As I posted previously, I made a torch from a small jar with a hole punched in the lid. My first attempt for a wick was some 3/16" braided rope but it must have been made of dacron or something similar. Problem was that it burned rather than the kerosene. Then I found a wick of similar size made of fiberglass. That worked.

It appears to me that the key to getting sooty smoke is to use kerosene. The other fuels for lanterns are made to be smokeless and odorless. They don't work.