If not, I’ll trim the new corners slightly, to round the wick further. I trim these two wicks straight across, then I clip each corner slightly. Hold the wick trimmer at a 45-degree angle to ensure the wick is trimmed to 1/4 inch in length. Then open the trimmer and place the base of it almost flush with the candle’s surface. Lower the wick trimmers down to the wick. Chimneys are expensive, fragile, and hard to come by, so trimming the wick to the existing draw makes better sense. To note, only trim a wick when the flame is out, and the candle is cooled. If I did, perhaps I wouldn’thave this problem. I don’t have the original chimney for either lamp. In our two large pedestal lamps, though, the shape of the draw makes even the shallowest point a sharp, smoky flame. Generally, this gives a well shaped flame. I count the lines of weft to ensure that the lower, outer end of my cut matches on each side. I count the lines of warp to determine the center of the wick. Normally, I cut a wick to a very shallow point in the center by making two slanted cuts on each side of the wick. Don’t leave any loose threads that stick up from the cut. This ensures that they stay sharp and true.Įven with a sharp tool, take care to avoid snagging the wick. I labeled these pliers as wick trimmers, and refuse to use them for any other purpose. Like a giant pair of toenail cutters (truly a cringe worthy simile!) these clip the wick straight as can be. I use a pair of end cutting pliers to trim oil lamp wicks. Even a good, sharp, clean cut tends to leave a wick ever-so-slightly slanted to a point at the far end of the cut. The mechanical action of scissoring pushes the wick fabric ahead of it slightly before it cuts. Trimming a wick with scissors works poorly. A long flame often creates smoke, which pollutes the room, smudges the chimney (which lessens light), and wastes fuel. The wick shouldn’t have any points that might elongate the flame. I focused on shaping the wicks to this use, and I’ll focus this post on that same use.Ī properly trimmed wick should provide a full, rounded flame that provides the maximum amount of light with the minimum amount of smoke. I think a revised edition came out a few years ago I wonder if the older version I read might have had it?Īt any rate, I knew enough to shape the wicks to our needs, which are very basic, less specialized than some of the alternatives I know. However, checking the book’s listing on line, I read that it does not include this information. I assumed I’d learned it from a book I used to borrow a lot from the Juneau Public Library, Tim Matheson’s The Book of Non-Electric Lighting: The Classic Guide to the Safe Use of Candles, Fuel Lamps, Lanterns, Gas Lights, & Fireview Stoves is the best guide we’ve found for use. I wanted to double check my knowledge, but I couldn’t find the source. I came to it with a basic knowledge of what I needed to do and why, choosing from a couple of different wick convigurations to achieve the right flame shape for our needs. I approached this task with a bit of surprise. Wick trimmed to shallow point (Photo: Mark A.
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