trimming round wicks

[seaelf]

Good morning....I have a kerosene lamp with a wick that when drawn up the burner is shaped round. I'm sure many of you know what I'm talking about. I am trying to trim it so it burns evenly. I read somewhere that you remove the burner from the fuel tank and let the wick dry for about a day or two. Then you raise the wick up, a little less then a 1/16 of an inch above where it leaves the burner. The part of the wick showing is then dipped in kerosene. You light the wick and then let it burn completely out. Then you scrape the carbon off the burned wick using the top of the burner as a guide. Well, I've done that a few times but the wick still burns uneven. Does anyone here have a method they use that works? Thanks

 

[VicS]

When I used to use a paraffin heater in the greenhouse I used to raise the wick until just proud of the burner and then trim with a scalpel.
It is important not to have any little bits proud of the main part of the wick. It will smoke if you do.
A small pair of very sharp laboratory dissecting scissors is also useful to trim off any whiskery bits.

 

[seaelf]

I had an Alladin Blue Flame heater years ago that had a wick trimmer....you placed it on the wick and rotated it. I may try the sharp scissor approach. Thanks.

 

[VicS]

a wick trimmer....you placed it on the wick and rotated it

Yes I have one of those .. two maybe. Made things worse usually !

 

[Bilgediver]

Good morning....I have a kerosene lamp with a wick that when drawn up the burner is shaped round. I'm sure many of you know what I'm talking about. I am trying to trim it so it burns evenly. I read somewhere that you remove the burner from the fuel tank and let the wick dry for about a day or two. Then you raise the wick up, a little less then a 1/16 of an inch above where it leaves the burner. The part of the wick showing is then dipped in kerosene. You light the wick and then let it burn completely out. Then you scrape the carbon off the burned wick using the top of the burner as a guide. Well, I've done that a few times but the wick still burns uneven. Does anyone here have a method they use that works? Thanks

Aladdin provide a trimming tool for these wicks which has three cutting edges at 120 degrees...it sits on the burner and fits the hand nicely

You might find one in a country ironmongers.

 

[VicS]

You might find one in a country ironmongers.

Or even two hanging on a nail in the garage

 

[malds]

I fell asleep with the wick not correctly trimmed, I woke up with the cabin roof pitch black, took two days of scrubbing and an electric buffer to clean the plastic roof.

The mouth the wick comes out of is flat yet the coaming is semi circular, I found I had to cut it razor flat to prevent sootyness.

 

[seaelf]

thanks for the replies....the wick I'm trying to trim is not for the Blue Flame....it's for a lamp. It uses flat wicks but when placed in the burner and drawn up, it forms a round wick. It's not the trawler style lamp, but same style of burner.

 

[neil_s]

I find a gentle rub with a piece of rag is all that is needed. This removes the carbonised bits of wick which are generally the high spots. This works on my 1/2 in and 3/4 in straight wick lamp burners and my Valor round wick heater.

Neil

 

[Bilgediver]

Or even two hanging on a nail in the garage

Sell one on Ebay and could buy some good gear for the workshop