Oozing Goo - The Lava Lamp Syndicate

I recently pick up this Carlisle Model 300 (Sept 1974) for 10 bucks and as you can see in the pics it is very ill. A couple questions about restoring and making it look good once again. I have run it and there is goo stuck to the side of the globe and it doesnt flow at all. Cosmetically the base is in good shape with some rust on th inside. The top is worn with some of the gold completely worn off.

 

I would like to keep it original as much as possible.

 

So here are my questions;

1) Do you think the goo can be saved and how or is this a goo kit candidate?

2) Is there any way to restore the cap other than gold sparay paint?

 

 

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From the picture and the fact that its not flowing i think it will have to be a goo kit job, as well as giving the globe and the coil a very good clean. It would also not surprise me if the coil needs replacing.

I think the best thing to do with the cap is to remove all the old paint and give it a good repaint.

As for the rust i think that should be dealt with by using some rust remover and preventer / sealer to stop it reocouring.

 

Yes, I think the goo can be saved. Pour out almost all the liquid and save it in another container. Then boil the lava on the stove until it all melts together. Then pour out the lava in another container, separate from the liquid. Next, clean out the globe. The best way to get the stuck wax off the inside of the globe is to use some sort of cleaning product with degreaser. I've used a product called Jungle Jakes, but there are many cleaning products that should work. So clean clean clean the inside of that globe. Scrub, soak, swish, empty, repeat. Then, put a little of the liquid back in and swirl it around. Melt the wax and pour it back in, slowly, and make sure the wax doesn't run down the sides of the globe. Best to use a funnel and tube.

You should be good to go at that point. You'll need some fluid from that area to refill the lost liquid.

As for the cap, I don't know of any way to fix except to repaint.

Good luck!

Yeah, try to save the lava if you can. While you've got the cap off, lightly sand it - take the gold right off - and go to a hobby shop and find some paint that sticks to plastic. They'll have a metallic gold. It'll look like new. Don't try to paint the lower rim, these were just left black.

Step one tonight, I put a 40w bulb (had a 25) in it and topped the liquid off with distilled waterand will let run overnight and see what it looks like in the morning.

Excellent, these need a 40w.

Well after over 24 hours of continuous running with a 40w bulb it doesn't look any different. Next step is to take Erin's recommendation and remove most of liquid and boil the rest til it melts together.

 

Questions:

1) Should I use a double boiler with a small amount of water in the top and of course boiling water in the bottom?

2) I doesn't seem like there is much Goo in this lamp so could I loose too much makling this step a waste of my time?

3) Does anyone know how much goo, I guess by weight, should be in this lamp?

 

Look at a 32oz. bottle when it's cold - that will show you how much wax is in there. take a rubber band and wrap it around the globe where the wax is to let you know where you should fill to.

 

I don't use a double boiler when I fix lamps (don't have one). Just need to keep an eye on it the whole time. 


Good luck!

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