Cloudy water, floating goo, can I save this old lamp?

[zoidberg]

Hi there, I bought an old 70's lava lamp at a boot sale on Sunday.  I already own one that my Granny left me.  I was fascinated by it as a kid and she left it to me when she died.  It's a copper one with red water and red wax and still works a treat.  Anyway, I saw an identical one at the boot sale except it has yellow/gold water and yellow/gold goo.  The wire had been cut and the base was a bit dented but I wanted it as a companion to my other one - sad I know. 

 

The goo was lying at the bottom in loads of stalagnite type pieces.  I rewired it and fired it up.  After a while the goo started to melt and some bubbles broke free and floated.  The next time I looked at it, the water had gone really cloudy and the goo had all floated to the top and melted together.  That's pretty much where we're still at.  It has the coil at the bottom with some whiteish gritty bits around it, as well as a wee bit of wax.  The water is cloudy and the majority of the wax is just sitting at the top.  I've added a couple of photos as my description might be a bit hard to follow.

 

Is there anything I can do?  I was thinking of draining it through a coffee filter and then refilling it but I don't want to make a bad situation worse.  Can anyone give me any advice to restore this old girl to her former glory?

 

Cheers,

Scott

[Ouija]

Yeah, check out the Mathmos replacement section.

http://www.mathmos.com/mathmos-replacement-parts-6166-0.html

Or keep checking ebay for replacement Astro bottles, You might find one there.

I would love an original Crestworth Astro, Nice find, even with the dents.

[zoidberg]

Thanks for the quick reply guys - even if it's bad news. I think I'll get a replacement globe and keep the nice original base.

Thanks again
Scott

[zoidberg]

I've been running this lamp for the last couple of days and I think it's coming back to life. I'm switching it on all evening and off all day and the water is clearing. The goo at the bottom is behaving just as it should. It bubbles away merrily. The vast majority of the wax though is still just floating at the top. It melts and hardens but never sinks. I'm going to keep trying with the old girl, maybe she'll somehow right herself.

[zoidberg]

Thanks Bohdan. I followed your advice and it seems to be working. Fingers crossed

[zoidberg]

I've got it back working by following Bohdans instructions. The goo bubbles are quite small rather than big globules, but the waters clear and I'm very happy with it. Thanks to all who helped.

[Susan]

It is brilliant that you have got it working again :) Have you got a picture of how it flows now?

[zoidberg]

It's up and running now. The water's clear and it starts off normally. A few stalacmites and then some big blobs, but then the blobs turn into wee bubbles and that's how it stays. I'm glad I got it going but it's not as attractive as my other lamp which has the traditional big globules. Many thanks for all the advice,
cheers,
Scott

[SCOTT13A]

If the big blobs are turning into smaller blobs after running for a while, it might be getting too hot. Make sure that you have the correct wattage light bulb. You might even have to use a lower wattage bulb or put it on a dimmer switch.

[zoidberg]

Good idea, I'm using a 40w clear bulb just because that's what I use in my other lamp. I'll try a smaller one and see how it goes.