I have had a Janome machine for 10 years. No one told me about the wick when I got the machine and I couldn't find any information in the instruction book. The first time I cleaned the bobbin area, I thought the wick was a piece of lint. Took a lot of trouble, but I managed to remove it. That is when I realized what it was. I thought I broke my machine. I was able to get it back in and the machine has worked wonderfully ever since. I'm thinking that I narrowly escaped trouble. Lucky, I guess.
Sue