Perfection heaters used a removable font which sat in the bottom of the hinged tip-over body assembly.  The modern font on the right is galvanized steel, whereas pre-war fonts were made of brass.  Both parts should be polished with a quality auto polish to prevent rusting or oxidation.

~~~REMOVE THE OLD WICK~~~

When that portion of the wick that projects above the metal wick carrier has been burned away in use and the wick refuses to turn up any further, remove it and insert a new wick.

1. Remove Flame Spreader.  Clean any soot from the flame spreader, paying particular attention to keeping the air holes clear of any debris.  Even the top of the flame spreader (far right) should be cleaned & polished for best results.

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2. Remove the Gallery by turning counter clockwise.  That is often easier said than done, as the threads on the bottom of the gallery can become corroded to the font.  The sides of the gallery are fragile, being filigreed with air holes; if the gallery does not remove easily, a strap wrench on the bottom offers a better chance of removal without damage.  After removal, apply silicone or high temperature grease to threads after cleaning them off. If the gallery is stuck:  Go slowly!  Read below for some clues.

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3. Turn wick up as high as it will go with adjusting wheel.    (DO NOT force the adjusting wheel. See below for stuck wicks.) 4. Pull out both the used wick and metal carrier from the wick tube and throw them away. Click on the photo on the right to enlarge it, and the cog wheels which raise and lower the wick are quite visible.

TO REMOVE AN OLD WICK IF IT IS STUCK Old Perfection heaters are being refurbished and put back into service.  Sometimes these heaters have not been used for decades, and the wick raising mechanism does not readily move the wick.   DO NOT FORCE THE WICK TO MOVE USING THE WICK ADJUSTER!  The usual problem with a stuck wick is the wick being glued (old fuel residue) or rusted to (ambient moisture) the center air pillar. You do NOT want to try moving the wick with the wick adjuster, as that will just strip the gears and star wheels. Use a slender blade knife, like a fillet knife, and slip it between the wick and the central air pillar. Work the blade all the way around the central air pillar to loosen anything holding the wick to the tube. Then grab the WICK CARRIER with your fingers or even pliers - on opposite sides of the wick carrier - and pull the wick straight up and out.

 ~~~ TO INSERT A NEW WICK~~~ 

5. Remove new wick from carton and straighten out folded-in ends of wick. 6. Place wick, split end down, over the wick tube. See that split side of wick straddles the two cog-wheels that operate wick carrier (see photo above). Force wick down until cog-wheels engage with holes in metal wick carrier. (Should the wick catch while forcing carrier down, it is due to the small points at top of wick carrier catching over the wick tube. Apply pressure on carrier so as to release these points.) 7. Turn wick down as far as it will go by means of adjusting wheel.

Perfection    500 wick - made in England by Hattersley  $10.95

ALTERNATIVE:  You can keep an old Perfection, Wards, Barler, Valor, Canaveral Model 8500, Savoil D-81 (Ypsilanti, MI) or other Perfection clone working by sewing a new wick into your old carrier!  This wick works perfectly with the steel sleeve in all Perfection heaters. When measured flat, wick is approx 4 3/16" wide and 8 1/2" long. Wick is pre-charred and ready to install.  The rivets and old wick are removed and the wick is then sewn into the carrier. Sew with 1 5/8" (40mm) exposed above carrier.  When wick burns down, cut threads, raise wick to expose 1 5/8" more wick, and reattach.  Double the wick life!  EXCLUSIVE!  Wick specially made for me by Hattersley in England.  Click photo to enlarge.   $8.95@ + S&H

Wick #5L, $9.95@

Perfection 300 and 400 series heaters: there are no ready-made commercial wicks available.  Cut bottom of wick #5L so 5 to 5 1/8" remains. Its easy to get the old wick material out of the old carrier. Just pry up on the tabs at the bottom with a thin screwdriver and after you put the new wick in just clamp the tabs down with pliers.  Click here for pictorial directions.

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8. Replace gallery by turning clockwise as far as possible. Be sure that the threads on bottom of the gallery squarely engage threads on reservoir. 9. Turn the wick up level with the top of the wick tube. (If uneven, level it by pulling up the low side of the wick.) Clip any loose threads or raveling projecting from the top of wick with scissors. 10. Replace flame spreader. Fill reservoir with kerosene and allow the wick to soak for a half hour before lighting.

 

To Fill Reservoir

Tilt upper drum back and remove reservoir. Lift up filler cap and fill the reservoir with a good grade of kerosene. If the reservoir is full the rod in the center of the filler cap will be raised about two inches above the filler cap. This rod, which is part of the built-in fuel gage will return to its original position as the kerosene is used up. Replace reservoir in heater.

To Light Burner

1. With wick turned down, first make sure that flame spreader is secure in its position on top of wick tube and that gallery is screwed down tight.

2. After giving wick time to become saturated with kerosene, using hand wheel, turn wick up until flame spreader stops it.

3. Apply lighted match to SIDE of wick in several places.  Adjust flame height after the flame spreader attains maximum heat.

4. Close heater and make sure that catch is securely fastened. The safety catch should be locked under the lowest lug. If heater has a spring catch, make sure that it snaps into the closed position.

To Extinguish Flame

Turn wick down as far as it will go. This will permit flame spreader to drop on top of wick tubes and extinguish flame.

Storage Precautions

When heater is not to be used for a month or longer, empty reservoir and store heater in a dry place. If there is danger of rust, steel drums should be protected with oil, or better yet, by cleaning, then polishing with a good grade of liquid auto polish.