Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Turn off the lamp and let the wax completely cool (which takes about two hours). The cloudiness should disappear as the particulates drop to the bottom off the lamp.
Turn on the lamp again, watching it until the wax starts breaking up again. Turn off the lamp as soon as you see this happen, to let it cool again.
Keep cycling the lamp this way until the bits of wax that form the cloudiness get reincorporated into the main orbs of wax. If this fails after 4 to 6 attempts, go on to the next step.
Let the lamp heat for an extended period̵2;at least four hours. Sometimes, the cloudiness arises when the lamp isn̵7;t sufficiently warm. If this doesn̵7;t cure the cloudiness, then you can be confident that the lamp is unsalvageable without actually replacing the liquid contents.
Let the lamp completely cool (two hours will suffice). Undo the cap, an act that invalidates your lamp̵7;s warranty. Undoing the cap can be very difficult, so don̵7;t be surprised if you need pliers or a vise.
Pour the water away if you̵7;re sure the wax at the bottom of the lamp is solid and won̵7;t be poured away as well.
Clean away the oily film on the inside of the bottle with cold tap water. Hot tap water won̵7;t work effectively and may make it worse. Aim the water at the bottle sides, so as not to directly hit the mass of wax at the bottom.
Pour off the water. Repeat the process with the cold water to thoroughly get rid of all the particulates.
Fill the bottle to about an inch off the top with cold tap water. Again, hit the bottle sides, not the wax mass at the bottom.
Turn the lamp on with the lid still off. Once the wax has melted, add two or three drops of liquid dishwashing detergent.
Fill a drinking glass with hot tap water and dissolve Epson salts in it until you can dissolve no more.
Dip a straw one inch into the Epson salt solution, cover the top of the straw to keep the solution from dropping out, and then drop that inch of solution into the lamp. The reason for the gentle approach is to avoid triggering too sudden a reaction from the wax, or overshooting the ideal salt concentration.
Add another inch of solution if the wax isn̵7;t rising to the top within ten minutes. Repeat these additions every ten minutes or so until the water is sufficiently dense that the wax rises to the top.
Add two drops of food coloring to match the water color with the wax. Replace the cap of the lamp.