You can use the name wax or paraffin lamp. The design of the device is very simple: inside a closed plafond with liquid (not water) is wax or paraffin. An ordinary light bulb heats these materials, fantastic shapes, big and small bubbles appear in the bulb.
Principle of the Lava Lamp
The work of the “lava lamp” is based on the interaction of paraffin and glycerin. Lava is colored paraffin in an oily liquid. The lava lamp was patented in 1963 by Edward Craven Walker.
Modern small and large devices work on the same principle. Once plugged in, the incandescent bulb gives off a glow and heat. The wax or paraffin is heated. When heated, their physical state changes. The colored paraffin expands from the heat of the light bulb and becomes less dense than the oily liquid it is in. The process is enhanced by the fact that high temperature is not needed to heat the wax, so after a while volcanic motion occurs: the paraffin lying on the bottom heats up and floats up, while at the top of the bulb it cools down and sinks down, where it soon heats up and rises again. If the substance is mixed with a dye, the volcanic effect becomes more spectacular!
Some wax and paraffin molds do not sink, then the bottom of the flask does not create bubbles, but long streaks that form bizarre shapes.
A lava lamp is suitable for a home with any interior. Red model floor or table type can be bought for the bedroom. With glitter, pink or red, is great for parties. You can buy a lamp as a nightlight for children, but you should put it in a place that is safe for children (on high objects).
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Design and Recommendations for Use
The main recommendations for the use of the lava lamp:
- Modern products are objects of art. They should not be stored on the shelf: under the influence of sunlight, wax and other components lose their color;
- turn on and do a full heating cycle every three months;
- the glass bulb should be treated like an ordinary water bottle – it is safe;
- there must be a 40 watt light bulb in the stand;
- each such lamp is characterized by the time of complete warming up (for table lamps need from 40 minutes, for floor lamps – up to 2 hours of operation);
- working lamp heats up to a high temperature – 60 degrees, the stand is not heated.
All models have a common design:
Before buying a night light in the store to the nursery, you should know the simple rules of operation:
- A wax lamp turned on should not be moved;
- it needs a solid horizontal surface;
- During operation, do not allow liquids to get on the surface;
- Do not remove the cap on the bulb (the wax is very hot!);
- at the first signs of overheating must be unplugged.
- It takes at least 1 hour for the wax to fully heat up. To avoid overheating, the product should not work more than 8 hours a day. The first signs of overheating can be seen immediately: the wax inside the bulb rises to the surface and does not go down.
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