I Can Take No More - Colossus Goo Kit Project (Sorta')

[Kirk]

I've tried different coils, removing the small coil, putting in new custom coils, slowly warming the wax for weeks - still my Purple/Pink has not responded.  

It is just too sensitive to temperature changes in its environment - meaning it only runs well in a very narrow temperature range.  I'm convinced its the bloody wax.

So, I've drained the liquid, and I'm in the process of melting the wax on the base.  My plan is to goo kit it with clear liquid and that pretty neon blue everyone likes so much.  This should be fun!

 

[Keith]

Yep

Marley's Ghost said:

A man of few words, but descriptive!!!  LOL, Keith!

[Keith]

It was late, I was tired, and had to get up early.  But I didn't want to not comment. :)

Marley's Ghost said:

A man of few words, but descriptive!!!  LOL, Keith!

[Marley's Ghost]

Snort
 
Keith said:

Yep

Marley's Ghost said:

A man of few words, but descriptive!!!  LOL, Keith!

[Marley's Ghost]

In that case, any comment is better than none, huh?   lol    Hope you get some rest or a vacation soon!
 
Keith said:

It was late, I was tired, and had to get up early.  But I didn't want to not comment. :)

Marley's Ghost said:

A man of few words, but descriptive!!!  LOL, Keith!

[Kirk]

Thanks, Ben.

Over the Memorial Day holiday, I'll do my best to summarize what I did.

I'm still tinkering with it.  I'm finding that this Hybrid LL/MT goo flows best at lower temperatures than the All LL goo did, and this helps with maintaining an awesome flow and avoiding the dreaded stuck situation.  

Too much heat causes the Colossus to get stuck, really much in the same way as a smaller LL lamp.  I have a Century that overheats and gets stuck in much the same way.  With the 250w bulb at full power and room temperatures approaching 80 degrees, the lamp can still get stuck. Moral: Don't fall asleep and let the Colossus overheat.  :>)

So, I'm still adjusting to this *new* Colossus and it is adjusting to me, but it's definitely much improved and not as sensitive to temperature changes.  And it's so nice that I can control it with the dimmer now, and changes in the dimmer result in quicker changes in the flow.  It's more responsive now.

More to come over the weekend as I do some tweaking.

Ben said:

Kirk,

I've been away from OG for a week or two, and it was great to see your project from start to finish without all the waiting!  Great job.  Now we need you to compile everything you learned/did, formulas, ratios, etc. so the rest of us can try it!  We need a how-to-goo for Colossus from you. 

My replacement red/clear is also still running awesome at a wide range of temperatures.  My evil purple/yellow (on a new base) is better but not great.  It still gets stuck, it runs in a tighter temperature range, and the wax is bubbly.  I guess the goo-kit threat was enough to whip it into shape at least a little.  I haven't had the drive (or time or money) to goo kit it yet but now that it's been done I will be much more likely to try it!

[Kirk]

No, it's clear.  Lava lamps are difficult to capture in a photo (for me).  Both the pink wax and purple color are less dark now - a good thing.  The pink looks more pink and you can see it better now!  I'm really loving this lamp now, Marcel.

[Kirk]

Damn, I love this lamp!  It's been running over 24 hours now, and it's looking GREAT!

I'm getting more confident that the fix worked!  So beautiful!

[Marley's Ghost]

It is beautiful, Kirk.....it's about time you got some enjoyment out of it!   Glad it worked, but miss that wild first night when we all stayed up all night, punchy. And waitin for it to blow like a volcano!! LOL

[Ben]

Looks great! How does its performance compare to your red/clear?

[Kirk]

Good question, Ben.  The pink/purple flow is now as good as, if not better than the red/clear. I know - it's hard to believe!  Still not sure if it will match the red/clear in running time and never getting stuck, but it sure is looking good.  I mean talk about an ugly duckling turning into a swan!

[Ben]

That's awesome. I'm so torn between living with my bubbly P/Y (which has improved SLIGHTLY) and doing a goo kit. Maybe I'll keep watching yours for long-term results before jumping in! I should really goo kit one of my smaller lamps as practice first before jumping into the Colossus!

[Samantha Gregory]

THis is awesome glad it worked out and now everybody will not be afraid to goo kit colossus lamps