Have not seen this method before exactly but it relies on the pancake concept (what I believe the pancake is actually doing and why that works). Here's an easier way to get better results:
Just cut the wick ends so they are flush with where the sides of the chimney will be. Cut following the contours of where the chimney will be -- so the wick ends actually end up angled or rounded along that contour.
Wet ends of wick with a couple drops of juice so they get sticky and formable. Using a tweezer or toothpick, move the bottom bit of the wick so it touches the deck but short of the juice channel -- do not allow any of the wick to cover or touch the juice channel. Using the toothpick, form a vertical well in the cotton around the juice channel at each end of the wick. Looking down from the top, there will be no cotton covering the juice channel but it will form a small "U" surrounding it, with the top of the "U" flush with where the side of the chimney will be. The chimney will seal at the top of the "U."
The cotton shaped this way forms a small well of juice at the juice channel inside the chimney and it performs exceptionally well with thick juice, and no leaks, even with thinner juices. It tends not to leak because of that wall of cotton forming the well. The wetter it gets, the less permeable, at least in theory, it gets. Less wet, more permeable, so self-regulating to keep itself wet. Anyway, it works exceptionally well.
That's all there is to it. I'll try to get some pictures up so it makes more sense.
Edit: Pictures follow . . .
Just cut the wick ends so they are flush with where the sides of the chimney will be. Cut following the contours of where the chimney will be -- so the wick ends actually end up angled or rounded along that contour.
Wet ends of wick with a couple drops of juice so they get sticky and formable. Using a tweezer or toothpick, move the bottom bit of the wick so it touches the deck but short of the juice channel -- do not allow any of the wick to cover or touch the juice channel. Using the toothpick, form a vertical well in the cotton around the juice channel at each end of the wick. Looking down from the top, there will be no cotton covering the juice channel but it will form a small "U" surrounding it, with the top of the "U" flush with where the side of the chimney will be. The chimney will seal at the top of the "U."
The cotton shaped this way forms a small well of juice at the juice channel inside the chimney and it performs exceptionally well with thick juice, and no leaks, even with thinner juices. It tends not to leak because of that wall of cotton forming the well. The wetter it gets, the less permeable, at least in theory, it gets. Less wet, more permeable, so self-regulating to keep itself wet. Anyway, it works exceptionally well.
That's all there is to it. I'll try to get some pictures up so it makes more sense.
Edit: Pictures follow . . .
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