I keep a lighter in my pocket at all times. Not for vices but for cold "alleviation" purposes. I have gorilla tape that I can shred wrapped around the lighter but I like the idea of having an even more effective burner on the lighter. Will do that this weekend or sooner. Good tip.
Or, wrap the waxed twine over the Gorilla Tape (Many “duct tapes” have fire inhibitors since they’re meant for heating ducts). I’ve used GT on my lighter to emergency repair things too many times to leave it behind.
Another awesome idea, Dan! Thanks! I do cold-weather paddling and like to stop and make little fires, so I keep a lighter (among other things) with me already. This is a perfect modification!!
Of the all the lighter hacks, the one that should be done second (after the child safety removal) is putting it in one of those cheap Amazon metal sleeves. The advantages are many. You can put tape, hemp, line, ranger bands etc on the sleeve instead of the lighter. Then you can still remove the lighter and check fuel level. Before I used sleeves , I could never check lighter level without removing tape etc. I usually put the lighter in the sleeve backwards ( not upside-down )This protects the gas button from accidental depression... Although I've carried a bic for decades and never lost fuel that way. The sleeve also protects the lighter from breakage. Lots of benefits with very little added size and weight. Before I did this I replaced a lot of " not empty" lighters because I wasn't sure of fuel level. Hope this helps.
As a filthy smoker I am a black-belt in lighters; the BIC types are very prone to dampness and if they do light the flame blows out easily, and it always happens when your hands are freezing cold and wet. I went over to torch lighters years ago and they are BRILLIANT! The type I use are BIC sized butane lighters but with a good size resevoir and click start, and easily refillable; they will light (pretty much) in a hurricane - the lads I use you could almost weld with and are rugged and last for years - easy to get online for under 5 bucks.
@@greyscout01Darn, my long reply didn't post..... Mine is a cheap Chinese import to the Philippines where I live, unbranded. But the identical item is listed online in the US, branded as "MRK", $20...ouch.....mine was $6 Inc delivery. Cheers.
Great video on upgrades for a BIC lighter. (Like that you added a DIY Jute wick segment.) Have been EDC-ing a BIC with Gorilla tape, Ranger Bands, and Bee Line Hemp Wick for quite a while now and it has been really useful for extending the life of the BIC lighter, quick repairs, lighting UCO lanterns, and daily adventures. Happy Trails! 🇺🇸 🏕 🌲
Timing on this tip is at the right time of the year. Looking forward to trying this during wet also snow conditions too. It's good to know in advance what works better with the available tinder in any given situation
This is a terrific idea. You could also wrap some of the waxed-jute around your Mora plastic sheath ... and maybe cover it with a ranger band. That would go good with a fero-rod and the usual bankline etc.
Thank you for the simple and effective Bic mods. Also, instead of discarding the tail cut from the original wrap, screw it into your Swiss Army Knife’s corkscrew for a ready to light tinder/flame extender. Cut it to 1 1/4” and work it on. When needed, remove it from the corkscrew, fluff up a tip and ignite with a ferro rod or lighter. It will give you about 30 seconds of burn time. Very inexpensive to make a batch.
A bic lighter is good on any outdoor trip for primary or backup fire starting. Just remember in cold weather they don't work as well or don't work at all due to lower gas pressure but that can be fixed by placing the lighter in the palm of both hands and rub your hands together very briskly just like you would if your hand were cold. Do this for about a minute and keep the lighter cupped in your hands a little longer to transfer the heat to the lighter this warms the gas and builds pressure helping the lighter work better! This also works when you have one that's almost dead or has a very small flame so you can get a couple more chances to light something if you have nothing else available!!
Hey y'all, stoner here. If you want a pre-made version of this, we've been using basically the exact same thing to light our bowls for decades! Even wrap it around our lighters the same way. It's called hemp wick and the most popular brand is Bee Line.
Hmm - being down in the antipodes, I think I need to watch your videos from 6 months ago, to keep it topical. You got some great ideas there, bloke; I have to adjust them for our Aussie setting.
We do a full wrap on the lighter with the waxed jute , then do a quick dip in molten wax , then wrap with wax paper , that way you have a bit of wax to mix into your tinder for extra flamage, when it's cold and damp still have wax paper to help out 😊 also learn to make crackle , a type of fire starter that works well when it's wet outside, basically it's long thin strips of brown paper and paper towels layered together, about 2" wide, rolled up snuggly in a small can , so it looks like a hockey puck with tree rings , pour in wax about an 1/8th or a little more , above the paper and let cool , just tear of a piece to light + you can shave a bit of wax to help your tinder along 😊 enjoy
Another great video with great intel. I usually do 1 inch Gorilla Tape, fishing or bank line and waxed hemp covered with ranger bands. Lots of functionality in a small package.
