The cotton packing in the pot is like a tank baffle. It's job is to soak up some of the kero so it doesn't spill out around the fount when waving the lantern giving signals. You can add kero right to it.
When filling a dry lantern bring the kero up to about 1/4 inch below the top of the pot. Insert the fount the correct way so the wick drops into the pot and draws kero up from the bottom. When the fluid reaches the wick tube crank the wick out the top of the fount a couple of inches, turn the fount upside down and drop the wick into the pot so the top (burn edge) gets wet. When kero has soaked in from the top so the whole wick is wet, roll the wick back down to about 1/8 of an inch showing and lock the fount into the pot. Be sure the wick has a clean edge with no string or fray on the end. Watch the lantern for a few minutes after it is lit until the parts get hot. As the lantern globe and chimney heat up the draft improves, you may have to roll the wick back in a little so it doesn't smoke. Lanterns will smoke if there too much wick showing, this wastes fuel and soots the globe and chimney.
