For most of us, a lighter is a cheap $2 plastic tool that serves a purpose, and little more. Some of us may go so far as to have a nice Zippo, or perhaps a windproof lighter for better outdoor performance. But if you’re a machinist, you could consider whipping yourself up something special, like this build by [W&M Levsha].
There’s plenty to love here for those who love making chips. The body is crafted out of brass and copper, soldered together by blowtorch. The lighter works by an unusual mechanism. The fluid tank is stuffed with cotton wool and filled with lighter fluid, which feeds a wick, which by itself, is fairly ordinary. However, ignition is via a spring-loaded aluminium hammer, which fires off a paper cap, igniting the wick. The flame can then be extinguished by blowing it out.
It’s a lighter that’s sure to be a conversation piece, though we wonder how welcome it’s cracking report will be at a quiet, reserved cigar bar. The mechanism may have more consumables than a typical lighter, but that’s the price paid to be truly unique. There are other creative designs out there too, like this lighter which uses a platinum catalyst for ignition. Video after the break.
You don’t light up a cigar with a zippo, tastes like kerosene if you do that.
With some cigars, that is an improvement
The petrol fumes are a nice kicker to the head rush you get from the nicotine, wouldn’t be the same without it.
Reds and a Zippo….. nothing better.
Hardly ever, you just have to let the initial flame kick go and then its fine. (Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d73ffQv5rmo)
0:32…
Only a few (12% of the population) understand this frustrating feeling …
…but one day we will take over this planet:)
Come on, it’s only 11.51%, rounding up flatters y’all too much because it’s 4.257% too high.
+1
Another lefty
I didn’t even realize you could still get caps anywhere.
He’s not in the US.
The paper kind I would bet, but the plastic revolver types have pretty much disappeared.
You could pick the paper discs out with a needle and tap the powder out, which was quite dangerous once you got a small pile going because it would really go off with a bang from the slightest provocation. When we were kids, we took a discarded hair dryer and pulled all the heating wire out of it, because the old models had this thin exposed spring going around a fiberglass form, and used the wire and the powder from the caps to make DIY blasting caps. In retrospect, it’s fortunate we only found the kind of fertilizer that was adulterated for safety, so our experiments never worked.
Neither did I. But I looked it up after reading this story. You can order them online or buy them at Tractor Supply (and likely other places). Both the paper kind that this lighter uses and the plastic ones are available.
My childhood memories of caps mostly involve hitting them with a rock. Wasn’t really into play involving toy guns, though there was no family prohibition of them.
Both paper and plastic caps are available in the toy/school supply aisle in grocery stores in the Washington DC area. And of course any adult can buy a gallon sized jug of black powder at any gun store.
Single Action Only (SAO) Lighter
> though we wonder how welcome it’s cracking report will be at a quiet, reserved cigar bar.
With no compression,/containment, there is no report. Editors??? C’monnnn 🤨
BillSF9c
That’s not true.
Awesome!
What’s the black material he uses for the sides, and what’s the white stuff he uses for the inlay?
Looks like Delrin (aka Acetal) most likely, but could just as well be black PVC.
Thanks!
White appears to be paint – possibly quick drying NC (nitrocellulose) paint, although for something like this, any kind of oil based paint could work.
Wow. I have absolutely no need of a cigarette lighter – but I want that one. I can’t guess how much time went into the thought processes to design this, but it’s an amazing piece of work.
When I was about 12, I made I guess what you’d call a trench lighter style thing with the back end of a reel cap gun and a twist of charred tissue. You could blow on it to get the ember nice and hot and actually flame when the whole end was lit. I didn’t though think of or act upon the idea of stuffing it into a tank with a fuel… they kept flammable liquids away from me for some reason.