Goo-kitted 52 oz Violet

For anyone new to goo-kitting like I was, I just kitted 2 lamps and wanted to "show them off", as well as to outline the steps that I took in order that it may help someone else.....I pretty much followed the Goo Kit Tutorial as far as preparing my globe. I couldn't use the bottle brush because the one I purchased did not fit into my 52 oz or 20 oz bottle. I poured boiling water into my globe with some dish liquid, filled it pretty much all the way to the top and let it soak until the water cooled down some to ensure that all wax was removed from globe and coil to prevent sticking in the new lamp. I also made sure I rinsed everything in distilled water, so no tap water and distilled intermixed but I really don't know if that helped anything as this is my first goo kit. So if you want to goo-kit, I strongly advise to follow the tutorial that is posted.

PREPARING TO POUR THE WAX:

I was VERY ANAL to ensure that I mixed my surf in my water and total coated my globe and coil. I took my time (about 2 minutes) swirling it around. Don't shake, but VERY gently swirl. I had to pour my suft/water mixture back into my pitcher and rinse my globe out with tap water 3 times because I had too much suds in my globe. The recommend amount of surf for a 52 oz globe is 15-17 ml. I used 15 ml EXACTLY and I DID NOT add anymore. I adjusted my sluggish flow with a higher wattage bulb (60 watt) and put a dimmer switch on it. I measure my surf out in one of those measuring cups that you get with liquid medicines, but I think you could ask your local pharmacy for one. It's easier then using that small dropper and I think you get a much more accurate measurement.

This is where I deterred a bit from the tutorial. Because this was my first kit, I was apprehensive to "eyeball" how much wax to use so I reached out to other members of OG. Lamphead graciously gave me his weight amount of wax for my 52 oz globe that was the "sweet spot" for flow and performance. I followed this and weighed out 225 grams of wax. I was surprised to find the wax was soft enough to spoon out of the plastic container onto the scale. It was a bit messy as I got wax on my hands and some on the scale but it is very easily removed with a paper towel and I'm happy with the results in the long run. Also, when weighing, if using something to put your wax into, you must take into account the weight of said container.

I melted the wax in a small pot on the stove at a very low heat. WATCH IT. This is surprisingly a very light wax and doesn't take long to melt on the stove at all. Mine was actually getting soft on the scale in the warm kitchen. I then poured it into the globe through the funnel and straw that came with my kit, paying CLOSE attention that no wax spashed back on my globe. If you have another set of eyes it helps. My husband watched as I poured, lol!

DYING THE WAX

This lamp I dyed while flowing. I put a tiny bit of violet dye on the tip of the spoon and dropped it into the top of the lamp. Then I didn't touch it for about an hour. I did have one tiny blob at the very top that just wouldn't grab any dye, so I had to take a toothpick and put a small speck onto that lonely bubble. It eventually all blended together. I think next time I would just wait it out as any additional dye will darken all the goo when it is fully melted. Oh, and BELIEVE ME, with the darker dye, it doesn't take much!!!! So just put a speck in if you are doing a 52 oz and wait it out. With my 20 oz, I added red dye directly to my pot of wax. I wanted to see the difference between the 2 different methods. IMO you get a faster and more total saturation when you melt your dye in the pot with your wax, but a better idea of what color it will look like in the lamp at flow when you drop the dye directly into the lamp. I was lucky. My red I'm very happy with. I added a speck and I got sort of a reddish orange then a red, but I like it. I prefer adding the dye while the lamp is flowing.

.Also, I did a little experiment and added more surf to my 20 oz to see if the flow would change and IT DID NOT. It did however change when I put a higher wattage bulb in. Conclusion: I do not think the addition of more surf will change the flow much, but I have found out that heat plays a bigger part in the flow of this particular goo.

CONCLUSION:

I must say that I am EXTREMELY happy with the way both of my lamps turned out. I ran my Violet from 10 am yesterday until 2 am this morning. This was the 2nd run. I have no problems. NO sticking wax, no coil issues, no overheating and the flow remains stable unless I mess with the dimmer. It also is the CLEAREST lamp I have ever owned. I know some members have not had the best of luck with their goo-kitting endeavors and I'm not sure why some have luck and some do not. It could all just boil down to the quality of the goo. Unfortunately this we will never know. I just hope that this might help others who are new to kitting!!!!! Below are some pics and vids. There are more on "MY Video" page.

FOOTNOTE: This lamp absolutely WILL NOT flow on a 40 watt clear appliance bulb. It will sit like jello at the bottom of the globe until eternity. I am running this on a frosted 60 watt bulb that is called a garage door opener bulb with a dimmer switch. As I have mentioned, before you add more surf to your lamp, check your bulb wattage.