OK, I'm new here, so I hope I'm in the right place. I have what I think is a Century model. The base and globe are intact, but the top cap is cracked. It does not work at all. Is there hope for repair?
I actually have 2 "starlight" bases. Is it possible to buy just the globes?
If you tip the globe upside down, would the cap leak? If so, then the wax has lost it's gas, and is bad. You'll need to replace the wax. The liquid should be alright. You can put a rubber stopper in the bottles opening to help keep presure in the bottle from the expansion of the liquid and the bubbling wax gases. You could talk to some of the other guys on here such as Mark goo Lamphead Astrobaby Crestworth limited or Bohdan or any other. Might have other ideas but if the lid leaks or won't hold the liquid in, then the gases from the expanding lava as it creates bubbles, and hence, the lift toward the top of the bottle, through displacement....Has escaped, because there wasn't pressure built up from the heated and expanded liquid, forced up and into the air space behind the cap. The lack of pressure within the bottle allowed the gases to bubble out of the lava.