A lava lamp (created with your own hands) is an interesting and original item in the interior, which can also be a wonderful gift. If you do not want to spend money, be sure to try to do it yourself. The device of the lava lamp is actually not so complicated. It is quite possible to make it right at home .
DIY temporary lava lamp
Of course, you can go to the gift shop and purchase this piece of furniture. But it’s not so cheap. Let's look at how to make a lava lamp from improvised materials?
The first thing we need is a large plastic bottle of lemonade or mineral water. In general, absolutely any transparent container that tightly closes with a lid will do, but a plastic bottle is the best option. In order to achieve the most effective result, it is better to take a capacity of at least 0.5 liters .
Next, you need to fill the bottle with oil for three quarters of the total volume, and fill the remaining quarter with water and about 10 drops of food coloring. The solution should be a saturated color. Now you need to add salt or any effervescent tablet, such as Alka-Seltzer or Vitamin C.
Next, close the bottle tightly and shake it. You will immediately notice how liquid droplets begin to form, gradually connecting to each other. But this process will not be constant. Over time, the drops will cease to form, and you will have to add more salt or effervescent tablets.
Such a lava lamp, made with one's own hands, is good because it is absolutely harmless and safe, which is important if it will be used by children as well.
To make everything look even more impressive, install some kind of light source at the bottom of the bottle so that the beam is directed upward on the liquid. Thus, the light will illuminate these drops, and the lava lamp will look much more spectacular. With your own hands, you can destroy it if the light source gives a lot of heat, which can melt the plastic .
How is a temporary lava lamp arranged?
What does a lava lamp consist of? Its mechanism is that, due to different densities, water and oil do not mix, as a result of which bubbles form that freely move in the liquid. And adding salt or an effervescent tablet makes the reaction even more spectacular.
Permanent lava lamp
How to make a lava lamp that will work continuously? It should be done by adults, since alcohol and oil are used here, which can easily ignite during heating.
For lamps sold at the store, a special mixture of liquid waxes is used. But at home, you can try to achieve a similar result. If you try, then, in principle, it is quite possible to get a liquid in the end, which will be interesting to overflow.
The base of the lamp will be any glass container. In this case, plastic should not be used, as it melts easily. As those same iridescent bubbles will be mineral or baby oil.
There is no specific amount of oil to be added. Pour about, as you can add later if it turns out to be small. If you want a more interesting effect, you can try to make a lava lamp based on oil paints, but keep in mind that over time, the oil can separate from the dye, resulting in an ugly precipitate.
Now you need to add a mixture of 70 percent medical alcohol and 90 percent isopropyl alcohol. They can be purchased at any pharmacy. The mixture should consist of 6 parts of 90 percent alcohol and 13 parts of 70 percent. If you observe the specified proportions, the liquid will turn out to be about the same density as mineral oil.
After you have added all the ingredients for the lamp, you need to leave the mixture for a while, so that it settles. Oil should eventually be at the bottom .
Lava lamp heater
The next step is to heat the mixture. First of all, you need to tightly close the jar. Next, you need to make such a design: take a heat-resistant surface, such as a flower pot, put it upside down. Under it you need to put a heat source, and put our jar at the bottom. Over time, the lamp and the mixture inside it will heat up, the oil will expand more than alcohol, and will move up and down.
An incandescent lamp is quite suitable for creating a heating device. Its power depends on the volume, but it is better to take no more than 40 watts.