Lava Lamps

Lava lamps have been around for quite a long time now. They have been used by a number of homeowners for home lighting purposes since the early 90s, but they have grown to become one of the most popular novelty light trend of today with more and more people running after the lava lamps. Some are even creating their own versions of it as part of their hobbies.

A lava lamp is commonly identified as a liquid motion lamp. It comes in jars or in the form of bulbs and glows in the dark in different shades and colors. However, unlike the other lighting varieties, this option is no big use for illumination purposes as although they are aesthetically built, they only glow to add a small decorative effect to any room.

How Does a Lava Lamp Work?

There is only one main theory behind the invention and use of lava lamps. That theory states that for the lava lamp to work, it should be made from two liquids that are insoluble in one another and very close when it comes to density. Once these liquids are blended, heat should be applied to the base of the mixture. Experts often use a light bulb for this heating purpose. The liquid that sets at the bottom of the mixture is what absorbs the heat and as the heat goes up, the heavier solution expands and becomes less dense. This goes to show that because the liquids placed in a lava lamp are of similar density, the liquid that once set below the other goes up and cools. The cooling effect is what again turns that solution to get heavier, causing it to sink once again.

Note that such process happens slowly for a single cause – the absorption and dissolution of heat are naturally a slow process, plus the fact that the changes of density are pretty small.

How to Make a Lava Lamp

As mentioned earlier, many people are creating their own versions of lava lamps. So if other people can do their own, why can’t you? Well, yes, you can make your lava lamp by simply following certain processes involved. What these processes are? Read on.

To make a lava lamp, you need to gather first the right materials and tools needed in the experiment. Chemists and hobbyists often employ vegetable oil and water as the insoluble liquids. They prepare these liquids to form a mixture by filling a bottle of about ¾ of vegetable oil. The remainder space needs the water. After the liquids are mixed, then drops of food coloring should be added to create the color.

If the mixture is made, proceed by cutting an airborne or alka-seltzer tablet into eight pieces. Take one and drop it onto the mixture of oil and water and see it to start bubbling. As soon as the bubble stops, add another piece and another one until no more is left and the bubbling effect has completely settled.

From there, screw on the cap of the bottle you’re using. Tip it back and forth and you’ll see waves forming on the mixture. From these waves you can see tiny globules of liquid joining as one. It is this formation actually that makes the liquid lava-like in appearance.

To complete the process, take a flashlight and place it at the bottom of the bottle with the light flashing on it. Use this light to illuminate the bubbles forming from the mixture. And, if you want some unique effects, you can take a glitter, beads or sequins and add them to the mixture. These things will serve as added decorations.

So that’s it! Lava lamps are wonderful pieces of science and art. However, since they are not capable of lighting your entire space, they just remain as simple as the lighting decorations you’ve installed in one corner of your home.