading the fluids... everything turned out beautifully. I'm particularly in love w/ that yellow/white you made. I have a clear/white that I made from just switching the contents of a rainbow globe to a clear one. The fluid is very clear but the "white" lava isn't very white, it's frustratingly off white and not attractive.
I think you've inspired me to drop some yellow food coloring into it and transforming it into something beautiful.

[LampHead]

I used Krylon and Testors paint for my cranberry and teal and have had no problems. They look as good as day one, no problems from the heat.

LampHead

[Drew]

Yeah, you should totally do it, my lava was off-white too, and it looks great with the yellow liquid.

[mandysbus]

you need some easter grass around those pastel "eggs"