If you were already old enough to live through the psychedelic funk of the Sixties and early Seventies – with its popular Flower Power Movement – chances are you would have had the opportunity to see a genuine lava lamp in the homes of trendy Hippies. Most likely, you would already know that these are stylish electric lamps that gobble up a lot of power. However, during these financially difficult times, homeowners of the new millennium who have never experienced this decade have been asking,

“Is there such a thing as ‘battery operated lava lamps’?”

Truth be told, the answer to this question is NO. The reason for this lies in how the lava lamp works. A lava lamp has a 25 to 40 watt (or even 100 watts for giant lava lamps) incandescent or halogen light bulb that heats up the water contained inside the lamp’s cylinder. So the battery operated lava lamps is something that is hard to do. This heat then causes wax globs to melt so that they rise to the surface. As they reach the top, these globs cool down and solidify so that they sink to the lamp bottom. This process continues over and over again until you switch the lamp off.

As you can see, for lava lamps to work efficiently, they need to have a steady and stable power supply. Add the fact that it generates a lot of heat, so that you will definitely need a good power source. Batteries cannot be effectively used with lava lamps because they will lose their charge and die out before you even see the wax globs start to rise (which is 2 to 3 hours when plugged in an AC outlet). Also, the fact that the lamp creates heat, there is a great risk of the batteries exploding when exposed to high temperatures.

However, because of the demand for battery powered lava lamps, manufacturers have come up with an alternative to the use of wax. Enter the battery operated Lava Lamp Mystical Glitter LED Light. Available in various colors and shapes (such as cylinders and globes), this lamp is considered a “cousin” of the traditional lava light, except that it contains glitters instead of wax. Instead of rising up and down, the glitters spin in a whirlpool generated by a spinning fan at the base. With a height and width of 10 inches and 2.5 inches respectively, the Mystical Glitter Lava Lamp has an LED light that requires three AA batteries or an optional DC 4.5V 200mA output adapter.

These glitter lamps are actually much safer to use than their wax counterparts. Because there is no significant heat generation involved, you have no fear of getting burned from accidentally touching hot surfaces or hot wax.

The Lava Lamp Mystical Glitter LED Light can be purchased from major online light and lamp retailers and distributors. Because of the stiff competition between these sites, you can find these lamps at marked down prices and with accompanying return policies and extended warranties.

Find out how the battery operated lava lamp can add sparkle to your home today!

Individuals who lived through the rebel-rousing psychedelia of the Sixties and Seventies are sure to have owned a lava lamp or two during that decade. However, only the rich and famous could afford genuine large lava lamps (or “giant lava lamps” as they are more popular called). In fact, many individuals have only seen these large lighting fixtures in the movies, prompting them to say, “I never knew that there are lava lamps that huge!”

Giant or large lava lamps have a maximum height of 27 inches or 68.6 cms. Like smaller-sized lava lamps, these lighting fixtures consist of a clear glass cylinder containing water with globs of wax inside. These wax globs rise and fall as a result of a 100 watt heating bulb found at the base of the lamp. These lamps produce a mesmerizing, psychedelic glow that is unparalleled.

While large lava lamps are gorgeous showpieces for the home, they do have one major drawback. Unlike their smaller counterparts, these giant lamps gobble up a lot of power. It usually takes 2 to 3 hours or more to sufficiently heat up the lamp before the wax starts to rise and fall. More often than not, inadequate heating by a light bulb of lower wattage will cause the wax to just creep up along the sides (not even reaching the top) or stay at the bottom of the cylinder as a huge wax blob. Their large sizes also make them difficult to maintain. It is preferable to use these lamps daily for a few hours to keep the wax from forming the blob at the bottom.

Homeowners who are conscious of the electricity their appliances consume are wary of buying these lamps. Thankfully, lava lamp manufacturers have come up with a better, more energy-efficient variant.

This giant lamp is called the Lava Grande, which is produced by Lava World International, Inc. The Lava Grande comes in an elegant crystal shake with a size of 27 inches. It comes in beautiful purple, ruby red and forest green shades. The green Lava Grande especially is a gorgeous showpiece for homes that have a cottage or nature motif. Unlike traditional lava lamps that use wax, the Lava Grande instead contains glitters that spin in a fan-generated whirlpool inside its glass cylinder. Because there is no wax to melt inside the Lava Grande, the wattage of the light bulb is lower and, thus, does not consume too much power. The absence of wax also makes it easier to maintain. Plus, there is no risk of burns from handling hot surfaces or hot wax.

