1970's Century 100 Lava Lite Wax Problems

[Judy Streit]

Hoping that someone could give me some advice on how to correct a problem with the wax sitting at the top of my 1970's Century 100 Lava Lamp. I have a 40 watt bulb in the lamp and I've ran it for hours with no results. I would appreciate any information on how to correct this problem.

Thank You

[KS]

Hi Judy,

I have had a similar issue before with one of my 90's lamps. A possible solution to the issue is to boil the wax. It appears that your wax is separated. To do this, you drain the liquid aside while leaving just a little left inside the globe. This way the wax at the top merges back with the wax at the bottom and you also won't have any sticking wax from the surfactant residue. You then fill a pot on the stove and bring to a boil (do not forget to put a glass plate at the bottom of the pan, otherwise there is the risk of the globe cracking from extreme heat.) Let the wax melt all together but be sure to not boil it too much. When finished, you can leave the globe to sit and cool off and when the wax is solid again, you can pour the original liquids back inside the globe. Please use caution when trying this method, as I am unsure how this will affect a 70's lamp considering the very different chemical makeup of the contents of the lamp compared to the 90's formula. I believe there is more information about this method on other threads here that you can check out as well. Best of luck with fixing your century and keep us updated.

Best,

Kyle

[KS]

Another possible method you may want to attempt is to try running the lamp on a higher wattage bulb. With a higher wattage, the wax will become more hot and rise quicker and may also merge your separated wax back together. Sometimes I run my centuries on 60 watts with dimmers and the wax always rests clean and nicely when I turn them off and they're cooled down.

[Judy Streit]

Hi Kyle

Appreciate you taking the time to give me such in depth information on how to fix my problem. I think I'm going to try the higher bulb recommendation first, but I'm not familiar with what a dimmer is. Sounds like it might be a feature that comes with the 60 watt? Please explain.

Thanks a Bunch!

Kyle S said:

Another possible method you may want to attempt is to try running the lamp on a higher wattage bulb. With a higher wattage, the wax will become more hot and rise quicker and may also merge your separated wax back together. Sometimes I run my centuries on 60 watts with dimmers and the wax always rests clean and nicely when I turn them off and they're cooled down.

[Claude J]

When the lava is molten (with master fluid removed) you can also add a small amount (1/2 teaspoon) of Polyboost or Vybar to help bond the different waxes back together
Let the pellets melt, stir slowly, let cool, add master fluid, run lamp
Kyle S said:

Hi Judy,

I have had a similar issue before with one of my 90's lamps. A possible solution to the issue is to boil the wax. It appears that your wax is separated. To do this, you drain the liquid aside while leaving just a little left inside the globe. This way the wax at the top merges back with the wax at the bottom and you also won't have any sticking wax from the surfactant residue. You then fill a pot on the stove and bring to a boil (do not forget to put a glass plate at the bottom of the pan, otherwise there is the risk of the globe cracking from extreme heat.) Let the wax melt all together but be sure to not boil it too much. When finished, you can leave the globe to sit and cool off and when the wax is solid again, you can pour the original liquids back inside the globe. Please use caution when trying this method, as I am unsure how this will affect a 70's lamp considering the very different chemical makeup of the contents of the lamp compared to the 90's formula. I believe there is more information about this method on other threads here that you can check out as well. Best of luck with fixing your century and keep us updated.

Best,

Kyle

[Judy Streit]

Good Morning Claude

Where can I buy either the Polyboost or Vybar?

Thanks Much!

[Claude J]

Well, the minimum order is more than you will use in years.

https://www.clarussp.com/polyboost/

I have some Polyboost in stock,
I will send you some for free-just pay postage

Email me @ lavalabcreations@gmail with our info and we can proceed from there
Judy Streit said:

Good Morning Claude

Where can I buy either the Polyboost or Vybar?

Thanks Much!

[Judy Streit]

Claude J said:

Well, the minimum order is more than you will use in years.

https://www.clarussp.com/polyboost/

I have some Polyboost in stock,
I will send you some for free-just pay postage

Email me @ lavalabcreations@gmail with our info and we can proceed from there
Judy Streit said:

Good Morning Claude

Where can I buy either the Polyboost or Vybar?

Thanks Much!

[Judy Streit]

Good Morning Claude

I added 1 teaspoon of the Polyboost and this is how the wax looks. Wondering if you could give me advice as what my next step would be to fix this. Appreciate your expert opinion.

Thanks Much

Judy

IMG_9814.JPG

[Claude J]

Sorry, the lamp alone is not hot enough to activate all properties of waxes. 
Some waxes also melt at varying degrees...
Did you remove the master fluid?

Melt the wax, remove it, cook to 180F in a water bath to actvvate
Follow suggests for amounts added,..

[Judy Streit]

Hello

I removed the liquid then heated the wax and added the polyboost. Stirred it gently and heated it for approx. 45 minutes. I allowed time for it to cool and then added the liquid back in. I also tired a 65 watt bulb and after it got hot the bubbles all raised to the top in one clump. Is there anything else I could try to make it flow?

Thanks Judy

Claude J said:

Sorry, the lamp alone is not hot enough to activate all properties of waxes. 
Some waxes also melt at varying degrees...
Did you remove the master fluid?

Melt the wax, remove it, cook to 180F in a water bath to actvvate
Follow suggests for amounts added,..

[Claude J]

Polyboost is a microcriystilene wax that has binding characteristics

you can try a teaspoon of vaseline (no need to do the removal with petroleum jelly) or a small amount of mineral oil.
Both will change the specific gravity/density of the wax and create flotation

Your wax has apparently aged and it lost its chemical properties

before you proceed with ANY More chemical changes,.you should be running a 40-watt appliance bulb.

Sometimes missing, a century should have an aluminum  ring-shaped heat shield that sits under the light bulb to focus heat up and direct some light down to the starlight base, If you do not have it, it will never get hot enough to make flotation  (125F)

If you went to a larger wattage bulb or a halogen reflector,  then you need to have a dimmer

[Judy Streit]

I do have another century with a heat shield so I will give that a try. If I would try Vaseline, how much would you suggest and would I add it into the lamp when its hot and running or turned off and cold? Appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions. Have a nice day!

Judy

Claude J said:

Polyboost is a microcriystilene wax that has binding characteristics

you can try a teaspoon of vaseline (no need to do the removal with petroleum jelly) or a small amount of mineral oil.
Both will change the specific gravity/density of the wax and create flotation

Your wax has apparently aged and it lost its chemical properties

before you proceed with ANY More chemical changes,.you should be running a 40-watt appliance bulb.

Sometimes missing, a century should have an aluminum  ring-shaped heat shield that sits under the light bulb to focus heat up and direct some light down to the starlight base, If you do not have it, it will never get hot enough to make flotation  (125F)

If you went to a larger wattage bulb or a halogen reflector,  then you need to have a dimmer