A few different zippo questions

M

mr.trooper

Joined
Dec 5, 2005
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Yes I did a search. No it didnt answer all of my questions. :)

First off, Iv gotten conflicting information on kerosene. Will this work in a standard zippo? Some say yes some say no. Can someone who knows for sure answer this question?

Secondly, I have a questiona bout storing your fuel in a flask. Iv had zippos in the past. I dont anymore because i have a bad habit of loosing small expansive things. :( I dont smoke, so i hardly ever used mine. Even with no use, and stored in its tin, I dont think i ever got mine to light more than 5 or 6 days later. How much longer, in a survival situation, could you make your fuel last if you stored it in an air tight flask and only put enough fuel in the lighter to last the day? Say enough to light 2 fires before a refill; for me i think that would be about 10 seconds worth of fuel.

Iv been thinking about getting another zippo for use an an additional fire starting method. It seems like the slim zippos would hold less cotton, and therefore require less fuel to become saturated enough to light. Since I wont be keeping much fuel in it at all, this makes for sense.
 
Use matches or something else. As cool as Zippos are, there are many superior fire devices for wilderness use.
 
Jamesh Bond said:
Use matches or something else. As cool as Zippos are, there are many superior fire devices for wilderness use.
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Thank you for your imput.

Im not using this as my primary metod. Im not using this as my secondary method. I have lots of other fire starting methods in my kit.

My kit is prety light. I was looking into the zippo so that i would be able to make use of any volitile fuels i came across.

Can someone answer my original questions please?

*EDIT*

O, what about this permanent match? Can I use Kerosene with that as well or is it lighter fluid only? Thanks!
 
kerosene will not work in a zippo lighter, certain kinds will light once or twice, but the lighter will be useless until it is completely cleaned out and re-fuelled.

what will work

any brand of lighter fluid. zippo fluid has the lowest rate of evaporation, and highest intensity flame

Charcoal BBQ fuel will work, though not as well as lighter fluid

pure naptha, such as hi-test racing fuel, or remote control gas powered car fuel

pure gasoline will also work, though it is dangerous to use and you will need to air out the zippo insert before re-fueling it.

rubbing alcohol will not work. dont try it.

if you want to extend the amount of fuel you have in your zippo so it will last longer with out evaporating here are some tips.
clean the insert of the case regularly, clean the wick with lighter fluid, and if necessary trim it down if it is too blackened. Occasionally let the cotton air out, or just replace it, this will help keep down evaporation greatly (normal cotton works, ive heard crazy substitutes though...i.e something you might need to ask your girlfriend for..)
bend the which to the right (near the flint) this will make the flame smaller and thusly consume less fuel.
carry the lighter cap down, this pushes the fuel towards the wick and slows evaporation

also Zippo sells a portable lighter fluid can. Its small and cheap (less then 10$)and you can easily refuel a lighter 4 or 5 times with it. I managed to start 3 fires with the amount of fuel it holds. Though wilderness experts who know how to get quality tinder would use far less fuel then I did.

if you need a more extensive list, check out the lightertricks.com forum.
 
wannabemarine said:
pure naptha, such as hi-test racing fuel, or remote control gas powered car fuel.
Click to expand...

I've used an automotive grade wax and grease remover that is mostly Heavy Naptha and a little propanol. A 5-liter (1.32 Gallon) can costs about $50 and will last a lifetime.
 
I used to run my zippo on coleman fuel. It burns dirty and doesn't seem to last as long, but it works every time. If you just carried a bottle of lighter fluid, and kept your zippo fueled, it would still last quite a long time. When I used my zippo daily for lighting cancer, I would usually buy a new bottle of fluid every couple of months, IIRC.
 
Originally posted by mr.trooper

"My kit is prety light. I was looking into the zippo so that i would be able to make use of any volitile fuels i came across."
Click to expand...

The permanent match works with volatile fuels... works with more of them than a Zippo does (such as rubbing alcohol), because the fuel is in an airtight chamber, and therefore doesn't quickly evaporate. It's also smaller than a Zippo, and cheaper. Waterproof, too. And if you run out of fuel, you still have a built in ferrocerium rod and striker.

I understand the desire to have a back up firestarter which runs on volatile liquid fuels, since butane lighters work poorly at high altitude, extreme cold, etc. Permanent matches are in almost every way superior to Zippos for survival use, except: (1) they're 2 handed; (2) they hold less fuel.
 
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