Should I add some fluid?

[Pastrygirl]

I just bought this vintage lamp on Ebay.  It is off to a slow start, but I am hoping with some loving care it will be running smoothly soon.  It had a large chunk of lava floating at the top, which I have worked down with some careful swirling and time in the fridge.  My next concern is that there is quite a bit of empty space between the top of the "water" and the bottom of the cap.  I can't get the cap to unscrew and I am a little scared to try to hard.  Inside the cap I can see a sticker that says Mar 1968.  Should I try to open it and add something, or leave it be?

Thanks for your help!

[Erin]

That's not much fluid missing, to be honest. I would not open it up and tamper with the lamp. The liquid will expand some when heated - that's why there is some empty space at the top.

I believe the lid just screws off, but I'll let someone else confirm that. I got mine off, but not before I broke a chunk of it off. :( So be careful. You'll need to try some rubber gloves or something to get it off. I took a butter knife under the plastic and moved it a little bit and that's how I ended up breaking mine. Be careful!

But my vote is leave it be! You have a lovely lamp!

[Keith]

callisto9 is right, that air space is normal. Run the lamp normally for a few weeks 6-8 hours per day (or less). If you notice any problems or have any question let us know ;). That cap will screw off, but it has probably never been loosened in 48 years so it may well be stuck. Since replacement caps are rare to non-existent you don't want to break it.

[LampHead]

As everyone said, if it runs fine I would leave it alone. I have never messed with the older lamps, even the cloudy ones recover and become clear eventually.

[Autumn]

Like the others said the lid will just screw off but some of them can be very tough to take off. One of my lamps required me and another fully grown adult male to unscrew. We had to put rubber bands on the bottle and cap for grip and we sat it on a table and both turned in opposite directions. That isnt typical but it can happen, especially if you tighten the cap too much or put the cap back on when the lamp is hot. If you do take the cap off off when you put it back on tighten it until its snug but dont tighten it too much or it will split in half or the threads inside the cap will break off. I have done this and trust me it sucks!

As for filling, I am willing to tamper with the majority of my lamps if need be and I would fill it up some but thats me. Based on the picture it looks like it is missing some liquid. If you take the current gap of air and cut it in half, that is how low it is. There looks to be a ring of lava already stuck at the previous liquid level so you can use that as a marker. Be sure to add the liquid when the lamp is warm because the wax expands and pushes the liquid up and if you add to much liquid to the lamp it will pop the top off and break it when it warms up again.

Since the amount you need to add is so small you can try distilled water, which is pure H20, dont use tap water because it has other stuff in it. Or if you have another lamp with clear liquid that you dont need you can borrow some from that lamp. But please beware, it is very possible the lamp will not flow anymore once you add stuff to it. I have added water and spare lamp fluid to a several vintage lamps with screw caps and they all turned out fine but bad things can and do happen to people.

[Pastrygirl]

Thank you all for your advice. I will try to leave it alone.