How To Make A Real Lava Lamp

[@audinos4827]

I had a giant lava lamp made by a company in California, and all it contained was about 2 gallons of salt water, a pint of glycerin with red dye, and a 150 watt bulb. The "lava" was transparent red and projected beautiful reflections on the walls. There were no other chemicals, and the salinity of the water determined the behaviour of the glycerin.

[@tarabecker77]

Please I need help can you please go into specific of what material and the steps you took to achieve your results? 😭

[@montiebro4059]

Thanks. All the other videos on making lava lamps are shortcuts that dont really make a real lava lamp. It may be hard, but this was really helpful

[@sonofsid1]

I see a lot of people saying buy a lava lamp it is cheaper. those poor people will never understand.. That was awsome!

[@arnricepicker]

Yes, I agree. Do not use perchlorate salts, as it is used as an oxidizer in rocket fuel. We did not use the salts. We instead used the Brakleen. In hindsight, it is actually non-chlorinated. For whatever reason, it still worked. Also, Brakleen is flammable, when exposed to an open flame or high temperatures. That was not a danger to us because we did not have any open flames. Even though we mixed it with wax, the combined mixture was heated in ethylene glycol and salt water.

[@Rabbit.760]

Non chlorinated brake cleaner has dry cleaning solvent or perc in it. Is why it works

[@peterwait641]

The real ones have a blend of hard wax, soft wax, secret chemical and liquid parafin and the liquid is water, dye and a tiny amount of industrial detergent. the secret chemical is not needed and distilled water is best with no detergent.we made one using just hard candle wax and liquid paraffin and with luck got it to work, don't forget a stainless spring is needed in the bottom of the bottle to concentrate the heat to get the molten blob to brake away. we also used a high wattage bulb with variable resistor. If you move it whilst working it will go cloudy

[@angeldejesus65]

interesting, i will have to try your way... thanks

[@wolfcommander12thewatching61]

Peter Wait thanks for the advice. The youngest member of my friend group has this unnatural fear of the dark ever since he had sleep paralysis a few years back. I tried to buy him a lava lamp, but a damn soccer mom beat me up and took it from me before I could get it to the register. I’ve been since been trying everything.

[@aprilcadence9738]

This is what I was looking for!!! Thank you, just made my day :)

[@CaterpillarHero]

hooray, geeks always know how to have the best kind of fun! I love you

[@ELVISRN1]

geeks??? look at your pic.this procedure takes motivation and intelligence . you need to go to the sand box tootsie

[@arnricepicker]

@Tursamizable you should be able to get that from dry cleaners. i know that they use that chemical. you could also try other sources. it should be noted that perchlorate, especially the salts from it are extremely flammable/ explosive. we used non chlorinated brake cleaner. even though it was non chlorinated, for whatever reason the experiment still worked

[@soNso13]

Was there Amazon 9 years ago?

[@TimAndMonty]

Great Great vid, poster... I'm impressed. I especially liked the "explosion" at the end. I'm enjoying my fifteen dollar store-bought lava lamp and it just doesn't seem like I deserve it as much as you. Cheers!

[@tubevolts]

Great project! I hope your team got a good grade on it. Well presented, too.

[@SirDenisX]

I have a question, you said, that if the ooze does not sink, we should add more perchlorate... how do you do that? we have to add it, or heat the ooze and then add the perc, or to make a new solution of wax and perc?

[@arnricepicker]

@BlackCat11896 sorry for not getting back to your faster. most chemistry labs should have ethylene glycol. if you cannot get it, try antifreeze, which contains ethylene glycol. i think the 25W lamp would work, just make sure that it is high intensity, that the ones in normal lava lamps

[@hiddel2003]

If you make more you will save a considerable amount of money. You will be able to create your own mixes of color, adjust the flow, and choose the shape. Plus its fun to make!

[@punk00rocker]

this is so cool well dosnt the wax turn hard again when removed from the heater?? where do they sell the stuff in there ?

[@tarabecker77]

The company that sells the goo kit unfortunately is out of business In the foreseeable future :(

[@shaikhashowaiter4457]

@@tarabecker77 why are you replying to my 13 year old comment ?

