Here's one for the flat-wickers, how do you trim yours? I've watched a number of youtube videos on lanterns & lamps that use flat wicks, and everyone seems to have their own way of trimming them, some flat-topped, some with a slight curve, some with a shallow point, some a sharp point, and some in a double-point...
So, what trim shape actually works the best? For my lanterns, I just cut the wicks flat as other shapes are fiddly, that and I haven't got any spare wick if I muck it up... ;D
Well, I've always trimmed them flat across because that is how they come up out of the burner.
What sticks up from the which chute is exposed to oxygen and burns so the higher the wick, the larger the flame.
If the wick were not flat, only that part sticking up would burn and if it were rounded or pointed, the amount of wick that would be burning would be larger and the flame brighter but would also produce soot from the point or top round.
The burner cone is round but that has nothing to do with the burning of fuel in the wick at the top of the burner. Only about 1/16" of wick above the burner is needed for a moderate flame. 1/4" for a high flame.
I use a long tipped straight medical forceps to clamp it perfectly straight (90° across the wick) onto a new wick (after pealing off the threading tape) to make a perfect straight cut across the wick. Once it is burned, it can be adjusted in the burner so the part to be cut off is exposed and then cut right across the top of the burner.
I use a slightly curved medical scissors to cut the wick. It is a strong, small and very shape scissors.
That's how I do it and I'm sticking to it.
Am finishing up my last, really, final, last, no more, last lantern so had the burner apart and clean for photos.
The left image shows the wick extended to a position when if lit would be just about the point at which soot would appear.
Without adjusting the wick height, I put the cone on the burner, the right image, showing how the vented flat metal around the burner chute come up to and just touches the cone, and where the wick would be in the cone when lit. The way the cone is made, the flame is "U" shaped in that the flame at the center of the cone is a bit lower than the flame at the edges when at full candle power.
At lower wick settings, the flame is almost straight across.
You can also see the pitting on the cone from the extreme rust coating that was removed. However, the metal surface is just fine, a dark grey and even over the whole lantern.
I trim mine to be rounded, or 45' cut the corners a bit in my No 2 Blizzard. For whatever reason it seems to prefer that as a wick shape. If I flat cut in that one, it always burns with a "W" shaped flame.
For the others, I'm with John. A straight cut across the burner.
Now how about round wicks....well now...
The Dietz 40 traffic guard was cut flat, but through use burns to a perfect cone. It has only needed the occasional de-clumping of soot and gum. I just roll it in my fingers and the crud falls off easily. The highway torch on the other hand... flat cut and fluff seems to make the best sooty flame, as those old cannon balls should have :D
Quote from: AL_as_needed on October 13, 2017, 08:47:21 PM
I trim mine to be rounded, or 45' cut the corners a bit in my No 2 Blizzard. For whatever reason it seems to prefer that as a wick shape. If I flat cut in that one, it always burns with a "W" shaped flame.
That is interesting and if it works, great. I had to light up my flat cut Blizzard to see how it burned and it gave me a flame at any height that was round, matched the shape of the cone.
Some of my lanterns give a "U" shaped flame with the outside edges higher than the center. I'm going to have to check the burner vents screen in these. I always clean off the surface but never have cleaned out each vent hole.
Try, when the burner is cool, to clean the vent holes in the metal that surrounds the top of the wick chute. Use a small round file to clean out all of the holes and see if that makes a difference. Seems the air flow in your burner is stronger in the center.
I tipped the globe back when lit to see how the flame changed and it immediately turned into a single pointed flame with a lot of soot so the air mixing chamber using air only from below the burner is what makes the flame burn correctly. Without the globe plate down around the cone, the flat wick just turned into a candle wick.
Here's my Blizzard flame.
we did always trim as flat as possible using a pair of scissors. Have never tough about other possibilities. The Aladdin lamps, and heaters comes with a metal or plastic tool to trim the circular wick.
dsk
I trim them just flat. Here is the tool I use. They will also cut the outer shells of the childproof caps, cut a prescription bottle into a parts cup, cut open the shells on crab legs when the meat sticks to them, and most any other tough scissors jobs. Cleanly cuts rope too.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ONE-LARGE-RING-LISTER-BANDAGE-SCISSOR-8-SURGICAL-INSTRUMENTS-/322025465355
?epid=1160296645&hash=item4afa36a60b:g:LVYAAOSw9OFZInvL
One of the benefits of my last job was the availability of hemostats and scissors and other useful surgical stainless steel instruments with very hard and sharp cutting edges that were being thrown out for some defect. Beat buying them. Even got a couple of wire cable cutters which work great on plastic wire ties.
