The smoke you're seeing is essentially vaporized lamp oil. The vapor ignites easily, the liquid has a lower flash point, so it won't ignite when it's cool. Cool trick: light a candle, blow it out, you can light the smoke, and it will trail all the way down to the wick to re-ignite it.
Is it lower or higher re the flash point? I would think the vapor had the lower flash point, the liquid (lamp oil) had a higher F.P and that Lighter Fluid, being more volatile would have a lower F.P then lamp oil. Or maybe I'm reading it wrong. But you nailed it on not working because it cooled down. Hope I'm not being obnoxious - not my intent.
Soldiers used to tie shoe strings around their lighter and dip them into gas tanks (of military vehicles) to refill their zippos. I've tried gas and it works just fine.
@Michael Persico I've seen a guy on TH-cam do it it goes out way faster than the naptha based fuels like in a day or two. Im still recommending white gas because even using ever clear (the 95% stuff) it evaporates way too quick. Like I just said stick to Coleman fuel or anything that is labeled as white gas nobody questions it and nobody ids you.
Lamp oil (i.e. kerosene) is no good in a Zippo type lighter. It it not volatile enough and has too low a flash point. You need a lighter petroleum distillate with a high flash point. I just use ordinary naphtha. It's the exact same thing as "lighter fluid" but you get a lot more for less money.
+WitchidWitchid well many of the chinese "zippo style" oil lighters are suppose to work with kerosene oil. But the one thing I get is that kerosene oil may have lots of impurities. I just ordered both a chinese zippo style and a genuine zippo from amazon. and I will try different fluids with my oil lighters. I plan to test with gasoline, nail polish remover (Acetone), etc. Now im just waiting for my lighters to arrive. I have like 10 lighters ordered from china and still waiting on them to arrive.
WitchidWitchid anything like that would work, you could probably use gasoline if you wanted, but I wouldn’t keep the flame on for too long since it can heat up to the flash point and explode.
unfortunately, Zippo genuine fuel is not available here. All are fake. And Naphta is not accessible with this name. We have multiple types of paint thinners and paint strippers. What should I use for that?
How to clean out inserts for Zippo / wick lighters Step one: Open lid of lighter case Step two: Remove oil soaked insert Step three: Remove flint screw and flint Step four: Remove fill lid Step five: Remove and discard oil soaked fiber fill with tweezers or any small pointed object and check wick Step six: Completely clean insert with cotton ball Step seven: Shred 3-4 cotton balls and replace fiber fill Step eight: Reverse engineer steps 1-4 to assemble lighter again Step nine: Fill with fuel of choice. I use Coleman camp fuel with good results. There you have it. Now instead of saying that the insert is useless and can never be used again with anything but oil, you now essentially have a new lighter.
use old shoe lace and used pillow cotton. fabricate the shell case from old canned food container. now you have a new working lighter for free. forgot to add, ferment your fruit that you havent ate and used that as fuel.
@@BlueRice If removing rayon balls and replacing them is the same as machining a whole lighter and if choosing different fuel is the same as fermenting your own ethanol then sure, go for it
The reason it lights irregularly is because the flash point of lamp oil is higher than that of lighter fluid. This means that sparks alone do not generate enough heat that lamp oil vapours ignite, but the heat of an actual flame will light it. Edit: I have a feeling something with high enough alcohol content would light in a Zippo
Why would you use alcohol or lamp oil anyways? If you're trying to save money go to the hardware store and buy a gallon tank of Naphtha for less than $10.00.. And it will work just fine in your Zippo lighter because IT IS lighter fluid.. the exact same stuff they sell you in tiny 4oz or 12 oz bottles. Only the gallon jug is going to be marketed as "Paint Stripper" but it's the same but people just don't know that anymore because they've gotten used to buying the brand name containers that are sold and marketed for that one specific purpose.. Just like many brands of solid drain cleaner are simply lye... for the price of a few tiny bottles of "Drain Cleaner" you could have bought a 5 gal bucket of it.. But people just don't remember what it actually is, They don't know so they go to the store and buy the product specifically marketed for that one purpose they intend to use it for.
Thats awesome. I didnt know that either. I dont smoke but i use my lighter a lot for fires in winter and have been looking for a cheaper way to fuel it. Thanks.