Great hack ! Many videos shows lighters that comes out the pocket ready to use. That is allright for smokers in the city, but bushcrafters do not need that. Why not make from cardboard and ducktape a little container. It protect your pocket (wax makes dirty) and lighter. It gives also extra tinder to make a fire. I will combine your hack and my hack for myself. Greatings from Belgium.
Dan… if you wind the jute twine under the fork that you push down to release the gas you can prevent accidental discharge of the gas… then wind it down the lighter as you show
I've been doing something similar for number of years.. using 2mm polished hemp cordage dipped in melted beeswax. It burns for about 30 seconds per inch, so a 12-inch section of it provides six minutes of burn-time. Or, lots of little "extended" burns that save you using your lighter for anything longer than the couple-few seconds it takes to ignite the little wick thing. That's what I have been calling it, a "wick." Anyway, good idea.
Dan I'm wondering couldnt you make a improvised fish hook out of the child safety tab. Since it is a prebent piece of metal that has tabs on one end. You could tie string to tab side and sharpen other side on a rock. Just wondering your thoughts.
With all that wax, it's kinda messy to have in your pack or pocket. In the winter, the lighter needs to be kept in a breast pocket close to your body to keep it warm and easily accessible. Otherwise, depending on the altitude, it may not light. However, keeping it in one of those small zip lock baggies could solve the messy problem. I've settled on two fire starter methods. My favorite and fun to make is using those makeup remover pads soaked in wax. My backup is a thicker hemp rope, maybe 1/4 Inch, cut into 4 inch strips and soaked in wax. I keep those in one of those small zip lock baggies. All in all, I always like watching these fire starting videos especially the ones made during the Fall.
The one very serious limitation to butane lighters is they do not work below 32F. Ask me how I know. Last winter, it was minus 6F outside my van, and 22 inside and I could not light my oil lamps, which I use for heat with any of my 4 bic lighters. All new and all failed. Thankfully I had good old fashioned wood matches that did the trick but, this is a good thing to know before finding out the hard way. I looked it up online and butane is indeed limited to 32F. Dan's tip here is excellent for temps above that. Looks like that twine will burn for a long time.
@@dannyh9010 Great idea. Tried that but when my armpit is getting frostbite this does not work. I actually heated a butane lighter using a zippo lighter running on naptha which lit, do not try this at home, and after 3 minutes of heating in direct flame, the butane would still not light. My zippo would not reach in far enough to light my oil lamps as the butane lighters had a long tube where the flames comes out that fits in the small gap when you raise the glass chimney. Your idea works when the temperature is not that much below 32 as I have done that before. I have been on the road full time in my van boondocking for 1.5 years now. I sure do not know everything by any means. I am glad you put your suggestion here as that will help most people probably. I didn't run heaters when sleeping so the van, and everything in it, gets cold soaked for hours. I now have a diesel heater I picked up after being frozen for a week straight. It works very well and since I installed it outside, I do run that while sleeping. It is wonderful.
I carry a Bic lighter that I cut the bottom off and packed it with vaso cotton, then put it in a sleeve. Just pull the sleeve, twist a little vaso cotton into a split twig and spark it off with the wheel.
All great ideas but I haven't heard a word about back up which I strongly suggest hav 2 of everything just incase I have 2 in my day pack and 2 whistle s all packed in different places I really believe in back up
That’s cool with the waxed jute. I have a whole bunch of gorilla tape on the bottom half and jute on the top half of all my Bics. The way I wrap the jute for emergency fire kits is to wrap it under the red gas button really firm so when it’s in storage in the fire kit it doesn’t depress and waste all the gas.* *Do I really have to explain why I know this? 😂
Nice. However, I do, STRONGLY, recommend allowing the hot wax to cool to the very comfortable touch. We had a gas company worker, in coveralls inside a house, severely injured when his lighter blew up in his pocket, just from body heat. Gas expands under heat, ie., a bomb. BE SAFE! In the cold, a lighter can be hard to light, unless you warm it up in your pocket. Just don't have it in your pocket, close to your skin, if you're going to do something that makes you sweat. Put it in an outer pocket.🤔
please keep doing these mini projects and tips. I think they are great,
an amazingly simple but effective idea!
doing it now....