The Lava Grande is available at many leading lamp and light retailers on the Internet or you can purchase them directly at Lava World International. The good thing about purchasing this lamp online is that you are sure to find a lot of great deals and slashed price tags, resulting from the fierce competition between these sites. Just make sure to check out the availabilities of return policies and warranties in the event that your lamp is defective or has suffered from damage.

Learn more about how large lava lamps are cost-efficient alternatives to traditional lighting fixtures today!

With more and more kids today becoming very obsessed with their video games, parents are looking for ways by which they can channel these restless energies into worthwhile and creative pursuits. One way to do it is by teaching them how to make lava lamps for kids.

Why Make Lava Lamps For Kids?

You are probably wondering why even make a lamp when there are kids lava lamps for sale. Of course, there are indeed lava lamps for kids that are being sold by light and lamp distributors on the Internet today. Most of these lamps are not real lava lamps that use heated wax. Because of the delicate nature of these fixtures, plus the potential hazards posed by the hot wax and heat-producing mechanisms, these commercial lamps are not really suitable for kids. Instead, the better lighting fixture is the glitter lamp, which is actually a cousin of the lava lamp. However, because these lamps can be very expensive, it would definitely be more cost-effective and fun if you can make these pretty lighting fixtures together with your children.

One good thing about making a lava lamp with your kid is that these lights are sure to capture their interest. These lamps became popular during the 60s and early 70s, long before they were even born. Even doing research on the Internet will not give them an idea on how the lamp actually works. The activity below is sure to get both your – and your kids’ – creative juices flowing.

How To Make Lava Lamps For Kids

There are a few things that you will need to make kids lava lamps, namely baby or vegetable oil, glitter, tiny beads of sequins, food coloring, and a clear glass jar.

Pour the baby or vegetable inside the jar until it is 1/3 full. Carefully sprinkle in 1 teaspoon of glitter, sequins or beads and stir so that these sparkles are distributed in the oil. Next, pour water into the jar, but make sure that you leave 1/2 inch of air space at the top. Add a drop or two of your preferred food coloring until you get the right shade. For a bubbly effect, you can add Alka Seltzer. Cover the jar tightly. Have your kid shake the jar to get the liquid and the glitters inside moving and let it stand on the table.

To create a genuine lava lamp effect, get an old table lamp and fashion a wire stand on top of the light bulb which will hold the jar. After kids have given the jar a good shaking, place it on the wire stand and switch on the light bulb. In the absence of an old table lamp, you can simply use a flashlight or floodlight and put the jar on top of it.

As a safety precaution, never use plastic bottles as the heat from your light source may cause the plastic to melt. Although you are using non-toxic materials, keep the glitters and beads away from smaller children to prevent dangerous choking accidents.

Create wonderful bonding moments with your family by learning how to make lava lamps for kids today!

Every individual will soon grow tired of the motif of their room and would want to inject something new and refreshing that would brighten the ambience up a bit. One unique light fixture that could do wonders is the lava lamp. Surprisingly, you don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars for a new lamp. Instead, learn how to make a lava lamp and save a lot of moolah in the process.

Making A Lava Lamp – Parts

First of all, you will need to get the important parts. Check out from your local electrical supplies or lighting stores if they have an LED crystal stand for sale. You have the option of choosing between an electric- or battery-powered stand. Next is to find a clear glass jar that will fit on the LED stand. Other materials that you will need are petroleum jelly, mineral oil, stainless steel wire and 70 percent rubbing alcohol.

Next, scoop out 3 tablespoons of petroleum jelly and place it inside a small microwave container. Heat the jelly for 30 seconds or until it is liquid. Let it cool to see if it will solidify. If it does, heat it again for another 30 seconds. This cycle of heating and cooling will need to be done for 6 to 10 times until the jelly becomes fully liquid. Add 6 tablespoons of mineral oil into the jelly. Stir vigorously until they combine and then pour it into a resealable plastic bag. As the mixture cools, you should have a dense substance of slight liquid consistency.