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Nice idea! Thanks Jeff! When I was still in school and some of my classmates started to have lighters to play around with, all the guys that had zippos were just using gasoline or white gas for their zippos (I never did that because zippos always smell so strong - until now I stick to gas lighters...) - only years later I realized that there is something like "lighter fluid". The lamp oil doesn't work because it doesn't evaporate quick enough (unlike gasoline-like fluids)!
You could use mixuature of ethanol (rubing alcohol and /or acetone ), pretty much anything flammable to spark with that oil lamp to stop evaporated alcohol to quickly Ive personally used rubbing alcohol and acetone mixuature in my Zippo when I've been out of lighter fluid .
in zippo you light the fluid fumes, lamp oil have higher temperature of evaporation and thats why will not work in zippo, you got it working only after you heated the wick with the match and you close the lid and when you open it the wick is still worm thats why its working... leave the wick to cool off and you would not be able to light it without match...
Sander Sepp let me explain my self better for people who want more info... lighter fluid is Light Naphtha which have boiling point of 30°C so even on lower temperatures you have enough vapors coming out of it which can burn and also have flash point of less than -30°C (according to online sources which i doubt is true) so sparks from lighter flint are hot enough to light it every time... lamp oil is Kerosene which have boiling point of 150 to 300°C so its obvious that on low temperatures you dont get so much vapors, and its high flash point of 37 to 65°C means that sparks from lighter flint are most likely not enough to light it having in mind the temperature of the sparks and the rarity of the vapors in such case... understand now? read my comments, watch the video, test it your self and then see if what i said is true...
Go to a paint supply store and buy a can of NAPTHA, it is all that Zippo,Ronson and other lighter fluids are. Get a gallon for almost the same cost as a large bottle of licensed lighter fluid.
ShadyJ That would be "A generic term that [has been] used for any flamable hydrocarbon liquid. As Wikipedia (where I am sure you scrounged your information from) states, Light Naphtha contains 5-6 carbon atoms (a.k.a. Pentane, hexane or benzene, etc.) while Heavy Naphtha contains 6-12 carbon atoms (similar to gasoline). Likely the stuff you buy at the hardware store is light naphtha rather than gasoline... You can always check the flash point if you want to know what it really is.
Benzene is really really dangerous stuff. Like seriously carcinogenic...I think about that when I smell my zippo fluid and then light it up...Graphic artists (which I'm) used to use benzene as solvent to clean stuff up; glue, wax etc. And I always heard that it's gloriously dangerous. Hmmm...maybe matches aren't such a bad idea! :)
Panters use turpentine to dolk te paint, dont use that. Also they clean surfaces with 'light naphta'. Ive been using only that in my zippos for years, and its about 20x cheaper then branded lighter fluid. It works between -20 and up to at least 40 degrees Celsius with no problems.
I myself have used denatured alcohol in a Zippo that has previously been used with lighter fluid and has suffered no ill effects for the past 4 years, and I have switched between the two fluids. When I run out of regular lighter fluid I just add the denatured alcohol (this usually happens while I am out in the woods and do not have access to lighter fluid) since the stove I use is the triangia. I also saw an episode of man woman vs. wild where Mykel Hawk used 100 proof vodka to power a Zippo lighter. So I believe if it is flammable enough and burns clean enough that you should be ok but these are my experiences and you should take care and be careful no matter what you decide to do.
zippo fluid is primarily naptha, I used to be able to get it from my old job where we used it as an industrial solvent. I ran it in all my lighters and it worked as good as any store bought wick lighter fluid.
Whenever I was out of Zippo fluid at the house I would use charcoal lighter fluid. It burned pretty good but sometimes it took a little extra when striking the lighter. It was pretty great because for the price you would get like 10 times more fluid. But again I only used it when I absolutely had to.
