Learning through objects from the Islington Education Library Service’s handling collection
Lava Lamp, 1960s, Replica
What have an egg timer, a Squadron Leader and a country pub got to
do with this strange lamp? Well, the Lava Lamp was invented by
Squadron Leader Edward Craven Walker, and inspired by an egg timer
he observed while in a country pub. He worked on the lamp for ten
years, and in the swinging sixties it was very popular. Now these
lamps are being made again, and many people find them attractive
and amusing.
How do the orange blobs move around in this lamp? The electric cable runs from the plug through the hollow base of the lamp and attaches to a small heat bulb that screws into a light socket. A switch on the electric cable turns the light bulb on or off. A free-standing glass bottle, filled with a mixture of coloured wax and water as well as a secret ingredient, sits on the base over the heat bulb. Also, there is a metal ring inside the bottle that collects heat from the bulb, and adds to the temperature at the base of the bottle. The top of the bottle has a screw cap, and is covered by a separate metal cap.
When the Lava Lamp is switched on, the light from the bulb shines through the glass bottle. The heat from the bulb warms the glass bottle, metal ring, wax and water. The wax begins to separate out into blobs and rise up and down the bottle, through the water. Then, when the lamp is switched off, the bottle and metal ring cool down again, and the wax sinks to the bottom of the bottle and is still.
This lamp has a hollow metal base with plastic feet. The base gets hot when the lamp has been on for some time, so the feet are there to prevent a table from being marked or burned.
How do the orange blobs move around in this lamp? The electric cable runs from the plug through the hollow base of the lamp and attaches to a small heat bulb that screws into a light socket. A switch on the electric cable turns the light bulb on or off. A free-standing glass bottle, filled with a mixture of coloured wax and water as well as a secret ingredient, sits on the base over the heat bulb. Also, there is a metal ring inside the bottle that collects heat from the bulb, and adds to the temperature at the base of the bottle. The top of the bottle has a screw cap, and is covered by a separate metal cap.
When the Lava Lamp is switched on, the light from the bulb shines through the glass bottle. The heat from the bulb warms the glass bottle, metal ring, wax and water. The wax begins to separate out into blobs and rise up and down the bottle, through the water. Then, when the lamp is switched off, the bottle and metal ring cool down again, and the wax sinks to the bottom of the bottle and is still.
This lamp has a hollow metal base with plastic feet. The base gets hot when the lamp has been on for some time, so the feet are there to prevent a table from being marked or burned.
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Height:42cm
Edward Craven Walker, a Squadron Leader who had loved solving
problems, invented the lamp in 1963. After ten years of
experimentation he finally developed a working lamp, and when it
was produced the Lava Lamp became extremely popular, reflecting the
colourful, psychedelic style and mood of the Sixties. The lamp was
not popular during the eighties but is currently enjoying a
revival. A company called Mathmos manufactures the Lamp in a
variety of colours and styles.
The Lava Lamp contains two liquids, both insoluble in one another, and both very close in density. Many people think the lamp contains oil and water, as these two substances do not mix, but in fact oil is too light. The bottle is filled with coloured water and a mixture of coloured wax and a secret ingredient known only to the manufacturer. The wax heats up in the water and as it heats it expands. During its expansion it becomes less dense, and lighter than the water. Once it has changed from being the heaviest to the lightest liquid it rises up through the water to the top of the bottle. At the top of the bottle the water is cooler, so the wax cools down, becomes heavier than the water, and drops down to the bottom of the bottle. The process appears to take place in slow motion because absorption and dissipation are slow processes in themselves.
The Lava Lamp does not give out enough light to be a working solution to reading after dark, but as a side light it makes a sculptural or ornamental statement that tells us that its owner enjoys a certain taste and style in home furnishings.
The Lava Lamp contains two liquids, both insoluble in one another, and both very close in density. Many people think the lamp contains oil and water, as these two substances do not mix, but in fact oil is too light. The bottle is filled with coloured water and a mixture of coloured wax and a secret ingredient known only to the manufacturer. The wax heats up in the water and as it heats it expands. During its expansion it becomes less dense, and lighter than the water. Once it has changed from being the heaviest to the lightest liquid it rises up through the water to the top of the bottle. At the top of the bottle the water is cooler, so the wax cools down, becomes heavier than the water, and drops down to the bottom of the bottle. The process appears to take place in slow motion because absorption and dissipation are slow processes in themselves.
The Lava Lamp does not give out enough light to be a working solution to reading after dark, but as a side light it makes a sculptural or ornamental statement that tells us that its owner enjoys a certain taste and style in home furnishings.
Height:42cm
What have an egg timer, a Squadron Leader and a country pub got to
do with this strange lamp? Well, the Lava Lamp was invented by
Squadron Leader Edward Craven Walker, and inspired by an egg timer
he observed while in a country pub. He worked on the lamp for ten
years, and in the swinging sixties it was very popular. Now these
lamps are being made again, and many people find them attractive
and amusing.
How do the orange blobs move around in this lamp? The electric cable runs from the plug through the hollow base of the lamp and attaches to a small heat bulb that screws into a light socket. A switch on the electric cable turns the light bulb on or off. A free-standing glass bottle, filled with a mixture of coloured wax and water as well as a secret ingredient, sits on the base over the heat bulb. Also, there is a metal ring inside the bottle that collects heat from the bulb, and adds to the temperature at the base of the bottle. The top of the bottle has a screw cap, and is covered by a separate metal cap.
When the Lava Lamp is switched on, the light from the bulb shines through the glass bottle. The heat from the bulb warms the glass bottle, metal ring, wax and water. The wax begins to separate out into blobs and rise up and down the bottle, through the water. Then, when the lamp is switched off, the bottle and metal ring cool down again, and the wax sinks to the bottom of the bottle and is still.
This lamp has a hollow metal base with plastic feet. The base gets hot when the lamp has been on for some time, so the feet are there to prevent a table from being marked or burned.
How do the orange blobs move around in this lamp? The electric cable runs from the plug through the hollow base of the lamp and attaches to a small heat bulb that screws into a light socket. A switch on the electric cable turns the light bulb on or off. A free-standing glass bottle, filled with a mixture of coloured wax and water as well as a secret ingredient, sits on the base over the heat bulb. Also, there is a metal ring inside the bottle that collects heat from the bulb, and adds to the temperature at the base of the bottle. The top of the bottle has a screw cap, and is covered by a separate metal cap.
When the Lava Lamp is switched on, the light from the bulb shines through the glass bottle. The heat from the bulb warms the glass bottle, metal ring, wax and water. The wax begins to separate out into blobs and rise up and down the bottle, through the water. Then, when the lamp is switched off, the bottle and metal ring cool down again, and the wax sinks to the bottom of the bottle and is still.
This lamp has a hollow metal base with plastic feet. The base gets hot when the lamp has been on for some time, so the feet are there to prevent a table from being marked or burned.
