It lacks feet but has a tiny tray (a half dish) next to the snipping blade that captures the part of hot wick that was trimmed off. These are particularly suited to putting out candles that have just been lighted just a short time, such as dinner table candles.Ī second type of trimmer is more like a pair of scissors with an extra part. In addition, wick trimmers come in two main types: The classic sort of trimmer has three parts besides the scissor-like handles: When closed on a wick, a small paddle pushes the wick across the cutting blade and into a tiny side-cap, snuffing out any flame on the cut portion and simultaneously stowing the cut bit in a tiny storage area. Real wick trimmers nearly always have tiny feet to raise the tool above tablecloths and tabletops when resting. Moreover, one couldn’t put the scissors down anywhere without leaving soot behind, and what would one do with a bit of hot wick? One could use ordinary household scissors to snip off excess wicks from candles but the scissors would soon become grimy and leave a mess behind. Understandably, to forestall sooty mess, most parents insist on children (and guests) not blowing out lit tapers but instead using snuffers or wick trimmers. In Edwardian times, fancy wick trimmers were often laid out on hall tables to make them handy (and show off the ornate designs). Some sets of very elaborate sterling silver dinnerware might have a wick trimmer as a supplementary item. Because large houses could make use of several of trimming tools, in Victorian times, a wick trimmer was the sort of small item that was often given as guest or holiday gifts. Most vintage wick trimmers are made of brass or black iron, although some especially decorative ones were plated in silver. Also, portions of used wicks are very sooty and must be disposed of properly to avoid stains and mess. Later, when relit, trimmed wicks of the proper length would burn without smoke or excess flame. ![]() In big houses, one person’s daily task would be to go from room to room to trim the wicks of both used candles and any oil lamps. After flames burned for many hours, old light fixtures created long messy used wicks, and properly trimming those wicks was a serious job. Open flames were the main sources of light during nighttime until the early 20th century. The wicks of most old candles and all lamp wicks needed a bit of tending after each burning, and a tool was used to trim and clean away the litter. They are a kind of special scissors whose purpose is to trim the wicks on candles and especially on kerosene and other oil lamps, making them a short length that would burn cleanly. “Out of the Attic” features artifacts from the collection of the Des Moines County Historical Society.Do you know what wick trimmers are? Probably your great-grandmother had one or more pairs of them and used them daily. Today’s wick trimmers are more like a medical clamp in design than the scissor-like design of our object. Wick trimmers are still available today, but the style has evolved over the years. Moody, who received them from the Garrett-Phelps family. The wick trimmers came into our care in September 1966, courtesy of Mr. Later natural gas would take over, and then electricity, in the 1930s. They first were supplanted by whale oil lamps, then kerosene. Wick trimmers eventually would fall out of favor, along with candles as a primary light source. William Garrett would go on to build what now is the Garrett-Phelps house, located at the top of Snake Alley in 1851. The Garrett’s likely brought them with them when they immigrated to Burlington from Kentucky. The wick trimmers are thought to date to between the turn of the 19th century and the mid-1850s. Judge Rorer hosted the meeting that incorporated Burlington in his office in 1836 and was later involved in much of early Des Moines County’s history, including some runaway slave trials that were held in Burlington. Garrett married Martha Rorer, daughter of Judge David Rorer. William Garrett (patriarch of the Garrett-Phelps family) came to Burlington on 11 April, 1836. So why are these wick trimmers special? Well, it’s because they belonged to one of the early families in Burlington. ![]() And until the mid-1800s, they were the prime way of trimming the wicks without extinguishing the candle. The box shape is where the trimmed wicks are held until the user dumps them in the bin and disposes of them. Our wick trimmer has small pegs on the underside that allow for the heated metal to sit horizontally without damaging the surface below. The scissor design of these trimmers allows for candle wicks to be trimmed to the ideal ¼” to ⅛” length that allows for the candle to burn cleanly and produce the most possible light.
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