In a push, if your lighter runs out of fuel and you need a smoke; if you have a can of body spray handy give the wick a very quick squirt and hey presto. Not for refueling but in an emergency. Good for about 4-5 lights
Only a few possible alternatives exist as fuel. The zippo functions on the fact that the fluid evaporates (drys), and the vapor mixes with air and ingites. The fluid has to be "gasoline-like" Zippo fluid works well (suprise), But a more economic alternative is something called VM&P Naptha sold at Home Depot in the paint section. It is a 1 quart can and the Zippo fluid spout just pops right on the can. Coleman camp fuel works great, but it comes in 1 gallon cans which suck for filling up lighters. You WILL SPILL FUEL with them and that is DANGEROUS. These are the best options. Second in line is Automotive gasoline, which is very smelly, but lights like a charm. Charcoal lighter fluid works too, but maybe not in cold weather. You can mix it with a little gasoline and it should work just fine. (DANGEROUS) And any type of alcohol will NOT work so don't even bother. Kerosene, deisel, lamp oil, olive oil, etc. will NOT work. The main problems with alternative fuels are that the fuel canisiters do not have easy pour spouts like the lighter fluid canisters do, and also the canisters are quite a bit larger than a little bottle of lighter fluid. So spilling fuel is a serious concern. If anyone atempts this please do so outside, this stuff is VERY FLAMMABLE and could seriously hurt you. Do NOT underestimate the danger of playing with gasoline, or gasoline like substances. Fire is no joke, especially when it's in convenient liquid form!
Pour VMNP NAPHTHA or Coleman fuel into a wide mouth jar from the larger can and USE a funnel to transfer it to a EMPTY ZLF or Ronsonol can. Put the lids on everything. Wipe up any spills, but hey, you can catch those too. There are tools made to do this with if you just think about it. The ZLF and Ronsonol lids can be gently pried up with a screwdriver.
I have used lamp oil which is deodorized kerosene but add a little 190 proof alcohol. It works great. I always some "moonshine" out in the barn. I also cut my biodiesel with "moonshine" so it will wick more than 3 inches. It took me a while to get the correct ratio but wanted to use biodiesel in my kerosene heaters. Biodiesel will also work in a Zippo if thinned correctly with 190 proof ethanol. It lasts much longer than naptha and in my Zippo Catalytic Hand Warmers burns a little hotter.
“You can’t have lighters till you’re older” me an intellectual “BuY It OnLinE” Or at least that’s what I did when I wasn’t allowed to bc I’m obsessed with Zippos
Just use naptha it's the same as the official fluid.. but cheaper. Same composition. my friends claim that naptha will NOT screw the zippo after long term usage, They use it everyday for years as it is a lot cheaper.
Here's another trick with JP4 jet fuel. Put some in a bucket, add a bunch of bottles or cans of beer and run an air hose into it. Let the air bubble thru it for awhile and presto ice cold beer. We used to do this in the service when we were stationed in the desert and had no access to ice or a fridge. I learned it from my brother who served in Vietnam.
I'm guessing that the lamp oil might burn at a higher temperature than lighter fluid, so that the sparks from the wheel won't usually get it hot enough. This might explain why he was able to a) light it with a match, and b) light it with a wheel soon after lighting it with the match, when it was still fairly hot.
----edit, old video, i know, but i still figured some people might watch this and want some clarification. what you attempted to use was lamp oil, i noticed you didnt rub the zippo against your hands to heat the metal and the fluid inside. hence the only reason you were able to reignite the zippo with lamp oil was because you had already lit it with a match and increased the temperature. the flash point for kerosene is around 37 and 65 °C (100 and 150 °F). whereas zippo fuel lies around
I've used acetone and at the beginning it works fine, later I found that if u didn't use it for long u will have to blow it before ignition or else u can get a sudden flameball because the acetone evaporates inside the case, but for most part it works just fine.
A suggestion: I once used mega cheap lighter fluid and had the same problem. Just take a Q tip and touch it to the wick a few times so you see the fluid sink into it. It fixes the problem 90% of the time.
actually not a bad question. zippo got it's inspiration from a much older lighter known as a trench lighter, and sometimes are labeled as petrol or kerosene lighters, and while I would never attempt to run that in my zippo as it's vintage, but would like to see more videos on the older trench lighters
What you are seeing as it "relights" is the soot catching fire, and then igniting the lamp oil, you can do this with a candle. That's why when the soot cleared, it didn't light. There are cheap alternatives, but zippo fluid is simply Naptha. You can get that quite cheap, and you can also use isobutane, and rubbing alcohol. Not all three are the same, but lamp oil requires a flame to light, it doesn't light without a flame. It's essentially liquid candle.
