For free articles and reviews on giant lava lamps , visit Lava Lamps blog.
Lava lamps are basically lamps that are more often used as articles of decoration than illumination. The slow and mesmerizing rise and fall of various blobs of wax resembles lava, which gives it the name "Lava lamp". They are available in various styles and shapes which include different shades and wax colors.
Glitter lamps work with confetti instead of wax blobs which is the major difference between these lamps and others. But Glitter lamps hold a major advantage over lava lamps. They take 30 minutes to start instead of hours in case of others.
They operate in a curious yet interesting way. An incandescent bulb or a halogen bulb warms a glass chamber in which water is encased mixed with a mixture of translucent or opaque wax and carbon tetrachloride. There are various proportions but this is the most suitable and economical one. The density of wax is relatively higher than room temperature and it decreases when it is warmed and it eventually melts into a liquid and travels to the surface of the lamp in the shape of blobs. But after some time the blobs can cool and come down.
A 25 to 40 watts bulb is used normally. The time required for the wax to melt and form into blobs is almost 3 hours. When the wax melts, the lamp should be carefully dealt with, because even a shake can enable the fluids to emulsify and this will lead to cloudy and unclear blobs. To counter this situation, the lamp should be left alone for a few hours so that the wax can settle down.
The Singapore-born Englishman Edward Craven-Walker in the'60s invented the lava lamps. He opened a firm called Crest Worth at Poole, Dorset, UK. The lamps were really successful in the'60s and the early'70s.
Lava Simplex International was sold to Eddie Sheldon and Larry Haggerty of Haggerty Enterprises by Specter in the late seventies. It still continues to manufacture and sells these lamps under the name of Lava world. Lava world does not produce currently in USA and has given its manufacturing rights to China. In the'90s, Craven-Walker, who had the constitutional rights to England and Western Europe, sold his rights to Cressida Granger whose company, Mathmos, continues to make Lava Lamps and related products. They are still prepared in the older plant in Poole.
Philip Quinn, a 24-year old youth residing in Kent, Washington died during an experiment in which he heated a lava lamp on his kitchen stove, observing it from a few feet away. The heat produced from the stove was enough to build up sufficient pressure to make the lamp explode, spraying glass shards everywhere, one of which were sharp and big enough to pierce his heart owing to which he received his death.
- Related Videos
- Related Articles
- Ask / Related Q&A
- Modern Floor Lamps Such As Lava Lamps
- Modern Floor Lamps: 1960s Lava Lamps
- Tips That Will Help you in the Creation Process of Lava Lamps
- Lava Lamps: Modern Floor Lamps Or Unsightly Fixtures?
- A Look at the Charm a Lava Lamp Creates for Any User
- Giant Lava Lamps: Let Them Funk up Your Room
- Red Lava Lamp: Bringing Nostalgia Back
- How Lava Lamps Can Beautify Your Rooms?
Beautify Your Home with Stylish and Trendy Limestone Tiles
By: mathewhogard | 22/12/2009Limestone is a natural stone that is extracted from calcium carbonate. Limestone tiles are extensively used in offices and homes to achieve a solid base. They look really marvellous if subjected to some fine creative art!
Natural Stone - The epitome of felicity and conformity
By: mathewhogard | 22/12/2009Natural stones have been in use since the ancient times to inculcate the rawness of nature at our dwellings. Our ancestors utilised them for variety of purposes that vary from hunting to even decoration of homes. The time has changed now; hence, the modern machines have helped the natural stone to become more stylish, trendy and moderated.
Review Interior Designer Forms Before Hire
By: james kahn | 22/12/2009Hiring a professional interior designer may be exactly what you need. Interior designers are experts who will assist you in finding the right furnishings and decors for your home that will give it the look and feel you want it to have. They not only aim to personalize your house but can even make it more functional.
Beach Home Decor-Decor that Resonates with the Environment
By: Robert Linley | 21/12/2009You can have a decor that transforms both the interior and exterior environment to give it a complete makeover. In most cases, the challenge is not in having choices to make from; rather it is in how to make the best of all the mixes. If not professionally done, the mix of decorations can actually make a beach house look ugly and not welcoming. Let’s explore how you can make the most of the beach home decor.