Never had a chance to pick one of those up out of the garbage but makes sense in that cutting bandages is just like cutting a wick. Good tool for wick trimming. Got to get one of those. Bad part of that listing is the box has a good chance of shipping through OPA LOCKA.
Problem with wicks is that while they are thick and hard to cut, they are also woven in such a way that a cheap or dull scissors does not, can not make a clean cut most of the time.
Just do a general search for 8 inch lister scissors. Get the one large ring type. they are easier to do the tough stuff with.
I ordered the 8" one in the link you provided.
Also noticed a listing for a 7" Metzenbaum Dental Surgical Scissors, just like the one I have. I find the curved cutting blade extremely useful for cutting anything that is not straight, circular. I've been using this to cut my wicks since it is very sharp but am offering the link here should anyone need a sharp scissors to cut circular gaskets. Great control and very sharp.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/T-C-O-R-GRADE-METZENBAUM-SCISSORS-7-CURVED-TIP-SURGICAL-INSTRUMENTS/120729943356
They also work great for trimming a small piece off of anything by using the outside of the curve to clip just a small area, such as the corner of a wick to get rid of the fuzz.
Quote from: TelePlay on October 14, 2017, 08:55:20 AM
Try, when the burner is cool, to clean the vent holes in the metal that surrounds the top of the wick chute. Use a small round file to clean out all of the holes and see if that makes a difference. Seems the air flow in your burner is stronger in the center.
I think the main "issue" with my Blizzard is that the burn cone and the base plate that the globe sits on, do not fully seat down around the burner to create a draft seal. The tubes are a tad bent from the tank, so one side has a small gap at the burner plate/cone.
Yes, and the shape of the flame when the wick is trimmed straight across points out where the plate air leaks are on your lantern.
There are two types of burner cones, those that wing lock the burner onto the top of the fuel tank
(http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=15928.0;attach=139830;image)
and those that are attached to the globe plate so only the burner wing locks onto the fuel tank and the cone rests on the burner by way of the globe plate and any pressure placed on the plate from the weight of the globe and the chimney spring.
(http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=16104.0;attach=142724;image)
If you have the latter, the one with the plate holding the cone, if the plate is bent and the cone is not sitting fully on the burner creating good or complete seal, leaking air will produce a strange flame shape. I guess Dietz and other lantern manufacturers knew air flow was important to flame shape.
The type of burner set up where the cone covers the burner and locks the burner down is not affected by a bent and not quite flat globe plate. It's how the outer round ring of the burner fits into the cone that controls the air flow and if the cone is part of a bent plate, you have to straighten the plate of somehow create a high temp seal inside the cone to seal all air openings other than the burner screen meant to allow air to flow into the flame from the mixing chamber (where the air tubes feed air into the burner assembly).
I trim wicks straight across. However I do sometimes cut the corners off new wicks in an attempt to get them into the burner a bit easier.
As to how to trim them, I just use heavy duty scisors. But last week I went to an auction and in one of the lots was something described as a possible wick trimmer. It was basically a hand operated device with handles a bit like a pair of pliers. There were two curved blades at 8=90 degrees to the handle, held apart with a spring in a kind of frame. Squeezing the handles made the blades move one across the top of the other in a guillotine action. The inportant part about this is the blades were curved, so would have cut a wick in a curve.
Weather this actually was a wick trimmer I'm not sure. Unfortunately some of the other items in the lot sent the bids into silly money, so I didn't get it. I'll keep a lookout for another one though.
This is the Lanternnet recommended way to thread a new wick.
Once the tape is applied, it is very important to trim it as close to the side of the wick as possible. I then take a large jaw pliers and cramp down on the tape at the top of the wick to compress the thickness and I then cut the pointed leader just catching the corner of the top of the wick as andy1702 said to clear the wick channel.
