Carol Tripp on wed 12 nov 03
I was reading and trying to follow Hal Silverman's "Flames" article in the
Sept/Oct PMI but I got lost. I know nothing about wicks in oil. Googling
didn't help because it just gets one sites to buy wicks. Could someone
please explain about wicks and wick holders for use in oil-holding stoneware
recepticals?
(And I do know that the clay must be vitrified so the oil doesn't leak.
I've read those posts...)
The only wicks I know are the ones in candles that disappear as they burn.
I don't think this happens in the oil type thing.. And what is the purpose
of a wick holder? Wouldn't a small plug of clay with a hole through it work
or am I missing something? (Well, it's obvious I'm missing rather alot.)
Any recommended suppliers of proper wicks and wick holders?
Maybe I should get out more and waste some time shopping and I would see
these types of things and be a more well rounded person. Oh, never mind.
Thanks and best regards,
Carol
Dubai, UAE
Where my clay and glaze chem shipment finally made it to my door. And in
the time honoured tradition of taking a delivery in Dubai, the driver gets
to call twice on his mobile to get directions to the house. The third time
he calls and is still lost and I get to say "Where are you? I come find you
in my car." Works like a charm. (The map I had faxed must be scratch
paper somewhere.)
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ASHPOTS@AOL.COM on wed 12 nov 03
Carol,, i make different types of oil lamps. Yes you can just use a clay
bead. I make beads and drill the hole using a drill and bit.
If you make oil lamps its important to use a sealer . I fire cone 10 and i
still use a sealer from Axner. Ive been doing this for years. I dont want
someone walking up to me and say that my oil lamp leaked and ruined their old
$4,000 table
Axner doesNOT pay me to say this
Mark
www.lookoutmountainpottery.com
David Hendley on wed 12 nov 03
Wicks for oil candles can be made of cotton or Fiberglas. The cotton
ones burn, the Fiberglas ones do not.
I think it is worth the extra cost to buy Fiberglas.
The purpose of the wick holder is ......... to hold the wick. Nothing more.
Yes, a ball of clay with a hole through it can serve this purpose fine.
I make all my wick holders. This gives me the opportunity to make
my own unique wick holders, rather than buying the generic variety.
Using small press molds, I make some that look like shells and some
that look like frogs!
You can see a picture of some of my oil candles with clay wick holders
at my website, http://www.farmpots.com/pottery.htm, towards the
bottom of the page.
I usually buy the Fiberglas wick from Aftosa (http://www.aftosa.com)
or Bailey Pottery Supply.
David Hendley
david@farmpots.com
http://www.farmpots.com
----- Original Message -----
> The only wicks I know are the ones in candles that disappear as they burn.
> I don't think this happens in the oil type thing.. And what is the
purpose
> of a wick holder? Wouldn't a small plug of clay with a hole through it
work
> or am I missing something? (Well, it's obvious I'm missing rather alot.)
>
> Any recommended suppliers of proper wicks and wick holders?
>
Janet Kaiser on wed 12 nov 03
Hi Carol! Just a quick note because I am sure you will get many
replies from across the Pond... I shall try to answer all your
questions though...
Yes, candle wicks and lamp wicks are the same thing really. They
are made from woven cotton. However, it may take a bit of hit and
miss testing to find the right thickness for the job at hand.
Ever thought why some candles never burn well, keep extinguishing
themselves, flood, etc? It is usually because the wrong wick has
been used... Same if a candle runs away with itself... The gauge
of the wick was too large. Same thing for oil lamps btw. A large
reservoir needs a larger wick than a tiddly little one.
I'll try taking some photos of our various ceramic lamps so you
can get an idea of the range of possibilities. The two which I
use most are:
1) a sort of "Aladdin's Lamp" type with a simple little "ball" of
clay as a "stopper" which has a hole through it and the wick
pulled through. It is not solid, but about the size of an extra
large cherry or small walnut with only the top glazed so it can
be glost fired in situ. (The photo I shall send is thrown
stoneware and hollow).
