Dry wick, whole dropper at once, etc. You're basically looking at "how long it takes to saturate the wick".
As it saturates, the initial fluid volume maximum increases as the wick airspaces fill. But we're only talking seconds to half a minute; fill slow at first. Once wet, you can be a little faster. Filling to the brim I'd use more caution and rest time before running.
Some fluids aren't as safe as others for plastic/paints/boards or even some metals. Not to mention layout ground covers soaking if in.
Don't run them dry if on. If you insist on it, revert to a track powered pw ni-chrome element. That can handle red hot and dry ok .