Cut a piece of stainless steel wire (4-6 inches long). Insert the end into the jar, pressing it right at the center. Using a pair of pliers, coil the wire into a loose spring that is exactly the same size as the jar bottom. Take out this spring and then dip it into your jelly and oil mixture. Set it aside on a paper towel so that it will solidify.

Pour rubbing alcohol into the jar until it is ¾ full. Carefully put the spring inside the jar so that it floats at the bottom. If it sticks to the sides or bottom, pry it loose with a wooden stick. The spring will serve as a surface tension breaker, preventing the “lava” (your jelly and oil mixture) from forming one big blob at the bottom of the jar.

Take your plastic bag with the jelly and oil mixture and cut a small hole in the corner. Squeeze out small globs into the jar, taking extra care that the alcohol does not splash. You can add some more alcohol, but make sure that you leave ½ inch of air space at the top. Cover the jar tightly with its lid. Set the bottle on top of the LED stand and switch it on. As the lamp heats up, you will see the globs start to rise and fall.

As an added safety precaution, keep you lamp away from other heat sources like stoves or ovens. Alcohol is highly flammable.

Follow the above procedure to learn how to make a lava lamp today!

Video reference – make a lava lamp

Over the past several hundred years, we have seen how Science and its special fields of Physics and Chemistry have led to the improvement of modern living by leaps and bounds. Arguably, one of the most unique items that show science at work is the popular lava lamp.

So, how does a lava lamp work?

The lava lamp consists of a tall glass vessel (which is usually in the shape of a cylinder) containing water (with glycerol derivatives and other additives) and wax, which can be transparent, translucent or opaque. The wax is often mixed with carbon tetrachloride or other chemical substances.

The underlying scientific principle behind the lava lamp is the Rayleigh-Taylor Instability. Following fluid mechanics, you have an unstable interface that separates two fluids of different densities. Because of this instability, the fluid with the lighter density is accelerated toward the heavy fluid.

While you may initially think of wax as a solid, remember that heat causes the wax to melt. A good example is candles. What happens inside a lava lamp is that you have a standard incandescent bulb or halogen lamp of 25 to 40 watts which heats up the blobs of wax that are at the bottom of the lamp. The heat causes the wax to melt (decreasing its relative density), so that blobs begin to ascent to the top of the glass cylinder. As they near the surface, the wax blobs start to cool thereby increasing their relative density. As the wax solidifies, it once again sinks to the bottom of the cylinder where it is again reheated.

If the lava lamp is placed in an ideal setting in the home, it will usually take 45 to 60 minutes to sufficiently warm up the wax so that it begins to rise. However, if it has been placed in a cold, air-conditioned room and has not been used for some time, it may take 2 to 3 hours to heat it up. Inadequate heating may cause the wax blobs to just simply float at the bottom of the cylinder, creep up along the sides, or break up into very small globules.

Because lava lamps utilize an unstable fluid mechanics system, you should be extra careful that it does not be knocked over or, worse, shaken. These two “accidents” can cause the water/fluid and wax inside the lamp to emulsify, so that your lava lamp becomes cloudy.

Lava lamps have a “cousin” lighting fixture in the form of the Glitter Lamp. Unlike the lava lamp, the Glitter Lamp is so named for the glitters that are placed inside the glass cylinder in place of wax. Instead of rising up and down, these glitters move in a circular motion inside its glass vessel.

See Science at work by doing research on the topic, “How does a lava lamp work?”

Lava Lamps Problems

Phillip Quinn, a 24-year old resident of Kent, Washington, was killed when the lava lamp exploded while he was heating it up on his kitchen stove in 2004. Duplicating the circumstances of his death on the popular Discovery Channel Series “Mythbusters”, it was found that the heat from the stove caused considerable pressure build up inside the lamp, with the resulting explosion sending sharp glass shards – one of which pierced Quinn in the heart – and hot wax flying. According to the hosts of the series, the shards and/or the hot wax would be sufficient to kill, especially considering the fact that Quinn was observing only from a few feet away.