Once the tape is removed, cutting the top straight and clean will get rid of the corner cut. I use painters tape which removes easy without leaving residue.
I do trim off any wick that unravels at the corner of the wick caused when cutting it straight.
Quote from: TelePlay on October 24, 2017, 02:37:39 PM
This is the Lanternnet recommended way to thread a new wick.
Once the tape is applied, it is very important to trim it as close to the side of the wick as possible. I then take a large jaw pliers and cramp down on the tape at the top of the wick to compress the thickness and I then cut the pointed leader just catching the corner of the top of the wick as andy1702 said to clear the wick channel.
Once the tape is removed, cutting the top straight and clean will get rid of the corner cut. I use painters tape which removes easy without leaving residue.
I do trim off any wick that unravels at the corner of the wick caused when cutting it straight.
That's a darn good idea for threading wicks. I never thought to use tape on the ends.
While I'm here I have a related question... I have quite a few old hurricane lamps where the wicks won't move up or down using the knob on the burner. Two things seem to happen. One is that the wick sticks to the inside of the burner when not used for a long time and the other is the spiked wheel chews a hole in the wick. Is there a way to prevent this? Is it better to store lamps with some fuel in and the wick in place, or should I empty them, take the wick out and dry it? Whenever I've taken a wick out it rarely seems to go back in again and work. Any advice would be much appreciated.
For the chewed up wicks, I would just have a newer spare on hand to exchange it for. Cotton can deteriorate and break down. For the ones that are physically stuck, sometimes the varnish that forms in dried up fuel can do it, as can rust spots formed where the humid wick contacts the channel. try a good solvent like lighter fluid. Ifr your burner is lacquered or varnished, anything stronger may spoil the finish. if that doesn't do it, lightly saturate the wick with penetrating oil then pull on it as you work the knob. Dispose of the wick afterward and use another. Ebay has all sizes by the yard.
Wicks do seem to slide better when they're kept wet, my Aladdinette heater's wick was rather stiff and I didn't like how it felt trying to move it while dry, but once it was wet with paraffin it moved smoothly and worked nicely as it was supposed to, so in my opinion, leaving some fuel in would help keep the wick from sticking & gumming up the mechanism... :)
Of course, if the wick is stuck, as mentioned a soak in some solvent would help loosen it up, just make sure the solvent has fully evaporated before lighting up, otherwise it could have some unwanted consequences... :o
It looks like whatever that brown stuff they use for sizing on the Aladdin wicks add to their adhesion to the center stack.
Quote from: andy1702 on October 25, 2017, 01:21:41 PM
While I'm here I have a related question... I have quite a few old hurricane lamps where the wicks won't move up or down using the knob on the burner. Two things seem to happen. One is that the wick sticks to the inside of the burner when not used for a long time and the other is the spiked wheel chews a hole in the wick. Is there a way to prevent this? Is it better to store lamps with some fuel in and the wick in place, or should I empty them, take the wick out and dry it? Whenever I've taken a wick out it rarely seems to go back in again and work. Any advice would be much appreciated.
I've worked on some very old lanterns that had the original wick in them and a few have been slightly stuck but tugging on one end and turning the wheel, they all came loose quickly. The fuel used over there may be thicker and over time create a ways or varnished attachment. I'd try a hair dryer first to see if heat helps. If not, wetting the wick with a solvent, denatured alcohol or mineral spirits, should help to dissolve the bond. Carburetor cleaner works well to remove fuel varnish so you could also try that.
I've never had a wick get caught like that until recently. Al_as_needed also had this happen on one of his lanterns. Look inside the wick channel. You may see a corner of the metal making up the chute that is bent inward into the channel and if so, that will catch on the wick and keep it from moving. It will also tear the wick. I think that happens from having a wick "glued" onto the metal and by strongly forcing the wick to move, it actually bend the metal into the channel causing the wick "hook." If so, simply bend the hook back down so it is below the flat metal surface of the channel. Any tool that reaches the hook will work. I use a long, sharp pointed O-Ring removal tool to do the job.
It also pays to clean the burner to remove all varnish and whatever else is in the wick channel off of the metal. Do do without damaging the cogs or bending the cog axle. Once the channel is clean and free of hooks, the wick should move up and down quite easily.
