Lava Lamps

The lava lamp was invented in the nineteen sixties as a kind of "display device" and was called the "Astro lamp" by inventor Edward Craven Walker. Lava lamps became a great fad during the sixties, when all different colors of lava lamps were created: the red lava lamp, the blue lava lamp, the purple lava lamp and so on.

How does a lava lamp work? Lava lamps basically contain two materials, an oil that can been seen through and a wax that is colored and which cannot be seen through. There is a light at the bottom of the tube in which these two materials (which do not mix) are placed, and the heat from the lighting element warms up the wax. When the wax is warmed up is expands and becomes less dense than the oil around it, causing it to rise in the tube. As the wax reaches the top of the tube it cools down and returns to the bottom falling down the sides of the tube. A spiral wire is also placed against the lighting element at the bottom of the tube to reduce the effects of the surface tension of the wax so that the pieces of wax flow together and become one again. If you want to know how to make homemade lava lamp, this basic description can help you know how to make a lava lamp, although it could be difficult to find the parts that you need. A more detailed lava lamp making tutorial will teach you how to make the wax or find it so that you can get the right materials you need.

In styles such as the lamp lava mini red, the mini lava lamp, and the large floor lava lamp, the lava lamp became a symbol of the sixties as it was enjoyed by members of the hippie subculture and was compared by many to the kinds of trippy effects seen by people who ingested LSD. Today you can get lava lamp wallpaper for your computer that animates with images similar to what is seen in a lava lamp; this is a kind of virtual lava lamp that you can watch for as long as you want - some kinds of visual effects that you can watch using a program such as Winamp while you listen to music are also similar to lava lamps and can respond to the music that you are listening to. Lava lamps continue to be a treasured piece of Americana and a visual delight enjoyed by many.