Why the asbestos packing in lantern generators?

Is it necessary to replace the asbestos with lighter wick? What was it's purpose? Just started collecting and have a half dozen early nickel lanterns. Coleman, Akron, and Nu Light. Thank-you for your help

 

Easily answered. Yes.

Not so easily answered.
There are a lot of purposes and the fuel used is just part of what determans what the packing does.
It can be a filter or a flow control. It is used to control pulsing. It controls the pressure at the jet end of the vapouriser.
It is used for "cracking" the molecules in the fuel. Or even as a heat sink in the vapouriser.

Packing is not always a wick. It can be sand, Carborundum. steel rods or a spring.

I do not pretend to understand how it all works and if the guys developing lamps did rather than just wing it, hats off to them.

 

Interesting stuff @Anthony . I have a couple of q99 generators to "rebuild" so very helpful
cheers
Chris

 

Easily answered, NO !
Why would you want to ? It's inside a brass tube out of harms way, leave it where it is.

This post is about cleaning Q99 generators but the method can be used for most, if not all, older generators especially where replacements are difficult (if not impossible) to find and expensive to boot.

Restoring Q99's & safe starting procedure for Quick-Lites

 

I had one that crumbled away so I used solder wick. It was only going to be temporary but it seems to work fine so it's still in there