Rare Florence Art Co. Lava Lamp????

[Bryin]

Hey everybody -

It's been a while, but I'm still here.

Does anybody know what this lamp is? Is it a rare Florence Art Co. lava lamp? The base looks identical to the "saucer cap" versions (see my photos of my Florence Art collection).

It was on eBay at:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:M...
item=310124708557

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

I believe this to be, like the saucer cap lamps and the wood-base lamps, possibly a Heat Tapes Inc. (of Chicago) product - a Heat Tapes box for a wood base, at least, was two-sided, advertizing a "Bubble Lite" (lava) on one and a Stardust Lite (oil glitter) on the other. Knockoff producer? Or another link in the Chicago chain? How well does it flow? Doesn't look to have a very good fill, but if you believe it is original fill, KEEP IT, as it may be the first known surviving Bubble Lite by Heat Tapes (note that, in their early Telstar export-only models, Crestworth called the lava version a 'bubble' lamp - there was also the glitter version, which was of course the slow/oil type)

I wonder if we'll ever know exactly what links did or didn't exist between: Lava Corp./Lava-Simplex, early pre-merger Creators' Lamp Co., MasterCrafters Clock & Radio Co., Heat Tapes, Inc., and Florence Art Co., all of which were in Chicago; who traded what, who used whose stuff with or without permission, who sold what to whom, where they collaborated, etc... It IS 100% certain that Lava and Creators' worked together (Creators' later became a Lava-Simplex dividion) and it is equally certain that Creators' and MasterCrafters worked together (as there are Creators' rain lamps with MasterCrafters clocks, and at least one other VERY RARE clock bearing both names)

[Bryin]

Hey Jonas -

I just won it last night, so I haven't seen the condition (or the lamp) for myself. I knew it was EXTREMELY RARE because, as you know, I have been collecting these a VERY LONG time. I was happily surprised that it didn't go for more money.

[Bryin]

Astrobaby -

I plan on getting that one, too (I hope). I'm bidding quite high on it, so, with any luck, there won't be a bidding war on it. When (and if) I get it, I'll let ya know what I find out.

[Mark Goo]

Bryin, when you get it, please post some pics here for us to see.

Mark Goo
Chat, click the arrow in the grey bar at the bottom....

[Bryin]

Absolutely! And Mark, once again, thanks so much for this site!

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

Astro,
This is the ONLY known Heat Tapes Bubble Lite so far (as far as I know) so we have no idea what the flow is like.

We/I know NOTHING about Heat Tapes, Inc. of Chicago, save that they absolutely made, or at least resold or made parts of (like, say, the base - buying the filled globes maybe) and sold, the oil glitter-filled Stardust Lite wirth the ornate cup and flat wood or flared metal(woodgrain) base, and Consort globe - and the Bubble Lite, identical but with lava fill. That they also made this lamp and, by proxy, the tapered-globe oil glitter with the finial cap and this sam,e flared section under the cup, is pure speculation.

As far as I know, "heat tapes" refer only to flexible, tapelike heating elements, used to wrap around pipes or line gutters to prevent freezing. Who knows what all Heat Tapes, Inc. actually did. Or (more speculation) were they a front? Either for Lava to sell lower-priced "basic" lamps; for Florence to try their hand at Lava knockoffs; or for both to sell together for a time. Who really knows?

I'll say this much: The fill looks unlike Lava Corp. quality. But even if it's terrible, if Bryin thinks it is original, in my opinion it should stay that way.

[Bryin]

Well it arrived today. I have attached a couple of photos (PLEASE excuse the dust). I put it next to another (what I thought was) Florence. The "Florence" has a phony wood bass. It is the exact same lamp except the new lava one is all brass and, of course, has lava in it. There is a small coil at the bottom of this lamp. It looks like it's 100% original. It has that floating white stuff in it that some of the older Crestworth lamps that I have has. I am not going to swap out the lava, but I have no idea how to do the filtering that so many of you are talking about. I have also included a photo of it next to one of the "saucer cap" lamps that I have. As you can see, it's different from that.

Any thoughts????

I am so thrilled to have found it and at such a cheap price. I have never seen another like it.

[Bryin]

Bohdan - Any suggestions on fixing it?

[www.6-ft-under.com]

Oh, these lamps are magical!!!! Thanks for the awesome photos! How long have you been collecting this style of lamp? The glitters are so bright and cheery looking that I find myself wanting one!
Thanks for sharing these great pics!!
"Bert"
6-ft-under.com

[Bryin]

I have been collecting the Florence Arts lamps for over 10 years. They really are special and I love 'em.