[@tarabecker77]

I don't think how old the comment matters.

[@lady_ebao]

I'm doing this experiment in my own class!! Just a question: Why do we have to density test in the ethylene glycol instead of the salt water? much thanks!

[@molewizard]

'Laren how to splel' I like the German you used there. Very creative.

[@maggiexmaggiex]

I'm so glad this is without alka selzer...so soft thanks man

[@russlehman]

@momomomo38 The brakleen is probably perchloroethylene, a dense, non-flammable solvent.

[@PashedMotatoes]

I'm never trying to make a lava lamp again, I get too pissed off making a mess. Then I end up with a half ass made lava lamp that lasts about 5 minutes...However, I respect your knowledge of physics and will to experiment with chemistry related projects...even though they are dangerous. 5/5, that must've taken you a lot of patience to do.

[@arnricepicker]

we tired to do it empirically as well, but in the end we just kept on adding the ethylene glycol, and removing it, and over and over again. it really takes alot of patience. i remember one of the lamps we made didnt want to move at all.

[@pommyrooter]

@foxarasta, The wax needs to have a gravity higher than the solution otherwise you will not get the convective effect required. So in one word, no.

[@cvetv7]

What kind of wax i need to use?

[@salemcripple]

Just because they find this boring, doesn't mean they're too stupid to get it. It just means they're not into this kind of stuff. By the way, working at a gas station can be a pretty kick ass job. I worked at one quite a while when i was younger, and loved it. Lots of time off, was good friends with everyone i worked with. The pay was shit, but other than that, was much better than most jobs I've had since.

[@arnricepicker]

@ItchyTheKitty not just distilled water, but some salt as well. if it were pure distilled water, the wax would always float the the top when heated. the salt lowers the density.

[@arnricepicker]

@FTGAITSBTD you should be able to dye it without a problem. just keep in mind that what is really important is the density

[@AniSupernova]

I have tried for 2 days before watching this video... only one of 5 I made, worked well. But I must confess, I made it empirically, I hope the measurement given here could help me... It's pretty hard and I got tired of doing that

[@userx666666]

Very nice video guys! I think I may try this if i can manage to get all the items (I'm sure it wont be that hard :P) Thanks for posting, 5'd.

[@slaaa215]

I want to do something like that. but I wonder how long it takes b4 it stops working. Im even going to try to put it in the freezer. to see what happens.

[@figum45]

Where can i get perchlorate?

[@shsif]

what is ethelylene gycol please tell me my science teacher sid we have to make a mini roller coaster and we have to use that stuff please tell me

[@TheDisprozy]

Can I use propylene glycol instead of ethylene glycol? Thank U for answers

[@arnricepicker]

@SirDenisX i believe you need to add more wax. that should increase the density. add more perchlorate to decrease the density

[@russelllindsay2702]

Very helpful. Thanks for the upload

[@1MW9]

a few questions. does the perc and ethylene glycol needs to be pure? does every type of wax have the same density or will some types of wax fail to work.

[@leeman2007]

Just buy one

[@meanbillydeane]

Wow very nice, the one with the red wax is like mine but that one goes up and sinks faster which I think looks really cool

[@tabladoPG13]

what is the use of Tetrachloroethylene in the melted paraffin wax?

[@bodeine454]

It changes the specific gravity of the wax and allows it to sink in the fluid instead of floating.

[@arnricepicker]

@nmarine1057 most likely. You need something that holds the wax together. Cohesion is the word I think, although I dont know if that word applies to this specific case. I guess you could say the brakeleen was the "glue" that held the wax together. I am by no means an expert on this. haha

[@BlackCat11896]

do I really need the ethylene glycol? cuz, because it's a toxic, I won't get it for school... and I need to do this as a school project. another question, may I heat it up by a 25W lamp? (at the end, with the water.. and how long would it take?) it was ready for another project, but I changed it at last minute.. I'd like you to answer me as fast as you can.. thank you!

[@jamescarlsatorre]

How hot should the hot plate be? Can the heat of a light bulb suffice?

[@1daltizer]

I love your Lava Lamp! Where do I buy the Ethylene ?