While Quinn’s death is an isolated one, this is but one of a few lava lamps problems that you should take care to avoid. Let us take a look at these problems one by one…

Possible Lava Lamps Problems To Be Aware Of

1. Under heating - Lava lamps need to be sufficiently heated for the wax globs to rise and fall inside its glass cylinder. With insufficient heat, there is a tendency for the wax globs to just creep up along the sides or, worse, just sit at the bottom of the cylinder as a huge blob. Depending upon the size of the lamp, you will need to replace it with a 25 to 40 watt appliance bulb (or 100W for giant lava lamps).
2. Overheating - Lava lamps were never designed for prolonged use. Aside from the dangers of overheating and explosions, too much heat can affect the physical integrity of the wax inside the lamp, so that it stays melted instead of forming globs. Do not use the lamp for more than 8 to 10 hours. Allow for a sufficient cooling period.
3. Clouding of the lava lamp - This problem develops when you tip the lamp base over top or shake it excessively. This causes changes in the integrity of the wax. As a result, the wax remains in liquid form and mixes with the water, producing a cloudy appearance. When this occurs, you will need to buy a new lamp. Never attempt to repair the lamp or heat it over another heating source. Simply do not shake the lamp.
4. Environmental factors - Since the lamp uses a heat source, it is best to put in a cool spot to prevent overheating. Keep it out of direct sunlight. This will prevent the wax from fading as well as keep the lamp itself in optimum working order.
5. Replacing the light bulb - Never replace a burned out lava lamp bulb with one that is not specified in the instruction manual. The light bulb that is commonly used is a 25 to 40W appliance bulb (like the ones used in convection ovens). Do not remove the lamp’s “pop top” while replacing the bulb or fill it with water.
6. Breakage and Other Accidents – Obviously, there is a real danger of your lamp breaking if you don’t put it in a safe spot. If the lamp does break or spillage occurs while in use, do not touch the water or the wax that spilled out because it is hot. Let the spilled material cool down first before cleaning up. Don’t worry. There are no hazardous materials in lava lamps. Never touch the lava lamp while in use to prevent burns.

Learn more about how you can avoid other lava lamps problems today!

The Sixties and Early Seventies saw many innovations in the art and culture as a result of the rise of Flower Power and other forms of teen rebellion. These innovations extended to the lighting industry with the development of the lava lamp. Although many individuals believe these lamps to be passé in this new millennium, you still see lava lamps for sale online, which goes to show that psychedelia never goes out of style.

History of Lava Lamps

The lava lamp was invented in 1960 by Briton Edward Craven-Walker. After receiving the patent for this decorative novelty device in 1968, the inventor and his Crestworth Company began production of the lamp, which was then named the “Astro Lamp“. It became known as the lava lamp when entrepreneur Adoph Wertheimer and his business partner William M. Rubinstein bought the rights to manufacture and sell the lamp as the “Lava Lite” through their Lava Manufacturing Company. Although the manufacturing rights passed through several hands, the lava lamp proved to be a hit among consumers. Lava lamps for sale practically flew off the shelves of lighting stores during the late Sixties and early Seventies. At present, the rights to the production of lava lamps have been passed on to the Mathmos Company, which continues to manufacture the lamp using the original formula at Craven-Walker’s factory in Poole, Dorset.

Lava Lamps – Features That Stands Out

What makes lava lamps popular during these present times is its unique design. The lamp is a tall glass column filled with water and other additives, wherein you have colored wax blobs rising and falling as a result of changes in density due to the heat being produced by a light bulb at the bottom of the glass vessel. The resemblance of the wax blobs to pahoehoe lava gave the lamp its distinctive name.

The lava lamp produces a distinctive glow that no other lighting fixture can duplicate. Regardless of the color of the wax, the lamp has a soft, mellow light that makes the wax glow with a gorgeous luminescence. All these features and more make lava lamps fantastic additions to modern homes with minimalist motifs and décor.

Lava Lamps For Sale

If you are in the market for a lava lamp, you are sure to find a wider selection on the Internet rather than in your local lamp stores. It is a lamentable fact that most regional lighting shops consider lava lamps passé and will not carry them in their display shelves. While there are many companies that manufacture this lighting fixture – and its close cousin, the glitter lamp – you might want to consider purchasing the genuine article from the Mathmos Company. Mathmos has several exclusive online distributors which you could find with a simple search on Google or Yahoo. Another popular manufacturer of lava lamps is Lava World International. Lava World is one of the leaders in the lighting industry, noted for their lava lamps and glitter lamps. Perhaps they are most noted for their Lava Grande lamp, which is considered the largest lava/glitter lamp in the world today.

Find out more about Lava lamps for sale today!