Ghost Pops Glitter Lamp From Hand Sanitiser

I have always had a fascination for Lava and Glitter lamps. They can mesmerise for hours on end and can keep the mind active during those long online meetings.

I recently refurbished an old Lava Lamp bottle using two donor lamps (following the brilliant tutorial put together by Chase Griff on the Lava & Glitter Lamps Facebook page). This left me with two bottles that needed to be upcycled.

Locally the pickings are very slim in terms of glitter and lava lamps, so I thought I would turn my hand to trying to make my own.... How hard could it be? Turns out it can be very tricky. Luckily I stumbled across an eccentric Scotsman called Big Clive and amongst his videos, he talks about creating a Glitter Lamp, as well as a Crystal Lamp. He also does a fantastic job of helping to explain specific gravity and a number of other concepts that are important.

This instructable shows how I built a fully functional glitter lamp using mostly easy to obtain supplies.

Supplies

An empty Borosilicate Bottle (you need to use heat resistant glass otherwise the container might crack, spilling flammable liquid onto a hot bulb. Not a good combo). This picture has a normal jar that I used for quick tests, but I moved everything over to a better bottle once I had the density right.

70% hand sanitiser, the cheaper the better as you don't want any other additives like thickeners or colourant). You can substitute with pure alcohol and distilled water but you will need to experiment to get the density right.

A chip packet (I used Ghost Pops, a local delicacy and objectively the best snack in the world).

Scissors

Manual bottle capper

Step 1: Create the Glitter

In BigClive's video, he uses commercial glitter and subsequently has to increase the specific gravity of the liquid. I initially followed this approach but could not replicate his success.

While pondering my failure over a packet of Ghost Pops I realised that the lining of the bag was very reflective. After cleaning the bag and using scissors I was able to cut thin strips and then cut these crossways to make small squares (AKA glitter).

I have found that the smaller the individual flakes are the better. Long or large flakes tend to clump.

These pieces also tend to fly around so work carefully.

Step 2: Balance the Fluid

It is critical to get the balance between the glitter and the fluid as close as possible. It is also better to err on the side of a more dense liquid. This is due to the fact that as the liquid is warmed up during use it expands and becomes less dense.

I started off with pure 70% hand sanitiser, in a jar and added the glitter. I let this stand for at least a day with constant swirling to help any bubbles rise to the surface.

I then placed the jar on the lampstand and allowed it to warm up. Keep the lid on to minimise evaporation but keep opening the lid to allow the expanding air to escape.

If the glitter falls to the bottom this means the liquid needs a higher specific gravity. Add small amounts of distilled water allowing the liquids to mix between each addition until you have a good flow.

Then let the jar cool and see where the glitter ends up. If the glitter sinks again, add more water slowly and swirl to mix. What you are aiming for is a state where glitter flakes either remain suspended or rise.

In my case I ended up with half my glitter at the bottom of the jar and half at the surface. The glitter that sank was from the printed portions of the bag. This told me I had a really fine balance.

If the glitter floats strongly to the top, add alcohol slowly until the desired flow, allow to cool and then correct.

This is a very finicky process and it took ages to get right. Keep at it.