Teal glitter dissolved?

[Ian]

So I just bought a teal glitter bottle from a thrift store for $7, but the glitter is clear. The silver finish has dissolved off of the flakes. Can I fix this? Like filter out the old glitter and put in new? I really don't want to dump it and replace everything, cause I love the color and I would like to have an actual lava lite glitter. It is a USA globe, not a china globe. I just don't want to completely ruin it. Any insight on this would be great. Thanks!

[Kirk]

Carefully uncap the bottle, you'll want to recap it when you are done.  

Remove the plug.  You may be able to extract the plug without damaging it, but it's not easy to do.  If you damage it, you'll need to replace it with a plug from here http://www.caplugs.com/productdetails.aspx?id=1000009&itemno=RC... .

You'll need a good bench capper to recap it.  Here's the one I use http://www.amazon.com/Ferrari-Super-Agata-Bench-Capper/dp/B001D6KGT... .

If you have a funnel and some coffee filters, filter the liquid through the funnel and coffee filter into a holding container.  An empty, clean 32 oz lava bottle works great as a holding container, and it can even be the new home for your refurbished teal globe.

Some of the glitter will still be stuck to the sides of your bottle - clean it out with Goo Be Gone and Dawn dishwashing detergent.  Rinse thoroughly.  Let it completely dry.  Water droplets and solvent liquid don't mix well, and if you put your original liquid back into a globe that has any water in it, you may end up with cloudy liquid.

Pour the original liquid into your clean and dry globe.  Now, add a 1/2 teaspoon of new, .040" sliver hexagonal or square glitter.  Lava Lite used both the square and hexagonal silver glitter in their wizard globes from the 1990s.  This glitter is widely available - just google it.

Finally, replace the plug and recap it with the original Lava Lite cap.

Alternatively, I'd be happy to do all of this for you if you ship it to me and Paypal me $12 for return shipping.  

[Ian]

Thank you so much!! I'm gonna get to work on it in a few days ;) one more question for now, do you put the plug and cap back on when it is hot, or cold?

[Kirk]

Definitely do everything when it's cold. And you're welcome!