Great idea. I don't remember ever seeing that one, but pretty simple, effective, and long lasting!
I keep a lighter in my pocket at all times. Not for vices but for cold "alleviation" purposes. I have gorilla tape that I can shred wrapped around the lighter but I like the idea of having an even more effective burner on the lighter. Will do that this weekend or sooner. Good tip.
Or, wrap the waxed twine over the Gorilla Tape (Many “duct tapes” have fire inhibitors since they’re meant for heating ducts). I’ve used GT on my lighter to emergency repair things too many times to leave it behind.
Another awesome idea, Dan! Thanks! I do cold-weather paddling and like to stop and make little fires, so I keep a lighter (among other things) with me already. This is a perfect modification!!
I haven’t white water in winter in yearsssss! Remember one time hat to get some else to unzip my vest because my hands where so frozen!😅
Of the all the lighter hacks, the one that should be done second (after the child safety removal) is putting it in one of those cheap Amazon metal sleeves. The advantages are many. You can put tape, hemp, line, ranger bands etc on the sleeve instead of the lighter. Then you can still remove the lighter and check fuel level. Before I used sleeves , I could never check lighter level without removing tape etc. I usually put the lighter in the sleeve backwards ( not upside-down )This protects the gas button from accidental depression... Although I've carried a bic for decades and never lost fuel that way. The sleeve also protects the lighter from breakage. Lots of benefits with very little added size and weight. Before I did this I replaced a lot of " not empty" lighters because I wasn't sure of fuel level. Hope this helps.
Good idea
As a filthy smoker I am a black-belt in lighters; the BIC types are very prone to dampness and if they do light the flame blows out easily, and it always happens when your hands are freezing cold and wet. I went over to torch lighters years ago and they are BRILLIANT! The type I use are BIC sized butane lighters but with a good size resevoir and click start, and easily refillable; they will light (pretty much) in a hurricane - the lads I use you could almost weld with and are rugged and last for years - easy to get online for under 5 bucks.
Brand?
I like getting info from people who have tried things out. Would you name Brand, please?
@@greyscout01Darn, my long reply didn't post..... Mine is a cheap Chinese import to the Philippines where I live, unbranded. But the identical item is listed online in the US, branded as "MRK", $20...ouch.....mine was $6 Inc delivery. Cheers.
Great fire starting skill
Good afternoon from Syracuse NY brother
That was a good idea, thanks Dan !
That’s very cool. Very simple and very useful.👍
Bloody Brilliant Idea, mate. Nothing worse when you have cold fingers or they are wet too.
Tips, tricks, shortcuts to knowledge... Love this guy's content... 😉
Great video on upgrades for a BIC lighter.
(Like that you added a DIY Jute wick segment.)
Have been EDC-ing a BIC with Gorilla tape, Ranger Bands, and Bee Line Hemp Wick for quite a while now and it has been really useful for extending the life of the BIC lighter, quick repairs, lighting UCO lanterns, and daily adventures.
Happy Trails!
🇺🇸 🏕 🌲
Awesome video Dan the Man! Jute and gorilla is always great. Keep up the outstanding work 👍.
Looks real good Dan. Take care 😊
Love it Dan, so simple. My family likes camping, think I just found a stocking stuffer
Awesome idea! Thanks for sharing
Timing on this tip is at the right time of the year. Looking forward to trying this during wet also snow conditions too. It's good to know in advance what works better with the available tinder in any given situation
That’s an awesome lighter hack. Now I know what little project I’ll be doing this weekend. Thanks so much for your great work.
Definitely gonna use this one, simple yet very effective. Great video Dan
This is a terrific idea. You could also wrap some of the waxed-jute around your Mora plastic sheath ... and maybe cover it with a ranger band. That would go good with a fero-rod and the usual bankline etc.
I always hit like for your videos
I like these mini-projects. This one spurred some very nice helpful hints in the comment section as well.
Beautiful, simple idea!
Thank you for the simple and effective Bic mods. Also, instead of discarding the tail cut from the original wrap, screw it into your Swiss Army Knife’s corkscrew for a ready to light tinder/flame extender. Cut it to 1 1/4” and work it on. When needed, remove it from the corkscrew, fluff up a tip and ignite with a ferro rod or lighter. It will give you about 30 seconds of burn time. Very inexpensive to make a batch.
