Topic: What's Inside a Lava Lamp?
started by: editor
Posted by editor on Mar. 29 2002,03:48
You know, one of these;
Now the top is got a bottle cap on it, and it says if you open it you lose the warranty. What do you need a warranty for? Don't shake one, as per the direction's warning. Just don't. But if you've had one for several years in the bedroom, and just adored it, you can knock it over into the carpet and find out what's inside!
Oooh, goodie, let's!
-sigh-
Near as I can tell, it's kerosene and wax. Maybe paint thinner of some specific sort.
Editor was happy to donate a 50$ Lava Lamp to bring you this important information.
Anyone know how to get that smell out of the carpet?
Posted by Wiley on Mar. 29 2002,03:57
how about using a match?Add a skylight while you're at it.
Posted by editor on Mar. 29 2002,04:02
Um, thankyou and stuff, I'll take that under advisement; see, it's cold, raining, I don't want to open the windows, and it's in the carpet in the bedroom.Maybe catlitter. God knows I have that.
Posted by liquid metal on Mar. 29 2002,14:50
dose your carpet in kerosene. it gets rid of lots of stuff. then pick it all up with wax. that should work.
Posted by editor on Mar. 29 2002,15:17
I'll just mail you the carpet. What's your address?
Posted by veistran on Mar. 29 2002,17:27
somehow, I doubt it's kerosene, I mean isn't the ignition point for kerosene a measly 38C
Posted by Dysorderia on Mar. 29 2002,19:09
| Quote (veistran @ 29 Mar. 2002,12:27) |
| somehow, I doubt it's kerosene, I mean isn't the ignition point for kerosene a measly 38C |
that may be, but kerosene still needs oxygen to ignite.
none of which would be provided in a sealed glass bottle
Posted by sHuoReNviOLiN on Mar. 29 2002,19:40
| Quote (veistran @ 29 Mar. 2002,04:27) |
| somehow, I doubt it's kerosene, I mean isn't the ignition point for kerosene a measly 38C |
So if you've got a fever and you stick your finger in some kerosene, it blows up?
Posted by editor on Mar. 29 2002,19:56
Lemme scan the puddle and I'll email it to whoever wants. TIFF ok for that?
Posted by BlackFlag on Mar. 29 2002,23:53
probably not kerosine, but i wouldn't doubt it being some sort of petrolium distilate.probably made out of the crap thats left over when they're done making vasoline from oil refinery crud.
Posted by editor on Mar. 30 2002,00:32
What's interesting is that the puddle is mostly dried, still a little wet almost a day later.I don't know what that stuff was, but the smell was reminiscent of jet fuel... and the wax is pretty soft stuff.
Posted by ShakerMaker on Mar. 30 2002,00:53
| Quote (editor @ 28 Mar. 2002,19:48) |
Read somewhere that it contains cooking oil and water and some dye.
Posted by veistran on Mar. 30 2002,17:39
| Quote (Dysorderia @ 29 Mar. 2002,13:09) | ||
that may be, but kerosene still needs oxygen to ignite. none of which would be provided in a sealed glass bottle |
Actually if you look at a lava lamp, there's about an inch or so of space (in all the ones I've seen) between the top of the liquid and the cap, more than enough to get an nice explosive mixture of vaporized kerosene and oxygen. More to the point I meant it wouldn't exactly be smart to store kerosene over an incandescant light-bulb... it's a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Posted by Spydir on Mar. 30 2002,18:02
it's not kerosene. You know that stuff that barbers put the combs in? The blue liquid stuff? It's kinna like that, without the anti-bacterial stuff. It's some kind of soap thing. I forgot exactly what, though.
Posted by editor on Mar. 30 2002,18:14
editor unsheathes Google....*swish*
"Well it's a bit of a secret, but the manufacturers will tell us it's two different types of oil and wax. These have different melting points so when they get heated up they are at different stages of melting and flow around each other.", says sciencenet.
It was a lot more fun guessing, wasn't it?
Posted by m0nk33wr3nch on Apr. 01 2002,21:39
bummer
Posted by kbreak on Apr. 01 2002,21:43
mmmkay!Actually the first ones were filled with cooking oil and cows' blood (the red lamps)
That was discontinued after complaints about the smell when the blood went bad....
Posted by m0nk33wr3nch on Apr. 01 2002,21:47
...or after the blood clotted and it wouldn't goo-ify anymore, hmm??
Posted by Beldurin on Apr. 01 2002,23:17
2-->| Quote (Spydir @ 30 Mar. 2002,102) |
| You know that stuff that barbers put the combs in? The blue liquid stuff? |
Isn't it called "barbicide?" Speaking of, I always wondered what the hell they were thinking when they named it that.
Suicide = killing yourself
Patricide = killing your father
Fratricide = killing your brother
therefore, in the logical progression
Barbicide = killing your barber, right?
There are a lot of impressionable people out there (and I assume that sometimes their hair gets too long. Why would you want to advertise that one??
Posted by Beldurin on Apr. 01 2002,23:18
Ok, sorry about the double post, but where the f did the smiley-faces in my last post come from? I sure as hell didn't put them there!
Posted by kbreak on Apr. 02 2002,01:57
Sometimes you type a smilie and it generates one; here's a : with a D = and you should see a smilie when I've not clicked one...