Lava Lights - What Is It And How Does It Work?

INTRODUCTION

The motion lava lamp or the lava light has been used since they were first made in the 1960s. This lamp was first made by Edward Craven Walker when he first saw its prototype in a pub. He was the person who initiated building this light but his company Crashworthy in the UK was not as successful until in a German show two gentlemen namely Adolph Wertheimer and Hy Spector saw this lava lamp. They were impressed by this idea and didn't wait to adopt it.

Their company Lava Manufacturing Corp. was able to reproduce this product after getting the rights. It was no surprise that this lamp rapidly made its way to every house in the year 1965. From then on the lamp was clearly an important part of home decor and was also modified into other models as well. Not satisfied with its sale in the 1980s Walker also sold its production rights to another company called Mathmos. Its owner Cressida Granger since then has manufactured many lamps into new and better designs.

This soothing lamp as said by many buyers is a must-have for your study desk, your workplace, or a lava lamp night light would also be a good option.

Now we will look at what exactly goes on inside it. Two liquids which are immiscible i.e. insoluble are mixed. An example of oil and water is quite common. Oil when mixed with remains undissolved, but these two forms of matter have a considerable difference in their densities. In order to make the blobs in the lava light the densities of the two liquids have to be almost the same but they should be insoluble. The globules floating in the light can be paraffin wax with certain compounds to make it denser and the other liquid is either mineral oil or water with sparkles and glitter to add a whimsical touch. Upon heating the liquids expand one after another, their densities decrease and they start floating. After reaching the top of the lamp they start cooling down allowing themselves to contract and come back to the bottom hence, the cycle goes on.

Moreover, do companies use a lightbulb for lava lamps or do they use another heating source? Decades ago companies used to manufacture lava lamps without light bulbs instead they would use candles to heat up the lamp. But now only bulbs are used. The lava lamp light bulb is the incandescent one as it provides light as well as heat to the lamp. Typically the original lava lamp light bulb size would be 14.5 inches. Now, what size light bulb for a lava lamp is required? For a 27-inch lava lamp, a 27-inch bulb of 100 watts, a 16.3-inch lava lamp requires a 16.3-inch bulb of 40 watts, and a 14-inch lava lamp requires a 14.5-inch bulb of 25 watts.

On another note, from the word lava lamp, you might think of the actual volcanic lava. Volcanic rocks can be used to light up a fire pit. Here is how to light a lava rock fire pit. Lava rocks are porous in nature, therefore, allowing heat to pass through evenly for a better and stronger flame. They should be first washed and dried to get rid of extra dust covering them. If you have a crossfire burner with jets make sure to place the rocks away from it to allow airflow. Lava rocks usually last for around 3 years if not moved from one place to another frequently.