A bic lighter is good on any outdoor trip for primary or backup fire starting. Just remember in cold weather they don't work as well or don't work at all due to lower gas pressure but that can be fixed by placing the lighter in the palm of both hands and rub your hands together very briskly just like you would if your hand were cold. Do this for about a minute and keep the lighter cupped in your hands a little longer to transfer the heat to the lighter this warms the gas and builds pressure helping the lighter work better! This also works when you have one that's almost dead or has a very small flame so you can get a couple more chances to light something if you have nothing else available!!
Excellent fire hack Dan. Thanks for the video and for sharing your thoughts and ideas with us.
Thanks Dan! You always provide great information and you do it in an easy to understand manner!
Hey y'all, stoner here. If you want a pre-made version of this, we've been using basically the exact same thing to light our bowls for decades! Even wrap it around our lighters the same way. It's called hemp wick and the most popular brand is Bee Line.
My thought exactly, I saw the thumbnail and thought “well that looks like college”.
All it needs is a dented-in monster can.
@@PrebleStreetRecords If I don't think about it the cancer can't get me
Good job Dan.
That's an awesome idea!! Another tool for the tool box for sure! 🔥 Another awesome video as always brother 👍 💪
Love it! I can’t believe I’ve never seen this before now.
Thank you
Love it!
Thanks.
Hmm - being down in the antipodes, I think I need to watch your videos from 6 months ago, to keep it topical. You got some great ideas there, bloke; I have to adjust them for our Aussie setting.
I like this. Thank you.
Nice neat trick.. Thanks fore sharing 👍
Great tip!
Cool Video 👍
Awesome idea
Nice! Never seen this one. Great idea
Brilliant!
Excellent video ! THANKS
We do a full wrap on the lighter with the waxed jute , then do a quick dip in molten wax , then wrap with wax paper , that way you have a bit of wax to mix into your tinder for extra flamage, when it's cold and damp still have wax paper to help out 😊 also learn to make crackle , a type of fire starter that works well when it's wet outside, basically it's long thin strips of brown paper and paper towels layered together, about 2" wide, rolled up snuggly in a small can , so it looks like a hockey puck with tree rings , pour in wax about an 1/8th or a little more , above the paper and let cool , just tear of a piece to light + you can shave a bit of wax to help your tinder along 😊 enjoy
I think that’s a great idea 👍🏻
Great tip. I'd add a ranger band around twine and call it good.
Another great video with great intel. I usually do 1 inch Gorilla Tape, fishing or bank line and waxed hemp covered with ranger bands. Lots of functionality in a small package.
Great hack !
Many videos shows lighters that comes out the pocket ready to use. That is allright for smokers in the city, but bushcrafters do not need that.
Why not make from cardboard and ducktape a little container. It protect your pocket (wax makes dirty) and lighter. It gives also extra tinder to make a fire.
I will combine your hack and my hack for myself.
Greatings from Belgium.
Cool trick, never seen that!
Really cool idea 😎💡
Great Idea!
I will be trying this out thanks
Rad tip Dan. 🔥👏
That's neat. Cool idea
Great Hack
👍👍
Awedome idea. I like fire extenders. When I use a lighter, I try to aim for a 1s flame to stsrt my fire.
Thanks Dan
Dan… if you wind the jute twine under the fork that you push down to release the gas you can prevent accidental discharge of the gas… then wind it down the lighter as you show
I like it.
Cool video
Bravo. I like the piezoelectric lighters cause they work when wet, just blow it out best you can and they always light.
THANKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good ideal my friend
Dan used "Survival Instructor" in his video title... Everyone take a drink! :-)
Oooh, I like this game!
Wait a sec, we need to establish some ground rules... if he says ,"yurt", double shot of tequila (with the worm...)
Of course, "fatwood should only be a beer, bic lighter = lite beer...
Another one?
Drank 2!
Good project to do with my adult kids.
Great idea.
I've been doing something similar for number of years.. using 2mm polished hemp cordage dipped in melted beeswax. It burns for about 30 seconds per inch, so a 12-inch section of it provides six minutes of burn-time. Or, lots of little "extended" burns that save you using your lighter for anything longer than the couple-few seconds it takes to ignite the little wick thing. That's what I have been calling it, a "wick."
Anyway, good idea.
IF you're lazy you can always go to a head shop and by the i-tal hempwick lighter sleeve!
Pretty cool I'm assuming you shouldn't leave it in a bug out bag that's in your car the heat would probably melt the wax right off right?
Good.
That's a great idea! The lighter's fuel will last a lot longer this way.
