China Lamp? Replace The Coil!

[Kris]

I decided to test and see if a new coil in my China clear/white 52oz would fix it's issues. What do you know, it does! I thought I would share the spring type I used and some photos in case anyone out there wants to give it a go. Well worth it. My lamp actually flows now. Before, it would not attach to the spring and it would just blob up at the bottom and stay there. Even after cleaning the cheap coil inside.

Now, it's what a lava lamp should be! :D Thanks to all here for the wealth of information and knowledge. Without it, this would not have happened.

Package Info - Springs purchased at Lowe's

Old coil on the left, new coil on the right. Penny is to show size.

Great new flow!

[Kris]

Good luck! :)

[Dephcon]

Have you attempted to clean and re-use the china coils by any chance?

[Kris]

Yes. It works only for a little bit then they quit working again.

[Dephcon]

I'm gonna try to clean the stock coils tonight as a band-aid solution till i can find some proper replacements.

[Wile E. Coyote]

Did a little searching on line, and found this place, and surely there's something here that would work for making a new coil perhaps? You can select the dimensions your looking for and narrow the search nicely.

http://www.smallparts.com/s/16310161%7C468240?refinementHistory=sub...

[Cindy Bunn]

Hey, Kris can you please please please message me with the specific steps on how to switch the coils? I just got a new Lime/clear 52 oz, and wouldn't you know it, it's just doing the blob thing. The closest Spencer's (where we got it) is an hour away, so taking it back is NOT an option. I'm not the handiest person, but I think I can do this if you help walk me through it. Thank god Lowes is only 15 minutes away, lol!! Was the coil expensive? I can't imagine it was. I'm going to send you a friend request too, so we can message about it. great job on the lamp, it looks awesome. I thought I would be ok since the one they had in the store was running great.....

[Kris]

It's really easy actually. First get your spring from Lowe's. The one pictured above. It should be on the isle with all the nails, screws, door hinges and the like. After you pick it up, slowly stretch it out little by little. You want it to sit inside the groove that is in the base of the bottle. Use the bottom of the outside of the bottle as a guide. It should be 1/4" smaller than the bottom. Maybe a tad more. If need be, pull out the old one and use it as a guide.

To pull out the old one, get a coat hanger and make it straight. Bend one side into an L shape tip. The L is going to be your hook. You will want to bend the L up just a tad so it makes a crooked L. You want it between an L and a V. This will make it easy to release the new spring.

Once that is done, pop the top on your lamp. Heat it up to where it starts flowing. Once it starts, turn it off and let it stop flowing and pile up at the bottom. Now, insert your hook and grab the spring. Make sure you have it and slowly pull it up through the bottle opening. As you pull it through, use your hand and keep the spring from "springing" open as it pops out of the top. This will spray wax and liquid everywhere. After you do that, hook your new spring on your hook and reverse the steps. Slowly put it through the opening and once in, gently guide it down into the wax with your hook. Unhook and test it out.

To make the spring round - leave about 1/4" of each end of the spring NOT PULLED. About 4 - 5 rows. You will compress these to ends together, one on top of each other and they will lock into place. Best thing to use is pliers. Go slow and once they start joining it's a cinch. That's it. Make sure they are secure.

That's all there is too it.

[ferrisnox]

How did you get the cap back on? Do you have a capper? I'm trying to find one without ordering online any suggestions? Could I put a rubber stopper in there?

[Kris]

I used a capper. You can find them at a local brew shop (beer/wine). The stopper will "blow out" because of pressure. You need something that will NOT come off.

[ferrisnox]

Let me know if I'm wrong....but things expand when they get hot right? So wouldn't we want to cap it when its hot to leave room for expansion? Capping when its cold would create a pressure buildup as it heats up right???

[ferrisnox]

So I picked up a capper and went through the whole process. I have the new coil in, but have discovered my capper will not work. The 52oz china bottles do not have enough taper for the hand clampy cappers... You pretty much need a press capper to cap them properly from what I can tell. I stuck the old cap back on...but its not too tight I can twist it. Any advice?? I haven't run it yet its cooling down to let it clear up some of the small beads.

[Kris]

You need a press capper to correctly seal it up. You can run it if you put some aluminum foil over the top to prevent the fluid from evaporating. That will give you some time to decide what you want to do.