Tips on Buying Rubber Gym Flooring
By: Bobby Clark | 21/12/2009When looking to buy rubber gym flooring there are quite a few things that you might want to keep in mind. The two main basic things that you should always be aware about are that every gym floor needs to have solid playability and durability. This will ensure that the people who use your gym will be able to truly get the best that they can out of it.
Handmade Furniture for the Holidays
By: Amanda Fern | 21/12/2009The holiday season is a great time to shop and spend money on the ones you love. As you visit the homes of friends and family, you might find that some of your loved ones could use a new desk or a new coffee table. Amish handcrafted furniture is beautiful and will be a lasting gift to signal the love you share for those closest to your heart.
Wooden Doors Provide Substantial Style and Function to Your Home
By: Robert Melillo | 21/12/2009A quality wood exterior door will ensure that your first impression is accomplished when someone visits your home or sees it from the street. The warmth and charm that it provides will make that “wow” factor at the front step. Solid wooden doors are essential not only from the front door, but carry well throughout the home, adding to the overall integrity.
Cheap Home Decorating Ideas and How to Decorate Even on a Strict Budget - Creativity, Not Money
By: Gail Richardson | 21/12/2009There are cheap home decorating ideas that can have a very rich look. Our homes reflect who we are and how we want to live our lives.Cheap home decor dose not have to look cheap if we mix it just right with other items. I like to surround myself with the colors I like. My home is my castle and I am the queen and it is the one place that things will be to my liking. It is my private place. We had been planning for...
Drafting Table: The Contemporary Drawing Table
By: Andy Zain | 13/11/2009 | FurnitureIf the architects were to choose between the computer generated drafting and the plain old pen and pencil drafting, most of them will probably choose the latter. The drafting table is the architect's workplace; his/her shrine. Even with the recent advancements in technology which have totally eased up the process of drafting, many people still hold onto the conventional drafting table methods.
What is Alvin Drafting Table?
By: Andy Zain | 13/11/2009 | FurnitureDrafting tables are quite famous tables and they are also known as drawing tables. For years they have been used extensively. Sometimes they are called as architects table or drafting boards. They are used widely to perform bnumber of functions like drawing and writing. It is used by the draftsmen and engineers to make ink or pencil based illustration.
Red Lava Lamp: Bringing Nostalgia Back
By: Andy Zain | 13/11/2009 | Interior DesignRed lava lamps are not just for the spooky places and dingy restaurants, it is the most sought after accessory these days. All you need to do to stay entertained for hours is to plug this lamp in. A 10 inch lamp has a glazed silver finish and is small enough to fit anywhere whether it is your workplace or home. The model that has red lava floating in a clear liquid is one sight you do not want to miss. They are available for as low as US $13.99.
How Lava Lamps Can Beautify Your Rooms?
By: Andy Zain | 13/11/2009 | Interior DesignLava lamps are basically lamps that are more often used as articles of decoration than illumination. The slow and mesmerizing rise and fall of various blobs of wax resembles lava, which gives it the name "Lava lamp". They are available in various styles and shapes which include different shades and wax colors.
Giant Lava Lamps: Let Them Funk up Your Room
By: Andy Zain | 13/11/2009 | Interior DesignThe best way to funk up environ of your room is to buy yourself a giant lava lamp. The market is raving about the 250 oz. lava lamps. This time they have come up with their cousins, the glitter lamps. They have been trademarked as the Lava Grande. They are perhaps the best lava lamps in the present line. They have made sure that the style remains as classy as ever and the lava lamps maintain their retro soothing feel. The emperor of all lava lamps, this lamp stands 27 inches tall.
Technicians Favor Colored Lab Coats
By: Andy Zain | 11/11/2009 | FashionIf any piece of clothing instantly tells a person's profession, it's a lab coat. While doctors uphold their century-old tradition of wearing white lab coats, scientific and medical workers often opt today for colored lab coats.
White Lab Coats: Protection That Conveys Prestige
By: Andy Zain | 11/11/2009 | FashionQuick! Think of your favorite science fiction movie. What are the mad scientist and his assistant wearing while they experiment on his frightening creature? If you said "white lab coats, " go to the head of the class!
Medical Lab Coats Are Available In A Variety Of Styles
By: Andy Zain | 11/11/2009 | FashionThere was a time when medical lab coats where only available in one style. Now, there are so many different ones, you have almost as many choices in shopping for a lab coat as you do for other clothing. You can choose between variations in color, material, length and style of cut.