2) more "sophisticated" with a brass nipple to do the same job of
holding the wick. The nipple fits neatly into a hole in top of
the lamp. I presume this is what the article refers to... You are
naturally quite right... There is no urgent need to buy these
until you have progressed to wanting them for aesthetic or other
reasons.
With both these types, the wick goes down into the container
holding the oil, paraffin or whatever. Trimming the wick is the
only way it gets any shorter. Unlike a candle wick which burns
down as it uses up the fuel (the wax), lamp wicks are being fed
from the liquid reservoir below, so they do not burn away unless
the lamp runs out of fuel.
Of the two sorts, I prefer the one with a clay wick holder
because it has a generous sized opening into which the
oil/paraffin is poured. The little brass wick holder is fiddly
and I need a tiny funnel to fill the lamp(s). Being a born Klutz,
this gets very messy!
Either way, the length of wick should be enough to stretch from
the top of the wick holder to the bottom of the lamp base so
capillary action will fed up fuel right to the "last drop".
This should never happen (it causes smoking if the fuel runs out
and shortens the wick) but of course occasionally one lights the
lamp without checking fuel level first... It is a "ditzy" thing
to do, like jumping in the car and driving off without checking
the tank first...
Even more sophisticated lamps have a metal holder and a band of
"wick" which is formed into a circle and placed into a narrow
bed. These are the short with a little knob which turns the wick
up (more light) or down (less light and/or "out"). They usually
have a glass shade. Even MORE sophisticated lamps have a
"mantle"... But I guess that is way beyond the scope of your
questions or needs.
You have to know all about "wick trimming" to make these oil
lamps burn evenly cleanly, as they can be very smelly & dirty if
you don't. An oil lamp, let alone a smoking one would probably
horrify modern health & safety experts!! My early childhood was
in a part of the country before electric was brought in and we
still have many power cuts through the winter, so I sort of know
how although it was my father's job to fill and trim the
lamps.... It is certainly one of those things it would be
difficult to explain without a demo...
I will e-mail you some photos anon... They will be somewhat dim
as it is dark here and I do not have any fancy set up... Just
point and click. Let me know if you need more info or
clarification!
Cheers!
Janet :o)
*** IN REPLY TO THE FOLLOWING MAIL:
>I was reading and trying to follow Hal Silverman's "Flames"
article in the
>Sept/Oct PMI but I got lost. I know nothing about wicks in oil.
Googling
>didn't help because it just gets one sites to buy wicks. Could
someone
>please explain about wicks and wick holders for use in
oil-holding
>stoneware recepticals? (And I do know that the clay must be
vitrified so the oil doesn't leak. I've read those posts...) The
only wicks I know are the ones in candles that disappear as they
burn. I don't think this happens in the oil type thing.. And
what is the purpose of a wick holder? Wouldn't a small plug of
clay with a hole through it work or am I missing something?
(Well, it's obvious I'm missing rather alot.)
*** THE MAIL FROM Carol Tripp ENDS HERE ***
***********************************************************
The top posted mail was sent by Janet Kaiser
The Chapel of Art : Capel Celfyddyd
8 Marine Crescent : Criccieth : Wales : UK
Centre of Excellence for The Arts
Home of The International Potters' Path
Tel: ++44 (01766) 523570 http://www.the-coa.org.uk
Open: 13.00 to 17.00hrs : Tuesday to Saturday
************** AVG Virus Protected ********************
Mary White on wed 12 nov 03
Carol, thank you for making me feel less of a dummy. I read that
article three times before I understood it, and I still didn't feel I
had enough information to attempt making the lamps. I think a
cross-sectional drawing or photo would have helped, so you could see
exactly what's going on inside them.
Mary
Madeira Park, British Columbia
>I was reading and trying to follow Hal Silverman's "Flames" article in the
>Sept/Oct PMI but I got lost. I know nothing about wicks in oil. Googling
>didn't help because it just gets one sites to buy wicks. Could someone
>please explain about wicks and wick holders for use in oil-holding stoneware
>recepticals?
>(And I do know that the clay must be vitrified so the oil doesn't leak.
>I've read those posts...)
>
>
>
>Thanks and best regards,
>Carol
>Dubai, UAE
>
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