So I just got my first lava lamp

[Lori Wilder]

Hello all!

Glad to be here. I never realized so many people were so passionate about lava lamps but I find it really cool that people make their own and refurbish them. 

Anyway, I recently was given my first lava lamp. My roommates boyfriend dropped it while he was packing and broke the top. It is a screw top with no bottle cap so he asked if we wanted it since he didn't want to pack it, I of course jumped on it. I tried to find a replacement online but could not find one so I decided to just glue it back together and then wrap some duct tape around it since it was missing tiny pieces in the plastic and could leak. After that I put the cap back on loosely and let the glue dry overnight. In the morning I snugged it down tight and then in the evening turned it on to see if I was successful. 

The first night it was on about five hours and only formed stalactites and nothing else. I was worried it was broken. The next night I turned it on again and this time it warmed completely up and began to form columns and bubbles.  So far it's working quite nicely. 

From looking online I can see it might be a Century but I'm not sure. There are no dates on it. I was wondering if anyone here had anymore information about this lamp or what it might be or how old it is. He told me he had it for fourteen years and was given to him by an ex who had it for sometime before she gave it to him. It's in really good shape other than some chips on the glass and of course the broken cap. Also any suggestions about the cap would be appreciated but so far no leaks and I guess it's holding pressure alright since it flows so nicely. 

Thank you in advance! 

Oh, it's not really pink it's a nice red but photographs pink for some reason. 

[Lori Wilder]

Thanks Keith!

Those were both very helpful. I'll definitely try the epoxy thing. I'm glad if nothing else I can get a cap for it. I've noticed they don't seem to sell caps seperate from the bases though, is there somewhere I can get one if I can't fix the one I have?

Thanks for the info LampHead. If I should lose any liquid I can top it off with distilled water right? Not that I want that to happen but if worse comes to worse.

Well, I took the base off and there was nothing there to say the year or anything else for that matter. All that is on it is the two stickers that say what wattage bulb to use and the inspection sticker. So I guess it's a mid nineties model. Would explain why the lava is still in such good shape and the liquid is mostly clear. It has a bit of a gold tinge to it but not cloudy at all. 

Oh, and I'm not sure if I mentioned the cap is starting to get brittle. When I was doing the quick patch job I rubbed some crumbly plastic off the edges of the break line, it's how a accidentally lost a chunk. Do you think it would be worth fixing?

[Keith]

You are welcome!  Sadly, replacement screw caps are not readily available.  I have been a member here for 6 years and have only seen caps offered 2 or 3 times that I can recall.  At this point, with the cap already showing signs of deterioration it might be better to get a substitute cap and hope an original becomes available.

Red wax and yellow fluid is considered by many to be THE classic color combo.  Seems like you have a fantastic lamp that needs just a little TLC.  Good for you!!

Lori Wilder said:

Thanks Keith!

Those were both very helpful. I'll definitely try the epoxy thing. I'm glad if nothing else I can get a cap for it. I've noticed they don't seem to sell caps seperate from the bases though, is there somewhere I can get one if I can't fix the one I have?

Thanks for the info LampHead. If I should lose any liquid I can top it off with distilled water right? Not that I want that to happen but if worse comes to worse.

Well, I took the base off and there was nothing there to say the year or anything else for that matter. All that is on it is the two stickers that say what wattage bulb to use and the inspection sticker. So I guess it's a mid nineties model. Would explain why the lava is still in such good shape and the liquid is mostly clear. It has a bit of a gold tinge to it but not cloudy at all. 

Oh, and I'm not sure if I mentioned the cap is starting to get brittle. When I was doing the quick patch job I rubbed some crumbly plastic off the edges of the break line, it's how a accidentally lost a chunk. Do you think it would be worth fixing?

[Lori Wilder]

Oh I was wondering about just one of the caps that fits on top to hide the bottle cap so many of the lamps have. Since more than likely I'll end up having to do that since they don't make replacements for this model. 

[Keith]

Ah, ok.  I would suggest starting another discussion asking if anyone has any to sell.  The decorative metal caps are more common.

Lori Wilder said:

Oh I was wondering about just one of the caps that fits on top to hide the bottle cap so many of the lamps have. Since more than likely I'll end up having to do that since they don't make replacements for this model.