[@rocho8]

so for this experiment I can use a common motor cooler as the Ethylene Glycol? or what did you guys used?

[@tarabecker77]

Yes common motor cooler worked for me

[@michaelallen6754]

I thought lava lamps needed to be capped off at the top, is that not true, and if it did have a top would it effect it negatively

[@LoveOrHate]

wow that red lava lamp thingy....was awesome!!! loool it blew up at the end xD good job on ur project guys~~

[@MrDjSeamless325]

got any ideas on how to get the oxidation of a lava lamp? ive had mine over 9 years and it looks like dirt is caked on to it and glass cleaner does nothing

[@leeman2007]

Buy a new one

[@foxarasta]

can i simply ad wax and oil to a bottle and but it in my lava lamp base???

[@FTGAITSBTD]

can you dye the water? or will that ruin the solution?

[@maxovitsj]

Ethylene Glycol is most common used as anti-freeze and plastics

[@nathanalaneller]

can you tell me the ingredients names that you can get from the store

[@M1kaTck]

will it work if i put it near my laptop heat exit?

[@arnricepicker]

the songs i used are listed in the back. the first song, you can't find, because a friend had composed it for a school project the second one is by moby

[@nmarine1057]

I've recently had to replace the water in my lava lamp i added water soap and dissolved epson salt when lamp is fully heated there are many blobs separating and moves from bottom to top excessively is this because i've added too much soap?

[@leeman2007]

It's because you just didn't buy a new one :'(

[@TheBeastyskater]

what does the metal coil do

[@bodeine454]

It heats up inside of the bottom of the bottle which is where the wax settles and heats it up faster than just using a light bulb or other heat source underneath which has to penatrate the glass. Basically it's just a better way to heat the wax up faster and better because the steel coil conducts heat from the heat source better than just the glass itself.

[@arnricepicker]

ya, i know. i think that it would have helped alot. but i dont think that we bothered to make one or wanted to buy one. thanks for the comment :)

[@ruchirpareek]

hey can u upload the first track u used in the video which u said is 'Bb techno' by 'John Merrill'. i couldnt find it and i want it so badlyfor certain reasons..

[@soumensinha1549]

How the wax suddenly becomes "red wax"?

[@arnricepicker]

@reapa69 i sure did. i had it all written out. i should have slowed down while reading it :P

[@eU182]

heeyyy where can I buy the ethylene glycol ?

[@BudgetHobbyist]

@pizza87760 final product which is mustard gas if anyone doesnt know that and actually thinks about trying this dont just look up mustard gas cuz thats what this mixture makes

[@leeman2007]

Umm no it's not, but thanks for the useless information :D

[@ducttaperulestheworl]

nice. by the way,what is the music name?

[@yeet-yz8eg]

You need a metal coil in the bottom of the flask trust me it makes it alot better

[@hunhulio]

WHERE DO WE GET THIS STUFF ANYWAYS ?

[@Outer-Heaven_Supercomputer]

brakleen is illegal in all 50 states, it makes sense

[@rockmidget182]

That really cool =D but what the hell are these stuff and where can i find them?

[@DavesTreeFarm]

@ZviagintsevKrasenkov It's short for deionized.

[@xfire909]

@arnricepicker I did this and got the same perchlorate from autozone

[@upperlevelthegreat]

how do you make it go slower?

[@ItchyTheRat]

my lava lamp broke, but I've still got the wax, do I only need some distilled water to make a new one ???

[@arnricepicker]

about a couple of hours. if you have all the material before hand. mind you, we did this in a highschool chem lab

[@arnricepicker]

@violinist881 the wax is not special at all. we smashed open one of those worship candles that they sell, (the long tall clear glass ones). those candles come per dyed/colored.

[@Holbot]

Autozone, or another autoparts store ;) it is a break cleaner. Look for it

[@shemp308]

Well not that it matter but following the percent of 85ML to 200ML it did not work. Seems the lava is still a secret.

[@georgemendoza231]

Can I use ethyl alcohol than ethylene glycol

[@UnholyChicken]

Hey, nice work guys! Ignore the idiots leaving negative comments. Hooray for science!

[@jody2873]

Cool music BTW!

