Goo Kit Question for This Amateur Lava Guy

[Vince]

Hi Folks,

I went to buy goo kit items and noticed the ebay shipping rates are rediculous!  Is this really what they are charging for shipping?  $20 for 1 qt. of goo and $20 to ship it to me?   $5 for surfactant and $16 to ship it?

Is the goo kit really easy to get good results the first time around?   And if I wanted white lava, do i just leave it go or should I add some white colorant?

Thanks ahead,
Vince

[Jus]

Thanks Brad!  Are you married?  LOL

[Vince]

Hey Jus and Brad, good talk here!  No Jus, you guys aren't hijacking my thread, I love the reading!  I'm thrilled with your blue goo kit lamp.  Love the color.  Good info here. 

What I've noticed is that a lot of goo kit lamps I've seen are clear liquid.  Can we color the liquid with the food coloring?  I actually put some blue food coloring into a early 1990's lava lite that I bought.  It faded, but when I put the coloring in it looks super now. 

But I really like your clear/blue Jus. 

I talked to lava lite and they are sending me replacements for the cloudy lamps we got from Spencers.com.  Really great service, very nice people

Vince

[Jus]

Thanks Vince!  Yes, you definitely can use food coloring to color the water.  I think most of the people here are jus so dang happy to finally have crystal clear lamps, they decide to leave them that way!  LOL  Thanks for the compliments, Vince.  I wish you the best in your project and your replacements from Spencers!

 

Note to Brad-I was kidding, Brad!

[Chris]

Good luck vince with the replacments. I ordered a yellow/blue one on amazon that was dirty as all get out. The replacement (when I finally got ahold of LL) is crystal blue. I just hope the wax doesnt stick like some of the other lamps I got recently. The old cloudly one I will be goo kitting to that clear/dark blue wax.

[Brad]

i am happily married, but my wife does not share my love of 'da lava.  :(

Jus said:

Thanks Brad!  Are you married?  LOL

[Vince]

Hey Jus I have to ask- how exactly did you get that kit wax to turn dark blue?  How much dye did you add?

[Jus]

I really didn't use that much, Vince.  Maybe anywhere from 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon?  I can only guess, because the way I did it was using a toothpick, I'd scrape up some dye and transfer to the lamp.  I definitely recommend adding any dye you choose SLOWLY-little bits at time, then allow it to mix in real good before adding more.  This blue lamp looks good in pictures cuz of the flash, but in reality the wax is so dark it occludes the light from the bulb.  Result?  Day or night you can barely see anything unless the dimmer is set full blast, but then it runs too hot.  So, I have to turn it down, which reduces the amount of light, leaving a lamp you really kinda have to look hard to even see into.

[Vince]

Right I can understand, just like my wifes orange/black - can't see a thing!   Plus that one has so many tiny bubbles in the GLASS globe that it just takes away from the whole idea of a lava lamp.   Yeah so I guess when you add color just tiny tiny bits and let it mix before adding.   But wow the liquid is so clear, that's a good thing. 

[Dr. WHAT?!]

what 30 ml of surf in a 32 oz? thats a tad excessive. Gookits run best in larger globes the surf wont help its cause for a 32 oz.

Brad said:

jus - i'm making a 32oz right now and put about 30ml of surf in the lamp.  i'm still getting tons of globes with very little stretch.  i bought mine in november 2012.  wax seems fine though - a little bubbly, but otherwise ok.

Jus said:

Purchased that goo kit 12/3/12.  I sure don't know if they've fixed things, but definitely was a bad batch...
 
Vince Cianfichi said:

Jus how long ago did you buy your goo kit?   Wonder if it was a bad batch that is fixed now?

[Brad]

it is very excessive.  i contacted MT regarding the issue.  i also agree that the MT goo kit works best in large globes, particularly 52oz and up.

Dr. WHAT?! said:

what 30 ml of surf in a 32 oz? thats a tad excessive. Gookits run best in larger globes the surf wont help its cause for a 32 oz.

Brad said:

jus - i'm making a 32oz right now and put about 30ml of surf in the lamp.  i'm still getting tons of globes with very little stretch.  i bought mine in november 2012.  wax seems fine though - a little bubbly, but otherwise ok.

Jus said:

Purchased that goo kit 12/3/12.  I sure don't know if they've fixed things, but definitely was a bad batch...
 
Vince Cianfichi said:

Jus how long ago did you buy your goo kit?   Wonder if it was a bad batch that is fixed now?

[Jus]

What did MT say, Brad?

[Brad]

they said it may be a problem with overheating and that they would forward my question to the "labratz."