How many of you have a lava lamp? - Democratic Underground

derby378

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Fri Jun-27-08 09:37 AM
Original message

How many of you have a lava lamp?

I've got one in my office that's happily bubbling and blooping away in deep blue. Man, that "lava" is doing some crazy things.

I learned (almost too late) that you should never shake a lava lamp when it's warm. Something to do with the specific gravity of the wax and the suspension medium it floats in, but shaking can kill a lava lamp.

Wow. Mine's emitting this huge globular tentacle that's now hanging from top to bottom like a funky stalactite or stalagmite or something, I can't tell which. Oops, it just severed.

Okay, 'fess up. How many lamps do you have, and what color? I've only got the one, which is aluminum with blue wax.

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derby378

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Fri Jun-27-08 10:35 AM
Response to Original message

1. Oh, come on...

I cannot be the only DUer to own or possess a lava lamp! 'Fess up, people!

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DS1

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Fri Jun-27-08 10:36 AM
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2. Yes, but haven't used it in a long time

seemed like a lot of energy

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madinmaryland

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Fri Jun-27-08 10:39 AM
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3. We have three or four of them.

One thing to NEVER do is add water. My wife did that ONCE, and the thing exploded about an hour after being on.

What a mess. Wax was everywhere!

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derby378

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Fri Jun-27-08 10:45 AM
Response to Reply #3

5. The funny thing about adding water...

...is that the "water" in a lava lamp is a proprietary blend of 11 different ingredients, IIRC. There may be a DIY lava lamp kit floating around on the Internet showing how to formulate your own wax and suspension, but I haven't had time to look it up yet.

One of my blue globules just developed a "tail" that eventually sucked back into the parent globule and created this really bizarre ripple effect. I don't use recreational drugs, but I can understand why someone would feel the urge to light a joint while watching one of these. Trippy.

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madinmaryland

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Fri Jun-27-08 11:05 AM
Response to Reply #5

7. She just used regular tap water. She just unscrewed the bottle cap and

added the water, then screwed the cap back on. KaBoom!

We just assumed that there was too much water in the bottle.

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Roon

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Fri Jun-27-08 10:42 AM
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4. My lava lamp is green

there are lava lamp screen savers too

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derby378

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Fri Jun-27-08 10:50 AM
Response to Reply #4

6. There's even a mini-lamp that's powered by a USB drive

You could run both on your computer at the same time for serious trippage.

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Taverner

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Fri Jun-27-08 11:07 AM
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8. I have one but it burns too much power

So it stays cool in the corner

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Westegg

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Fri Jun-27-08 11:16 AM
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9. As child in the '70s, desperately wanted one...

...but was denied. Mom thought they were dangerous, or maybe she just thought they were a waste of money, which I suppose they were. I seem to recall they were about $32. I stared at them in the pages of catalogues often enough, God knows. I didn't want a blue-green one. I thought only the red-yellow ones were "authentic." Funny how kids think.

Point being, now I can afford one (Yee-haw! Top o' the world, ma!), but I've never bought one. They're still readily available as retro-'60s/'70s chic items. Guess I kinda lost my passion for them over the years. Also, my wife thinks they're dangerous.

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derby378

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Fri Jun-27-08 11:39 AM
Response to Reply #9

10. Maybe now's the time to get one

They're not dangerous as long as you remember the following: (1) Don't keep anything flammable next to the lava lamp. (2) Never add water to the globe. (3) Never shake or jostle the lamp while it's warm. (4) Don't expose the lamp to sunlight or any UV light.

Try a small one at first and see if your wife warms up to the idea. :hi:

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Westegg

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Fri Jun-27-08 12:00 PM
Response to Reply #10

11. Ain't gonna happen. Lamps are turned off around here...

...even before the people using them (namely, me) have left the room. I was kidding about her thinking lava lamps are dangerous, but my significant other is very much on an energy-conservation kick and has been for some time. Much to her credit, I'll add. I've always been terribly lazy about turning lights off, and conserving energy in general. She's made me re-think my casual attitude and she's right. I'm still an incandescent-bulb user, however, and I'm gonna hold out until they make fluorescents with a comparable warm, natural glow. I know, I know: I'm a heathen.

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