How to free upward a middle draft wick

When a center draft wick in an oil lamp won't move freely, information technology is usually because information technology has been dry for a long period and the wick fibers are stuck to the draft tube.

If the wick won't motility freely using the wick raiser, do not attempt to strength it. If you do strength it, in that location is a strong likelihood that you will damage the wick raising mechanism and information technology may not be possible to repair it.

In the majority of instances, all that is needed to gratis upward the center draft wick is to intermission the bond between the wick and the tube.

The following steps will guide you lot through the process.

  • Make full the lamp with enough oil (kerosene) to embrace the bottom of the wick.
  • Let information technology stand for a while and then that the wick tin can describe the oil upwardly. Oftentimes information technology only takes an hr or two to loosen the wick merely occasionally information technology can take a day or so. Once the fibers of the wick have been adequately soaked, the strength of the bond between the wick and the wick tube should exist reduced.

The next pace depends on the blazon of burner on your oil lamp and here are some examples.

Early style center draft wick pull lamp

Center draft wick - Fully assembled before you start

Fully assembled before you offset

Center draft wick - Burner and flame spreader removed

Burner and flame spreader removed from font

Center draft wick - Grip wick on draft tube and twist gently back and forth

Grip wick on tube and twist gently back and along

With before way oil lamps such as this ane, remove the flame spreader and the burner to expose the wick around the draft tube.

Grip the wick with your mitt and gently plough information technology backwards and forrad around the wick tube. If it still won't move, leave it to soak a while longer. In one case the wick moves freely on the tube yous tin can then test to meet if the wick raising mechanism is working properly.

Delight notation: If y'all decide to remove the wick completely, take particular annotation of how the wick is secured around the draft tube so that y'all tin re-assemble it correctly.

Subsequently mode center typhoon wick winder lamp

For afterwards style oil lamps where the wick and the wick raiser is incorporated into the burner, the procedure is a lilliputian different.

Center draft wick - Fully assembled

Fully assembled before starting

Center draft wick - Wick is integrated into the burner assembly

Wick is integrated into the burner associates

Again, remove the flame spreader first.
Now unscrew the burner a lilliputian then work it backwards and forrard (a little more than each time) to gratuitous upward the wick. If information technology is nonetheless hard to movement, leave information technology to soak a while longer.
Once the wick is free, unscrew the burner and remove it completely from the oil lamp.

For any oil lamp, once the wick has been removed from the draft tube, it often pays to give the tube a light sanding with a fine grade of wet and dry emery paper or steel wool to remove any build upward. This will assist in keeping the wick raiser working smoothly in the future.

Re-assemble the oil lamp and the wick raiser should be able to raise and lower the center draft wick smoothly. If information technology however isn't free after this time, then generally in that location is a problem with the wick raising mechanism itself…..but that's a whole other story.