When a center draft wick in an oil lamp won’t move freely, it is usually because it has been dry for a long period and the wick fibers are stuck to the draft tube.
If the wick won’t move freely using the wick raiser, do not attempt to force it. If you do force it, there is a strong likelihood that you will damage the wick raising mechanism and it may not be possible to repair it.
In the majority of instances, all that is needed to free up the center draft wick is to break the bond between the wick and the tube.
The following steps will guide you through the process.
- Fill the lamp with enough oil (kerosene) to cover the bottom of the wick.
- Let it stand for a while so that the wick can draw the oil up. Often it only takes an hour or two to loosen the wick but occasionally it 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 be reduced.
The next step depends on the type of burner on your oil lamp and here are some examples.
Early style center draft wick pull lamp
Fully assembled before you start
Burner and flame spreader removed from font
Grip wick on tube and twist gently back and forth
With earlier style oil lamps such as this one, remove the flame spreader and the burner to expose the wick around the draft tube.
Grip the wick with your hand and gently turn it backwards and forwards around the wick tube. If it still won’t move, leave it to soak a while longer. Once the wick moves freely on the tube you can then test to see if the wick raising mechanism is working properly.
Please note: If you decide to remove the wick completely, take particular note of how the wick is secured around the draft tube so that you can re-assemble it correctly.
Later style center draft wick winder lamp
For later style oil lamps where the wick and the wick raiser is incorporated into the burner, the procedure is a little different.
Fully assembled before starting
Wick is integrated into the burner assembly
Again, remove the flame spreader first.
Now unscrew the burner a little then work it backwards and forwards (a little more each time) to free up the wick. If it is still hard to move, leave it 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 up. 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 it still isn’t free after this time, then generally there is a problem with the wick raising mechanism itself…..but that’s a whole other story.
