wick can touch wickhole and bottom of tank. Properly oxidized wick won't care 'bout no touchy. Folks are plugging un-oxidized wicks into the hole and "pulsing" the coil's path of contact into the mesh. Check out a vid or thread on un-oxidized wick or pulsing in to set up wick. I'm starting to gather that you can't do this with just any device. Personally, I just do a light torch; maybe even only on the last 1" of wick (which will be the outside) and pulse my coil in. (the shorts actually oxidize the wick just where the coil touches). It's a bit of a hassle, tho, cause when you go to pick your coil to distribute tension, your wire moves off its oxidized path. That's why I do a light torch.