[@arnricepicker]

I believe so. If you look inside store bought lava lamps, you usually find a high intensity 40W light bulb.

[@cyrusrom]

parafin wax is used for candles!

[@russlehman]

@momomomo38 The brakleen is probably perchlloroethylene

[@prigaiarin6822]

Is the paraffin wax disolved in mineral oil?

[@SupaDavidz]

Very very nice thankyou!! :) How easy!!

[@DDFJ1230]

wow... i am speachless..

[@kaischreurs2488]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perchlorate perchlorate isn't a single chemical what perchlorate are you using?

[@kaischreurs2488]

same goes for paraffin wax

[@maryg4921]

I agree with jack

[@aliencow101]

this is worth a subscripton!!!

[@shemp308]

Ok!A little update on my experiment! First off let me explain. My old very old (30 YEARS) lava lamp was a gift from my now grown children. And I wanted it to work again badly. After watching this video many times I gave it a try with no success. After a week of tweaking and a few choice words it not only works but works like a New Lava Lamp. I did however add one thing liquid dye for for candle crafting. witch could have been my specific gravity problem. But I am pleased to say THIS ONE WORKS. AND HAD TO APOLOGIZE FOR MY FIRST COMMENT. All I really wanted to do is tell anyone reading to see if anyone tried this. Yes it does work.

[@s0yjuice]

i was thinking about one out of an old antique bottle- what did you end up “tweaking”

[@CorysTokioHotel]

I have a 34 year old Lava lamp. My mother gave it to me as a teenager and I love it so much. Still works too! About 1 inch of liquid has evaporated though. My mother mentioned to me that I should find out what’s in lava lamps and fill that gap. A little Google search has told me that it’s basically a trade secret. 😑 Which is annoying. Looking at diy lava lamp videos all I could find was those “not really a lava lamp” videos until I came across this one. Look at all these scientist-y trail and errors I’m not sure I’ll ever actually attempt it. But I’m happy to read your comment that it worked for your 30+ year old lamp. Gives me hope one day I might take a crack at this.

[@VadkoSmelyanskiy]

@SteveyRay93 No. LED is cheap as hell. Little glass bottle is cheap too. Some colored candles. Water. Salt. Food Colouring. Thats all. Obviously this is cheaper.

[@arnricepicker]

@ZviagintsevKrasenkov essentially it is chemistry grade water. as pure as water can get. haha

[@arnricepicker]

its called b flat techno. he was a senior in orchestra when i did this and i asked if i could use the music

[@echo4530]

Hi this is 14years later

[@arnricepicker]

@momomomo38 yes, i agree with your statement. you should not use real perchlorate as it is highly toxic. for whatever reason however, the brakleen did work. looking back at it i am not sure why.

[@renatomonteiro1843]

ola eu fiz uma com uma base de madeira uma lata maior fiz uma proteção para nao queimar as mãos. usei um vidro maior ficou bem legal.. tive que usar 3 litro de óleo fiz a medida com 100ml de cada mais agora vendo comentários nao e esse álcool comum de limpar as coisas ne? mais msm se se mexer ficou massa ...

[@blackfuggingoat]

I can't hear over the music...

[@BartMan444]

@momomomo38 glad theres atleast ones mart person on youtube

[@catdotty]

WOW! Sciency stuffs is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO cool. Thumbs up if you thinks so too!

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

Awesome Science project!! Really cool idea! :)

[@arnricepicker]

it helps heat the wax

[@Drumerboy91]

I'm becoming excited due to your voice.

[@pizza87760]

You get more bang for your buck if you add some bleach and ammonia. If you add both with the food coloring the colors will become darker and lighter as they heat and cool. If you're going to make a homemade lava lamp I highly suggest adding some ammonia and bleach to the food coloring and then blowing heavily on the mixture until they properly mix, it makes a great bonus effect in the final product.

[@obliviontb]

Its a bit to complicated ... u know there is a vid when u use just mix of two alcohols , and wax . on the vid guy said we need a mix of parafine and bee wax . but i wonder if bee wax is ok

[@rickymullane9973]

thank you very helpful

[@arnricepicker]

oh wow.. i would be honored!

[@choco33333333]

awesome