Show & tell thread.

[John]

I've searched this website & couldn't find an open discussion to place the following post & I didn't think it warranted starting a new one. So I suggest that this thread be used by anyone wanting to do the same & I really hope that others start using it also to show us their lamp(s).

Are finally using the two Mathmos lava lamps purchased after setting them up the way I wanted & have pictures. I watched for weeks on eBay & quickly realised most decent lamps sell close to their respective new prices. Ended up buying an Astro with violet water & orange wax which unexpectedly goes red when above the first 1/3rd of the bottle. But if at the bottom or cold it remains orange which is what the wax is claimed to be. I don't know if this is normal & would like know if other Astros with this colour combination do the same? It's using a 40w lightbulb as I couldn't get what they recommend. Which is over heating the contents forcing more wax to rise quickly in much smaller blobs. Are concerned this would be detrimental to the life of the lamp so are using a dimmer. The cooler the contents the bigger the blobs & the slower they move around the bottle. Also have an Astrobaby with blue water & green wax which looks dark green on the box but is a far lighter & looks fluorescent when the light is on. I get another it'll probably be a Telstar with the dark plum wax & clear water. If I can justify the expense of the lamp & cost of getting it here again. As for the Neo, I really like the copper with the yellow water & orange wax. Unfortunately they're not available outside of the UK & the Australian website isn't good at keeping their advertised lamps in stock. I would really like a Metallic blue Astro & are keen to hear from anyone able to help make this happen. They're obviously something new as I've never heard of them & the concept is absolutely brilliant. Good on ya Mathmos keep it up & please do something about the no worldwide shipping. I don't see how one manufacturer can dictate how & where another can ply it's trade in a different country.

Anyway, here's a few pictures of relics of another age. The Nintendo NES Classis, a USB Plasma Orb & the two lava lamps.

Edit: the pictures aren't very good using an iPad & don't portray the colours correctly which explains the difference in colour mentioned previously. I have to find the camera then try different angles using the light & the background lighting. Am I correct in thinking it's helps to turn the lamp light off while the wax is flowing to get better colour shots?

[Bohdan]

Great show and tell!!!

[John]

Cheers mate. I forgot to mention here that I'm using the lamps with a Belkin Wemo Switch which allows me to operate them with an App on the iPad or iPhone (or Android) & you don't even need to be home. Have two set up on the App named Carramar & Mathmos for obvious reasons. The only downside is that they're not cheap but you can find used ones on Trade Me etc.

[John]

I hope that someone from Mathmos reads this as I'm not particularly impressed with their packaging department. Out of the three Mathmos lava lamps I own two are packaged incorrectly & I've got something different. First it was the Astro which was supposed to be violet water with orange wax which I took time deciding. Now the Glitterbaby isn't even a glitter lamp but an Astrobaby with red water & white wax. I don't know what they was smoking at the time but thanks for nothing. The Glitterbaby was purchased new then put straight into storage & I had no idea how it should look. I finally decide to use the lamp & although I'd rather the lava lamp. It's not the point as when's a lamp not a lamp but is a lamp? I must admit though, the white wax is pretty bright & I could see the coil as it warmed up for the first time. But I'm now hesitant to spend more on something that might not turn out to be be quite what I'm expecting. At least the wife will be happy.

[Bohdan]

Still your lamp looks great in the Red/White combo!!

[ElectricAstro]

Lovely lamp it looks beautiful!

[John]

To be honest I'm probably going to get rid of one of the Astrobaby lamps & hopefully get a Telstar.

[John]

Are getting used to the fact that no one else wants an Astrobaby with red water & white wax in excellent condition & that it's going to be a permanent part of the collection. It's a little odd too as it looks much better alone than with other lava lamps & I'm going to have to put it into another room. Have also found that because it has slightly less wax it flows normally (even when it's really cold) with a 25w bulb instead of what originally came with the lamp.

[Mike Wizowski]

Niiiiiiicee my friend. I hope you're enjoying the new set up. 

[John]

Thanks all, it's now back in the hobby room being used as a stand alone night light & has been put it on a timer. Really gets noticed by anyone around the back of the house & makes some think that someone is home when turned on.

[ElectricAstro]

Good idea to use the lava lamps on a timer, this is what I do and it is so handy to have the lamp flowing for when I come home after work.

[John]

Are now using the spare bottle which I think is s vast improvement over the original & it works with the other Mathmos lamps.

[ElectricAstro]

Nice photo and trio of lamps.