Heat Tapes Stardust Green Glitter Lamp Restored

[Kirk]

I traded Brad some liquid and glitter to fill his Grande for a green Heat Tapes Stardust lamp that needed work.  It was one of two that he got from his grandmother.  He trusted me to give it a good home and bring it back to life.  I think your Grandma will be pleased, Brad.

I replaced the socket and kept all the original wiring and the original cord and plug.  The liquid and glitter were not original — they were more modern.   I also discovered glass shards on the bottom of the bottle, probably to raise the level of the liquid.  I cleaned the globe all out.

For the past month I’ve been experimenting with liquids and glitter trying to figure out what was in the Stardust, Florence Art, and Mastercrafter’s clock glitter bottles.  And I’ll be damned  -- I think I've solved it!

I have original red and yellow(gold) Stardust lamps that helped a lot in reverse engineering the liquid and glitter.  At this point, I'll just say that the liquid is safe, non-hazardous and non-toxic.  The glitter - well, that's the real trick.  Here are the pictures...

[Kirk]

Yes, I will be selling it, too, Tim.  It will be cheaper than the fast, solvent-based liquid -- ingredients are less expensive.

Give me a week or so to test some different glitter in it, and I'll post a discussion with what's available and at what price.  I have plans to test it in my Crestworth Nordic lamp this weekend.

[Kirk]

Thanks, Erin!  I'm a problem solver, and it doesn't hurt that I really LOVE this stuff, either!

[Erin]

No kidding. I'm so excited for you and the community that we now have this option available - glitter refills. :)

[goober jack]

Gorgeous!!!!!!!

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

Kirk, the patent for the MasterCrafters glitter clocks - while vague on liquid (they suggest several possible solutions) - is quite specific on glitter, and from what oil glitter flakes all look like, whether Heat Tapes, MasterCrafters, Florence Art, Pagoda or whatever, I'm certain on it. It's aluminum leaf, in the same thickness range as actual gold leaf used for gilding. Aluminum being extremely light-weight-- I once put a flake of real silver leaf into a MasterCrafters tube and it sunk instantly.

Once you're ready to sell it, I'll be first in line. I have a double I want to refill (got it filled by some previous owner with mineral oil), and a French lamp I'd like to fill, too. I suspect I know what the liquid actually is, I tried to locate a local source for it but was unable, but I won't tell my guess here.

[Kirk]

Hi, Jonas.  I'm working on perfecting the formula.  

For optimum flow, the size of the glitter flakes matters.  I'm pretty sure I've got the liquid figured out.  It's touch, feel, and smell are identical to the original.  And the flow it produces is the same.  I've experimented with mixing a couple of liquids, but my current thought is that it's just one liquid that works with the "right-sized" glitter flakes.

And the best part to me?  It's safe, non-toxic and half the cost of solvent liquid!

How many ounces do you need for your double refill and what color?  If you'll pay the shipping, I'll send you some for free.  It's worth it to me to get your learned opinion.  

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

I'd LOVE that! I'll figure out the volume of the globes. In the photo alongside the red and gold, it LOOKS identical-- as do the flakes. FYI, Heat Tapes and Pagoda lamps, I believe, typically have a bit less glitter in them than Florence Arts and MasterCrafters.

I'm really torn on color. I have only ever had "oil glitters" (my blanket term for these) in clear, sapphire blue, and that odd very dark blue that, when lit, changes to a wine-purple near the top. I've SEEN emerald, chartreuse, yellow, amber, flame orange and red.

My lamp currently contains Grande glitter that's a faded pale blue, and I've made it medium blue with blue bulbs, sky blue with clear, and pink with purple ones. I'm tempted to ask for clear, but what I wish I could get is a medium royal purple. Not too dark and, thus, subject to the change-to-wine-color effect. But tell me what colors you've perfected and I'll choose from them!

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

Can't edit, but I should note:

Seen Florences in clear, yellow, gold, amber, red, sapphire blue, sea green, emerald, dark blue, and a medium blue with a grayish, faded hue in which the glitter tends to pop out in silver color, and one em,erald I've seen has almost a sea-green-ness to it. Heat Tapes' box said red, blue (it's medium, what I call sapphire, blue), green (emerald), yellow (gold). I've seen Pagodas only in sapphire, a lighter turquoise which may just be faded, and clear, though I hear they came in the Heat Tapes red, blue, green, yellow, plus chartreuse green and another I can't remember, maybe orange; I've also seen those cylindrical (smaller than a Heat Tapes) lamps with the flared faux wood bases in chartreuse.. I've seen MasterCrafters in clear, yellow, gold, amber, flame orange-red, red, two shades of pale pink, sapphire and emerald. I've never seen any oil glitters in purple.

I can send you images of colors like the MasterCrafters pinks, the Florence gray-blue and Sea Emerald, etc.

[Kirk]

I'd love to see images of the colors, Jonas.  I'm pretty confident I can produce them.

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

Here are a few. A triple showing sapphire blue and the gray-blue in the center, a triple emerald showing a slight sea-green or teal edge (some emerald ones are GREEN, some have this slight hint of teal), and an Action Starlight with two shades of pink.

[Kirk]

Beautiful!  Let me see what I can do to make a royal purple.

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

I was already wowed by your Magic Glitter. What are you going to call this formula?

Keep in mind, people on OG were coming up with rudimentary methods of making a lava lamp by the time I joined in 1998 or so. But you were the first collector EVER, as far as I know, to come up with a successful mix for the chemically-simpler (it's just convection currents!) glitter lamps; I know several, myself included, tried.