Journal · 9 July 2026
Wick length against the prior session
Lay the two sessions so they touch
On paper this is literal. The prior session's print sits on the left. Today's developing session sits on the right, edges touching, so the prior high is a line you can see without squinting at a scale.
The clinic does this with one shared sheet. At home, two printed pages and a weight on the corners are enough. The point is to stop judging a wick by how dramatic it felt while it was printing.
What the length is compared with
Compare the wick with the bodies of the prior session, not with the longest wick you remember from another market. A wick that merely matches an ordinary prior body and then closes back inside is ordinary noise at the edge.
A wick that runs well beyond the prior high and still closes back inside is a stronger rejection. It is still a rejection. The studio does not promote it to a break because the journey was long.
A close beyond, with a small wick
The opposite case causes less excitement and more useful folders. A small body closes just outside the prior high, wick short, and students shrug because the picture is not theatrical. That close is the candidate. The retest, if your plan asks for one, is a separate decision written on line three of the margin.
Arun keeps a tray of these dull closes from old clinics. They are the sheets people misfile when they are hunting for fireworks.