Depends on how long of a storage period. Store them with the fuel in place to keep the tank from rusting if you are talking about a year or so. If longer, I'd dump the fuel and rinse out the tank with soapy water, rionse well with water and then dry the inside using 3 doses of acetone, about 1 ounce well swished around inside the tank each time to absorb the water. After the third acetone rinse, I dry the tank using a hair dryer and a shop vacuum hose inserted in the burner cup (pulls the fumes out created by the hair dryer. For long, long term storage, I'd spray the inside with WD-40 and then remembers to rinse the tank before next use with fuel if the WD-40 is still wet. With any storage, keep them in a dry, heated place to prevent moisture and temperature changes from corroding the lantern.
If and when you remove a wet wick, it will not go back in easily. When wet, it swells. If you want to reuse a wick, thoroughly dry the wick first and then use the tape method. If still thick after drying, you may want to iron it. Wicks are cheap so I never reuse one that was removed from a lantern. Wicks are meant to fit the wick channel tightly for safety reasons. If they swell or stay swelled after drying out, they may be tight in the wick channel. Using the tape leader greatly helps get a used wick back into a channel. I use the old wick from a lantern after the lantern burner has been cleaned (externally) to clean out the inner channel. I put the old wick back in and then put a solvent on the wick. Then, moving it up and down in the channel rubs off the dirt and varnish. I then toss the old wick away and put a new one in for actual use.
Kerosene type fuels last a long time, don't foul, in a lantern. I've noticed that there is some evaporation in that the globe of a stored lantern needs inside cleaning before use to get the brightest light. I suspect that is due to the lighter components of the fuel evaporating from the wick and carrying with it some of the heavier components which deposit on the inside of the glass globe.
I think I covered all of you questions. If I missed something, need a better explanation or have another question, please ask again.
You've all given me some good pointers there. I'll be going out to the garage to start servicing lamps ASAP. I've got quite a few.
I have another cutting tool that can make short, neat work of wick webbing. It is the smaller of the two pictured. They cut with a blade that flatly contacts an anvil and makes a straight cut as long as it's sharp.
Those cutters are great, I used to use them to cut automobile hoses. Easy cut and leaves a nice smooth edge.
Stanley has at least once made a similar tool that uses drywall knife blades, full length to do the cutting.
You guys and your fancy tools.... I just use the classic Fiskers scissors in my desk, the blades are fairly long and thin and do just fine. 8)
Yesterday after messing with that hideous lamp, I fiddled with the wick, which I borrowed to use in the lamp, on my blue lantern, and to get a good sized and evenly shaped flame from it, I had to trim it so it was flat on the top, but with some notches cut our of the corners, otherwise it produced a V-shaped flame, and a V shaped cut of the wick produced a teardrop-shaped flame, so I just trimmed the point of the V down 'til I had a nice, straight, flat-topped flame which looked nice and bright... :)
I shall be using it and my two shed lanterns outdoors this evening as it's Bonfire Night (5th November, where we inexplicably celebrate the foiling of Guy Fawkes' plan to blow up parliament, by blowing up fireworks instead and have big bonfires), and of course, a bit of light is useful in a dark garden... ;D
It looks like each nation has to have a firework night other than new years to get some noise going. They finally made exploding fireworks legal in this state, reducing the use of alternative means a bit, but not all.
Technically it is indeed meant to be a "night", but, the fireworks went on sale a few weeks back, and as a result, every blummin' night since has been a "fireworks night", and will be so until the middle of January, mostly kids running about setting them off thinking it's funny... ::)
Personally I don't care much for fireworks, they have gotten louder and more obnoxious over the years since I was a kid, but I guess other people enjoy them, so I don't have much of a choice but to put up with them, but, at least I have the excuse to light a big fire though, I like fire*... ;D
(*So long as it's controlled with plenty of fire suppression available!!)
In this great debate about wick trimming, I tried to enlist the help of some cheap, non native labor (in true american 1800s industrial fashion). Mr.Bug was asked to inspect the wick both in operation and when extinguished and make some observations. Well I guess my lack of provided PPE and the dangerous task given, Mr. Bug didnt make it..... I will just have to find another willing stink bug.
Not even so much as a high-viz jacket? For shame... ;D