Giant Lava Lamp - The Icon Of The Sixties On A Grand Scale
A giant lava lamp provides the mystic appeal of a traditional lava lamp, but on a grand scale. For the ultimate in mood lighting, a giant lava lamp is a perfect room accessory for parties or intimate get-togethers. It has the same shape, style, and charm of the smaller original, but it is large enough to really draw attention in any setting.
Nothing sets people in the mood for relaxation like a giant lava lamp. Invented in 1963 by Edward Craven Walker, the classic cultural icon of the 1960s and 1970s is quickly regaining popularity today. The standard lava lamp is a decorative, usually tube-shaped globe with a colored, oily fluid that slowly flows up and down and is reminiscent of lava. The fluid constantly changes shape into different-sized blobs, providing a psychedelic appearance. The basic materials are a bulb, globe, water, and wax or oil. The bulb is usually a standard incandescent bulb or halogen lamp, usually of about 40 watts. The bulb provides both the light and the heat for the giant lava lamp and it is essential that the interior is not under or over heated. If not heated precisely, the wax or oil will float on the bottom of the globe, creep up the side, or simply break up into small bubbles. The globe is where the giant lava lamp differs from the original. The globe is usually a clear glass cylinder that contains the water and wax or oil and creates the body of the lamp. Whereas a standard lava lamp is about 10 inches (25.4 cm) high, a giant lava lamp can be up to 27 inches (68.6 cm). The ingredients in the globe are proprietary secrets of the manufacturers, but the basics are water and wax or oil, with additives. The wax can be transparent, translucent, or opaque. It is slightly denser than the water at room temperature, but becomes less dense as the lamp warms because wax expands more than water when they are heated. As the lamp heats up, the wax or oil becomes fluid and its specific gravity decreases. Freely formed blobs slowly rise to the top of the lamp, where they cool and then descend. There is a metallic wire coil in the base of the globe that provides a surface tension breaker so the cooled blobs of wax or oil can recombine at the bottom of the lamp after they descend. It then heats and rises again. The selection of the appropriate fluids is the key. The components must be measured precisely and the specific gravities individually coordinated for each lamp. The fluids must be insoluble in water, non-reactive, non-flammable, not poisonous, and not chlorinated. A giant lava lamp is a wonderful gift or household addition to augment the ambiance in any room. Its mesmerizing, psychedelic look sets the mood for relaxation and intimacy. And with the wide selection of colors and styles available, a giant lava lamp will go well in any decor.
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