Show off your traditional knife and Lighter

ill have to break some out, was quite an accumulator of zippos in my younger day. Even broke a few of em quite a few times for the hobby of zippo flipping. Nice way to get some inserts from Zippo
 
mrknife said:
ill have to break some out, was quite an accumulator of zippos in my younger day. Even broke a few of em quite a few times for the hobby of zippo flipping. Nice way to get some inserts from Zippo
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I forgot about Zippo flipping! I gotta find one of my old Zippos! :D
 
oft3Sed.jpg


these were the handy ones, one from the good old days, broken and repaired by Zippo many times. The faux aged patina is my edc for rendezvous times and that other one I found in college.
 
Here is all I have to say, throw away the insert as soon as you get a zippo and replace immediately with butane insert. It's life changing, just as reliable, less mess, one can of butane will last you for years, and there is virtually no evaporation when stored for long periods of time. Now that zippo makes the inserts I get them, but used the thunderbird ones for ever.

I also don't smoke, but like having a lighter, doesn't get cooler than a zippo, but it's time to.join the modern era and go with the conversions.
 
Yo Mama said:
Here is all I have to say, throw away the insert as soon as you get a zippo and replace immediately with butane insert. It's life changing, just as reliable, less mess, one can of butane will last you for years, and there is virtually no evaporation when stored for long periods of time. Now that zippo makes the inserts I get them, but used the thunderbird ones for ever.

I also don't smoke, but like having a lighter, doesn't get cooler than a zippo, but it's time to.join the modern era and go with the conversions.
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If I didn't smoke I would most likely go butane 100%. It's hard to say. However, I do smoke and can maybe offer a different perspective 🙂

I appreciate the weekly ritual of topping off my Zippo with fuel. Like oiling my blades to prevent rust. Could I just buy stainless? Yes, it is more convenient. But I enjoy the pleasures and functional benefits of carbon steel and the maintenance that goes along with it. The history of lighters and what made Zippo successful brings me joy. I can fix my Zippo insert if almost anything goes wrong, which cannot be said of butane inserts.

Fwiw, I also use "the bag trick" and on my EDC insert replaced the rayon with "cotton bacon". I can go 2 weeks without needing a refill if need be. And I light it about 20 times a day. A 12fl oz can of fuel lasts me about 6 months and it's less than 5 bucks. I also have a small fuel canister on my keychain just in case but have never needed it. Spare flints are stashed on top of the cotton. If I'm packing a lighter for long term storage and reliability, I simply pack a bic.

No hate on the butane inserts! They are great too! I know that lighter fluid, flints, and wicks are not for everyone. But, I also think there is a time, place, and perspective that supports doing things "the old fashioned way" 😁
 
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lithicus said:
Very cool pictures! Those are nice knives and the Niagra Falls Zippo is an elegant touch!!
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Thanks! These ones are special, belong to each grandfather, only carry these for special occasions… but great for pics for conveniently specific forum threads.

I swap an insert into different cases almost daily so being on top of fuel is not really a problem.
 
Keyopp said:
Thanks! These ones are special, belong to each grandfather, only carry these for special occasions… but great for pics for conveniently specific forum threads.

I swap an insert into different cases almost daily so being on top of fuel is not really a problem.
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Very cool! I find it hard to believe my grandfather never had a Zippo. But, one has yet to turn up. If I found one of his I would cherish it forever as I'm sure you will with yours.

And I, too, swap one EDC insert into different cases. For one, because it makes dealing with fuel easier. Don't have to wait for one to run out before swapping to another. I also only have to "mod" one with cotton bacon and put spare flints in a single insert.

But, flint wheels and wicks wear over time even when properly taken care of. And, I'd rather preserve my vintage inserts and ruin a modern store bought insert for my everyday uses 😅 The very old wicks didn't have copper running through them and those cannot be purchased anymore.
 
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Nexus-6 said:
Nice, that model isn't common in the U.S. I have a handful of the Parker Flaminaire's (Parker Pen Co.), but they're challenge to refill.
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As far as Iknow, the US Parker "tank" was larger and oftren non refillable.
The problem with the galet is that you had to go to the tobacco shop at he corner of the street, give the old tank and get a new full of gas. As most of time it happened to be also a bistro, a good opportunity to swallow a Ricard!
I have found a video to refill but I don't smoke anymore and not sure it works really, nor to find suitable flints.
 
Very cool and informative thread. I looked into the Zippo Butane inserts and discovered three, one has a roller and flames like a traditional (some refer to it as Yellow Flame or Soft Flame). For $20 it sounds like a good idea. I also discovered that the old user I carried was jammed up tight and found dozens of YouTube's on how to unstick it (old flint deteriorated and jammed under wheel) - got that done. Also found date codes (like a Buck or Case Knife) - mine was made in 1995. Cannot find my can of Ronson fluid and the drug stores and grocery stores locally don't carry it anymore. I'm sure the PX or MCX will have some to buy on my next trip to a post or base. Going to get my Zippo going again for nostalgia sake, but will get a Butane insert for real use. Great thread! OH
 
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Old Hunter said:
I looked into the Zippo Butane inserts and discovered three, one has a roller and flames like a traditional (some refer to it as Yellow Flame or Soft Flame). For $20 it sounds like a good idea.
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These soft open flame butane inserts look really cool and within the last few years, Zippo started making them in house. One thing to note is that unlike the original inserts, a butane insert made by Zippo is not warrantied for life.

Old Hunter said:
I also discovered that the old user I carried was jammed up tight and found dozens of YouTube's on how to unstick it (old flint deteriorated and jammed under wheel) - got that done.
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Yea, a great tip is to never store a flint in a Zippo for long term storage. I got a bunch of Zippos from my mother in law (they were her father's) and I had to work a deteriorated flint out of every single one.

Old Hunter said:
Also found date codes (like a Buck or Case Knife) - mine was made in 1995.
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Very cool! I particularly like the pre-2000 (ish?) inserts. The newer inserts have a "ridge" near the bottom of the insert. Supposedly, this was to make the insert easier to insert and remove. But, many have found this also leads to more fuel evaporation!

Old Hunter said:
Going to get my Zippo going again for nostalgia sake, but will get a Butane insert for real use. Great thread! OH
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Glad you're getting it back out! It's a fun thing to carry and such a big part of American history. The black crackle WWII Zippos are very valuable due to their age, history, and the fact that so many soldiers carried them during deployment.
 
L lithicus thanks for expanding with more information. I saw on the YouTube's that the Zippo Butane insert is made in China, probably why there is no lifetime warranty. However at the price point if it works four or five years you got no gripes. When I bought most of my lighters (mid 90's to mid 2000's) I was paying $18 to $25 for them, haven't priced one in years, so I don't know what they go for but I can find out easily enough on the internet. I have maybe four more in boxes somewhere. OH
 
I'm so mad
I was very young and very dumb

I knew you replaced the fluid but my first few zippos I didn't realize you could (and needed to) replace the flints
So I thought I had broken it somehow

I probably threw away my first 2-3 zippos thinking they were defective before I realized ...
 
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