Those GooKits are giving me gray hairs..

[Da9L]

So im re-reading stuff around here noticing that the usual amount of surfactant for a Grande when using a GooKit, is around 55 - 60 ML.. 

Then go ahead and see this video of my attempt at a GooKit grande

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bINSbe2b4g0

Initial thoughts would be that theres too much Surfactant right? Well theres only 25 ML in it which is below half the recommended as per. the guide in here. 

I have no clue as to what causes this, but was wondering if anyone had an idea or maybe experienced something alike.. its an easy fix though, since its a gookit i could just take out half the liquid and add new distilled water without any surf in it but its still rather strange i think..

[Tim Gill]

Havent had that issue myself, could it be a much stronger batch of surf or the lamp being run on a high temp but from looking at the video its certantly a case of too much surf. 

You could try taking all of the water out and adding in surf say 5ml at a time and see if you can control the flow that way.

Would be helpful to document how much is added as this may become a issues for others having the same issues.

[Claude J]

try dimming the lamp first, before you go ahead and modify fluid

'looks like it could be too hot

Also,..

I notice that the temp varies between identical grandes due to distance and focal point of the bulb to the globe not being consistent

A slight off-center of the threaded rod holding the socket (happens in shipping) will make a difference

I like the clear clear look

I usually do not add surf to the fluid until its heated and running

I find the remainder left in the globe (to avoid sticking) when you add hot goo is usually adequate if your looking for the old school stringy lava motion

The more you add, the more bubbly it will be

[Da9L]

Alright i just needed confirmation on my thoughts, and that i wasn't remembering stuff wrong. I think ill just redoo the liquid completely starting with 5 ML of surf (Just as a little insurrance against sticking) and then working my way up untill i like the flow i get.

Between adding surf is propably my greatest problem, as this requires much patience. But how long do you usually wait between you add stuff ? Hours ? Days ? Multiple cycles ?

The wax color is to be changed, i just really cant decide which color i want. Thinking a light blue with clear liquid, or purple liquid and keeping the wax white :-)

[Claude J]

Try putting a lamp dimmer on it first

Hi temps make bubbley lava

[Brad]

i agree - too much surfactant.  on a goo kit, I coat the globe in surfactant, then add the wax and water.  I heat it up until the wax is completely liquid, then add 5mL of surfactant at a time, waiting about 10 minutes between each addition before adding more surfactant.  that way you can dial in the flow you want.

[Andrew]

What is it doing are the balls of wax floating back down and just sitting on top of the melted wax? That is kinda what that quick video looks like is happening.

[Claude J]

I am having the same issue with lack of flotation (and sticking)

[Loren]

I tried 5 times to gookit a grande, and finally gave up and glittered it.

Even after 24 hours running, all I got was a weird spike that never melted. The thing never ran, period.

[Claude J]

I found Grandes are notorious for having their bulb shift center from shipping and handling

also, older models must have used a different bulb since the spacing was farther from the globe than new ones

I have not had problems with those no flowing

[Carol]

Just my 2 cents, but in all of the kits I've done, seemed like the temp played a bigger part of the flow then the surfactant.  Looks to be running too hot.  I've never attempted a grande, but on my 52's, I have to run a 60 watter, but then give it a slight dim after a little while or I get a but ton of smaller globes.  I've even had hour conversations with the MT, lol, I've gotten really OCD over some of my kits, lol.  You could buy one of those lamps dimmers, that's what I use.

[Claude J]

I agree, MT even says, it will flow and run on a lower wattage.

I think dimmers should be on every lamp

The photo above was my experimental black-light florescent grande in sunlight

The grande in the pics is also the one that exploded due to the florescent fluid expanding more than Distilled water

I assume it had a strong part into how the goo flowed although it did give me long stringy goo most of the time

However, I have the similar issues with other lamps 52oz, etc and always run them at a lower temp

(Most recently is that damn Bong Vodka globe,.. but I attribute it to the concentration of heat and density of the glass)

Sticking is an issue unless you leave a good amount of soapy suds in the globe when filling it with goo, and then when it cools, before you add distilled water, you still need to swish the remaining soapy water around before filling it and firing it up.

Otherwise,. the goo tends to stick when heated and climb up the side of the globe

I'm going to try it with my Colossus, and hoping that it will run cooler. (and light up more)

[Christian BayLee]

I usually add 50 mL right off the bat knowing it's a 250 oz lamp.. some people say it looks to be running hot but what I see is it not getting hot enough. Surf does not seem to be your issue here. I noticed with some of the older standard grandes, the bulb socket is too short, so the bulb is too far from the glass