9. Preparation of Apparatus 9.1 Place the lamp in a vertical position in a room where it can be completely protected from drafts. Carefully inspect each new lamp to ensure that the air holes in the gallery and the air inlets to the candle holder are all clean, unrestricted and of proper size. The gallery shall be so located that the air holes are completely unobstructed.
NOTE 3—Slight variations in these items all have a marked effect on the precision of the result obtained.
9.1.1 If the room is not completely draft-free, place the lamp in a vertical position in a box constructed of heat-resistant material (not containing asbestos), open at the front. The top of the box shall be at least 150 mm above the top of the chimney and the inside of the box painted dull black. 9.2 Extract all wicks, either new or from a previous determination, for at least 25 cycles in an extractor, using a mixture of equal volumes of toluene and anhydrous methanol. Allow the wicks to dry partially in a hood before placing in the oven, or use a forced-draft and explosion-proof oven for drying wicks, or both. Dry for 30 min at 100 to 110°C and store in a dessicator until used.