Multiple Waxes in One Vase?

[Silo]

Hey, all.

I'm just wondering why I've only seen one wax color in any given lava lamp (ignoring texture). Has anyone tried to put more than one color in a vase? Right now, the obvious ways I can think to try include:

1. Putting two waxes of different densities into a vase, assuming each wax behaves differently in the same liquid.

2. Slowly melting all waxes (same density) down side-by-side in a small pot as to keep their contents separate, then stirring the waxes together in a circular pattern using a spoon's side to create a swirl effect, finally putting the molten mixture in a vase.

3. Putting a thin, clear plastic divider(s) in the vase (fitted through trial and error) to separate it into sections, then putting different waxes into each section. Perhaps the divider could be perforated with tiny holes to allow liquid to flow through but not the lava, allowing all sections to stay even.

I'd love to try 2, but am worried that the waxes could combine over time. So I'm favoring 1, as Lava brand wax could easily be added to an otherwise unaltered Mathmos vase as extra wax (assuming the Lava wax would flow decently).

Could anyone please offer any help or insight about multiple waxes in a vase in general and on the approaches above in particular?

[Ford Prefect - NPNG]

I would assume that there is a very good reason why this has not been attempted.

I like the idea of having a purpose built bottle, with 4 completely seperate chambers, allowing say 4 bottles in one, but I can't see how you would combine different waxes in one bottle without major problems.

i'll be interested to see what the experts say!

[Silo]

Thank you! It's great to see that it's possible and looks so incredibly cool. Something like this from a manufacturer seems really overdue.

As for wax floating, guess I should've saw that coming (though I'm still quite new to this and didn't). But what about lava from the same make of lava lamp or even similar models from the same company? Do waxes from the same make in different colors stay even a little distinct or do they eventually mix into one color?

Also, it seems naive to guess (especially reading differences between Mathmos Flock and Astro liquids), but I'm wondering if Mathmos, which offers models that look very similar but are known to use different liquid viscosity, might have two models in its own line with lava that could coexist but wouldn't outright blend. Guessing that combining lava between an Astro, Fluidium or Jet into each other seems obvious enough where tons of people have tried it. I'm just wondering what happens?

[Pierre Brazeau]

I feel foolish answering this now, because the impression I get is talking to myself in my mirrored reflection while shaving making me the only one listening. Being this place is meant to serve as posterity, here it goes. I love the idea two seperate colors or not of ooze doing their dance confined in a enclosed space sharing several common bonds so to speak ; heat via metal coil and globe cooling down when having reached the top of globe, viscosity of surrouding medium, cohesion of medium,compression from medium towards globe,ooze chemical pull or repell from medium to ooze,etc etc and some I can't even begin to comprehend or explain that why there ARE others with varied as well a large knowledge base of experience with social skills that put mine to pitiful shame, thank providence for that. I say my son loves lava lamps,but me surmise my thinking to be convoluted. I'm the one with the love of ooze. Anyways,the plans in this strangled mind that resides in cranial bone mass of mine is exactly that, two colors with two seperate and independent ooze characteristics interacting with and against one another in the same medium. A gift to my son for posterity sake. the container or globe is a large tall cookie jar about 12-14 inches in diameter by 14-16 inches in height with matching lid, the matter of buttoning the lid is of little concern,hundreds of ways available. At the base inside,centered is a scaled down version with similar details of a volcano affixed permanently with slitted openings allowing the oozes to return to home base to be recycled repeating the cycle over and over. A magnetically driven impeller inside the volcano via matching magnet outside spun by a motor in the base of the lamp connected by a shaft directly swirls the oozes in any matter desired, a coil or coils hidden inside at any height of the volcano to propel the oozes ina myriad of ways. Glass can be ground,pierce by drilling with  special drills designed for that. The imagination of artist is limitless. One ooze can be wax colored red for volcano lava, the other made of colored oil to represent the billoowing smoke. Wax and oil are known to unable to mix or combine, one can have a slightly lower s.g. than the other granting it a different flow to the other ooze.

[Jus]

I made a clear divider for my fish tank which allowed me to keep 2 male bettas (siamese fighting fish) in the same tank. It worked great! I told my amazed friends I had "trained" the two fish to get along! heehee
...then I'd promptly confess.
Anyway, interesting idea you have! As long as fluid levels were concealed by a top cap, would being equal matter? Cuz if not, perhaps the perforations wouldn't be necessary. Jus my 2 cents...

Please let us know if you invent this new craze!

[Astralav]

I thought about this too.

One bottle inside another larger one would be cool, but not easy to do.

[Tim Gill]

One bottle inside another would really be a job for someone skilled in glass blowing / making but it can be done. There are oil and vinegar bottles which have this where its one bottle but a separate section for each item.

Something like this but on a big scale would be the answer for the bottle inside another.

 http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/11377953/Glass_Oil_And_Vinegar_...

Astralav said:

I thought about this too.

One bottle inside another larger one would be cool, but not easy to do.

[Tim Gill]

On another note I have been thinking about this and what its about is 2 mixtures which don't mix at all (like oil and water) but this has to be for wax and when wax is naturally oily this is hard. You can't have one wax water based and one oil based and have them soild when cool.

I think the answer is to have one liquid based 'wax' and one solid wax this is possible as the first attempts at lava lamps had this and lamps such as the fireball, princess have this and also I think the Aurous Glow now.

If you have these 2 wax consisntenties but with a master fluid that is the right density for both then it can work. It could be easy to do, the problem is to get hold of these waxes easily (especially the liquid wax).

Failing this the option is to put a divider in a globe but then really it just becomes 2 globes next to each other in the same base.