Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

My daughter is trying to build a lava lamp for her science fair project. I have found several different recipies for the "guts" to try and see what works best, but I am stumped on how to deal with the base. Any suggestions??? Thanks!

Crashkrbec - I 'Googled' a few DIY articles on building a LavaLamp base. A simple suggestion was to use a short piece of 6" diameter PVC pipe (or ABS drain material) and install a 15-25 watt electric lamp bulb to generate the heat required to warm the 'lava' mixture. I think that wattage won't create excessive heat for the material, but I'd recommend starting with the 15 watt bulb. The lamp parts should be available at any hardware or lighting store as should the PVC or ABS pipe. Some assembly is obviously required, observe the activity for a while to make sure heat build-up isn't a dangerous factor.

Rick

The PVC pipe suggestion is a good one; however, I would caution you to provide some convection air paths that allow air to enter at the bottom and leave about 1/2 inch below the bottom surface of what you are attempting to heat. PVC's melting point is about 80 C which can quickly be exceeded by having a 15W light bulb fully enclosed in a small area because PVC is a good insulator.