(Lava Chat)

G-Force : my first home-made lava lamp!!!!!

At first, it was only a chemistry project. As I got deeper and deeper into studying it, it got more and more fascinating.

Vid really doesn't do it justice. This was filmed the night I finished it. Now after a few times of turning it on and off, it flows perfectly! Better than the lava lamp i bought!

Took around 50 hours and $30 to pull off.......after five tries. In total, about a month to perfect.

Built using the reto-basic formula.
Wax: 1/3 cup of perc, 2/3 cup of melted wax, 1 teaspoon vaseline, a few drops concentrated blue candle dye.
Liquid: 5 teaspoons pure salt, a very small drop of dishwashing fluid.

I'm very proud of this. Tell me what you guys think!

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Location: Port Dover, Ontario, Canada

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Comment by kjun on June 22, 2009 at 10:36pm: my last comment should answer any further questions

Comment by kjun on July 27, 2009 at 8:54pm: I never realized how few people have actually pulled this off. I'm a chem whiz and found this pretty straight-foreward as there were no real reactions and just enthalpies.
I skipped the frustrating antifreeze-test for specific gravity. They recipy didn't mention that you can skip this part, but you need a different amount of salt that you need to find yourself.
I recorded my version of the recipe and posted it as a previous comment.
If your trying to build one and are getting frustrated, triple check your previous steps or start all over again. What's to lose? A couple hours and a few bucks? This is a reliatively cheap project.
Now that i have the ratios and experience, I could build another one in an hour easy!

Comment by kjun on July 27, 2009 at 8:55pm: Thanx for all ur support everyone!

Comment by kjun on July 27, 2009 at 9:12pm: To answer Jennifer's question.
Water can dissolve just about anything if given enough time (that's why water bottles have expiration dates, the water can start to dissolve it's plastic container!!!!). The stainless steel springs in normal lava lamps contain about 12% chromate that reacts with oxugen in the air to produce a coating that acts as a "sacrificial metal". If the stainless steel is scratched, it re-rusts to repair the coating and a small amount of metal floats off. The saltwater in the lava lamp is better at dissolving things than pure water. After a while, those little bits of the lamp's spring get trapped in the goo, giving it a more opaque appearance.

Comment by jerrell maxwell on August 1, 2009 at 7:12am: Fantastic!! This is something to be proud of.

Comment by kjun on January 4, 2010 at 9:42pm: i still have it and i still works! Oh yeah i got a %100 grade being the first success after the failed attempts of two dozen other students in his previous classes, all thanks to your help people at oozinggoo.com!!!

Comment by kjun on January 4, 2010 at 9:43pm: I just finished a 4-foot rubens tube that goes nicely with the lamp.

Comment by kjun on October 19, 2010 at 4:30pm: I'm in my first year of university now for a bachelors of geology. I will be making a new, far bigger lava lamp out of an absolute vodka bottle like I always wanted. I'll keep you guys posted.