Dan I'm wondering couldnt you make a improvised fish hook out of the child safety tab. Since it is a prebent piece of metal that has tabs on one end. You could tie string to tab side and sharpen other side on a rock. Just wondering your thoughts.
With all that wax, it's kinda messy to have in your pack or pocket. In the winter, the lighter needs to be kept in a breast pocket close to your body to keep it warm and easily accessible. Otherwise, depending on the altitude, it may not light. However, keeping it in one of those small zip lock baggies could solve the messy problem. I've settled on two fire starter methods. My favorite and fun to make is using those makeup remover pads soaked in wax. My backup is a thicker hemp rope, maybe 1/4 Inch, cut into 4 inch strips and soaked in wax. I keep those in one of those small zip lock baggies. All in all, I always like watching these fire starting videos especially the ones made during the Fall.
Awesome 💚
The one very serious limitation to butane lighters is they do not work below 32F. Ask me how I know. Last winter, it was minus 6F outside my van, and 22 inside and I could not light my oil lamps, which I use for heat with any of my 4 bic lighters. All new and all failed. Thankfully I had good old fashioned wood matches that did the trick but, this is a good thing to know before finding out the hard way. I looked it up online and butane is indeed limited to 32F. Dan's tip here is excellent for temps above that. Looks like that twine will burn for a long time.
Place cold lighter in armpit for 15-20 seconds. Use normally.
@@dannyh9010 Great idea. Tried that but when my armpit is getting frostbite this does not work. I actually heated a butane lighter using a zippo lighter running on naptha which lit, do not try this at home, and after 3 minutes of heating in direct flame, the butane would still not light. My zippo would not reach in far enough to light my oil lamps as the butane lighters had a long tube where the flames comes out that fits in the small gap when you raise the glass chimney. Your idea works when the temperature is not that much below 32 as I have done that before. I have been on the road full time in my van boondocking for 1.5 years now. I sure do not know everything by any means. I am glad you put your suggestion here as that will help most people probably. I didn't run heaters when sleeping so the van, and everything in it, gets cold soaked for hours. I now have a diesel heater I picked up after being frozen for a week straight. It works very well and since I installed it outside, I do run that while sleeping. It is wonderful.
Does it work off a spark alone, ie no gad in lighter
Good one
Dan you should mix the lighter fluid like your cotton fire starters and an orange cran in there
Essentially, it’s the combination of a fire starter and an extended-reach lighter!
If you run out of fluid, can you fluff up the jute twine and light it with just the spark from the lighter?
nice hack, thanks
It's called Hemp Wick ...sold in spools at most dispensaries ! Pre waxed hemp cord 🙂
Super hack 👍
I carry a Bic lighter that I cut the bottom off and packed it with vaso cotton, then put it in a sleeve. Just pull the sleeve, twist a little vaso cotton into a split twig and spark it off with the wheel.
All great ideas but I haven't heard a word about back up which I strongly suggest hav 2 of everything just incase I have 2 in my day pack and 2 whistle s all packed in different places I really believe in back up
I will ask you again "Dan" what is your new go to for everything tared bank line size? I will keep asking until you answer.
Cool
I was lazy and bought a spool of pre-waxed jute. I also wrap some on the lighters around the house to light candles that have melted very low.
I use candle wicks
Liquid paraffin candles are nice!
Hot tip there…dad jokes…have fun stay safe.
Check out the pull pin fire starters I’ll try also.
Was that a "bigfoot" that walked behind the trees in the background?
That’s cool with the waxed jute.
I have a whole bunch of gorilla tape on the bottom half and jute on the top half of all my Bics. The way I wrap the jute for emergency fire kits is to wrap it under the red gas button really firm so when it’s in storage in the fire kit it doesn’t depress and waste all the gas.*
*Do I really have to explain why I know this? 😂
It is possible to buy beeswax hemp twine. Doesn't burn as crazy as paraffin wax but could skip a step. Use it everyday to get more out of my lighters.
What about just some tarred bankline?
That was cool and if l put a ranger band over it, it can't unravel either in my pocket or while lighting my fire.
That what I like about Zippo.
Nice. However, I do, STRONGLY, recommend allowing the hot wax to cool to the very comfortable touch. We had a gas company worker, in coveralls inside a house, severely injured when his lighter blew up in his pocket, just from body heat. Gas expands under heat, ie., a bomb. BE SAFE! In the cold, a lighter can be hard to light, unless you warm it up in your pocket. Just don't have it in your pocket, close to your skin, if you're going to do something that makes you sweat. Put it in an outer pocket.🤔