Huntsville gazette., 1890-04-05
TRIMMING LAMPS.
Some Practical Suggestions That Should
BE Remembered.

Some Practical Suggestions That Should
BE Remembered.
The commonest mistake, and one OF
the worst, is to permit the draft of the
burner to become clogged with charred
wick, pieces of burned matches, etc.
Some people do not seem to know that
the flame of the lamp requires clear
draft, as does fire. Without it there
is imperfect combustion, Pickering,
smoking and bad smell, which are usual
ly charged to the oil, the lamp, the
burner or the chimney, when in fact the
fault is in the user. Keep the inside as
we'll as the outside of the burner clean
and keep all openings completely free
from even the least obstruction.
More mistakes are made in trimming
the wick too often or not often enough,
too much or too little 1t is not always
necessary to trim it every day. Usual
ly, indeed, every other day is sufficient
ly frequent, if the lamp has been fully
supplied with oil. Be guided by the
amount of use. Do not cut off all the
charred portion. Leave a thin coat of
the char on the end of the wick. 1t is
next to impossible to get an even, we'll
shaped fame from fresh-cut wick.
Slightly round the corners to prevent
the fame spreading too wide and over
heating the sides of the chimney. DO
not let the wick get too short. When it
does not touch the bottom of the lamp
it is time to get new one, and it should
be done at once. Never seek to length
hrvc ct,.io of ri
that the wick exactly fits the tube, but
not tightly. In putting in a new wick
be careful not to let thread of the
warp catch in the teeth of the rachel
and pull out; It will make trouble ever
after. A wick should be discarded and
a new one substituted after years use,
even if still long enough.
OF course, the wick must be perfectly
dry when put in. and in starting new
lamp that has been washed or an old one
that has been cleaned. the utmost care
must be taken that every atom of moist
ure has been dried out before the oil is
put in. he sure to give the wick time
to fill with oil before lighting it; or if
haste is necessary, turn the dry wick far
above the top of the burner and dip that
end in the oil in the lamp; turn it back,
reverse the burner, screw itin place and
the wick is ready to light.
Make sure that the chimney fits close
at the base. Occasionally chimney
will be found slightly rounded on the
bottom so that there is always a little
crevice on one side or the other. This
causes side draft, makes the blaze un-
steady and often puzzles the house
keeper to discover what ails the
lamp"
One more error is to burn the lamp
with the oil in the reservoir too low.
This not only causes imperfect combus-
tion of oil and over-burning of the wick,
but is dangerous. At the very least the
oil should not get below an inch in
depth, and it is much better to keep the
lamp nearly full. Never fill it quite
full up to the burner socket. Leave a
small air-space, for safety and to allow
for the expansion of the oil when
warmed. 1t is usually cold when put
in, and if the lamp be completely filled,
and left in warm room, it will soon be
found flowing over the top. Use only
the best oil. Cheap oil is much the
more expensive, besides being unsafe
Good Housekeeping.