Question about changing the lamp's water.Salt/wax/soap solution

[Bowlerhat]

OK.So what I've got here is a cloudy lava lampo and I'm going to change it..

I wonder is it safe to clean the bottle with the cooled wax in it?

Or should I pour out the wax first?

and do you need to add small amount of salt to the water,

Or just add salt into some amount of water first,then add it to the globe?

Can I use another kind of salt other than canning/ pickling salt? How much do you use to change the lamp?

[Tim Gill]

Its not a good idea to clean the globe out with the wax still in - this could mess with the wax formula. So first of all empty the water and keep this, then melt the wax using the base and pour this out then you can clean the globe and spring using hot water from the kettle and washing up liquid until the globe is clean.

With the salt, what I do is add 2 table spoons of salt (I use Epsom salt) to 1 pint of distilled water and then put this in a bole of hot water to dissolved the salt - once its dissolved its ok to add to the globe

Before you add the salt mix take a bit of the orinagial fluid out so theirs room for the salt mix.

This is where I found the infomation on this idea - http://www.moltenmeditation.com/lava.htm

[Bowlerhat]

what kind of lava lamp is yours ?

[Tim Gill]

I have tried this method on a Mathmos Jet and a Astro and they flow fine now. - The Astro didn't flow at all before and the jet was not grate and the method of adding dissolved Epsom salts in DI water to the lamp until they flowed how I liked worked well.

I also tried it on China lava world lamps (complete water redo using this formula)  and it didn't work so well. - Better then before but overall but because the wax formula is rubbish it didn't work grate so I ended up goo-kiting both of them.

[shawn kriskey]

Hey guys I was wondering I am completely new to these lava lamps.I recently purchased one from the 60s at a thrift store. The wax is red. The wax doesn't do anything but sit at the top. It obviously doesn't move around etc. What do I need to do to get this operational? Can I keep the wax or do I have to buy a kit to do so? Any help would be great.

[Ben]

How many times have you run your lamp and for how long?

[Carol]

I never tried just salt to my china lamps.  I've tried celtic sea salt which is pure and Epsom salts.  I added dishwashing liquid as my surfactant.  Unfortunately they all flowed awesome at first, but then after a few weeks turned super cloudy again so I ended up ordering goo kits and I redid them that way.  I also tried magic bubbles that you blow bubbles with as a surfactant but clouded with that also.  I have yet tried this salt/dishwashing liquid and have ended up with a lamp that has not re-clouded terribly.  I never did it with a Mathmos lamp though.  Good Luck!!!