You can use any spray deodorant or body spray...also turns the flame blue, perfectly safe and 100% used by me and other kats here in the bay for years! -Kage
Just keep in mind that ANY other fuel used will yield different temp heat as well as different effects. Zippo makes millions on their fluid alone. They have specifically designed their stuff to be the best...gasoline will work because gasoline itself is NOT flammable, ONLY the FUMES are...BUT...I would strongly, strongly not suggest fuel like that...highly combustible fluids have different flash points...think about leaving your Zippo in the sun for long periods of time. JUST LIKE I HAVE SAID IN MY VIDEOS..NEVER EVER BUY CHINESE KNOCKOFF ANYTHING-FROM LIGHTERS DOWN TO TATTOO MACHINES, ALL CHINESE PRODUCTS ARE CHEAPLY MADE AND WILL NEVER ADD TO BEING THE REAL DEAL..EVER! Kage
I think the lamp oil you used is paraffin oil, its flamable but not volatile enough to generate fumes to catch the sparks. The reason it lit up after you lit it with a match is because it became hot enough to generate a fume. Im currently doing an experiment. Mixing parrafin oil with regular zippo fuel. Since parrafin oil doesnt evaporate at room temperature, it'll stay in the lighter for a long time, the zippo fuel or naphta in the mixture wil provide the fumes thats gonna catch flame from the spark wheel, and since its mixed in with the parrafin its not gonna evaporate that fast either. I havent proved anything yet. Ive just filled my lighter with the mixture just now, Im gonna wait how long it lasts. Sorry if i have grammar mistakes i didnt notice, and for the late comment. See ya
@@ArtietheArchon oh hi there! Yeah its been 3 years haha if i remember, it didn't light up very well. it seems the parrafin oil saturated the wick so it wasn't able to hold the required amount of zippo fuel for it to ignite by flint sparks, i was able to light it with flame from another lighter but that makes it a candle now😅. Had to pull out and dry the stuffings before i got the lighter working properly again.
Zippo once advertised using unleaded gas in a pinch as it is just the unfiltered and additive ver of white gas ie zippo fuel. Lamp oil is kerosene and has a low octaine, just as disel does not a great idea for using in a Zippo..
There's a key difference between lighter fluid and anything else, which is how toxic that stuff is. Out of the many things you can put in a Zippo, some will produce toxic vapors, while the Official Zippo® Fluid®, despite not being entirely harmless either, is miles safer. I myself use something known as "essence F" in France, something surprisingly impossible to find in any other country. It's pure, unscented gas, used for various cleaning tasks, mainly the removal of adhesives and grease marks, but also to clean plastic parts or clean windows. It's not really volatile compared with others, which makes it much more durable in a Zippo, it's incredibly cheap, but then it's more toxic than lighter fluid. I guess we can't have everything.
"Dedicated lamp oil insert. . ." Just pull the rayon balls out and replace them. Rinse the wick off with lighter fluid, good as new. No need to worry about a little oil on the felt, it'll dilute over time.
I heard somewhere that in Vietnam they used to tie their shoelaces around the lighter and then just dunk it in the gas tank of a jeep to refill it, does this actually work? EDIT: ....Should have watched the video before watching... My bad.
Stainless steel cleaner seems to work. The ingredients in mine: white mineral oil (CAS 8042-47-5) synthetic isoparaffinic hydrocarbon (64742-47-8) petroleum distillate, aliphatic (64742-88-7) acetone (67-64-1) methyl acetate (79-20-9) liquefied petroleum gas (68476-86-8). I have no idea if this will harm the insert or case, but it makes a flame.
I used to put naptha from the hardware store in my zippo for years, costs a couple bucks for a litre. I think it smells a bit more than the proper lighter fluid though and these days I use proper fluid in the same lighter. I'm not a collector I have one solid brass zippo I bought in 1988, it's pretty banged up but works great.
Jet fuel is pretty much expensive kerosene, which itself is almost the same as diesel. If you can get jet fuel for free where you work, excellent, otherwise even the official fluid is cheaper.
The thing with naphtha is that it has just the right volatility for oil lighters. Lamp oil is not volatile enough (won’t gasify enough when the lid is opened to catch the sparks) while for example 99% isopropanol is too volatile. So I was wondering now…why not use a mix of 99% isopropanol and lamp oil, if that is even possible?
I filled up a zippo with kerosene on accident once. (My dad filled a lighter fluid container with kerosene and I didn’t know, go figure) It worked just fine, you just have to strike it 4 or 5 times quickly to build a little heat with consecutive sparks. The flame puts off some nasty dark smoke though. I think most flammable liquids will work in these lighters.
A lot of people don't know this but ronson and ronsonol was purchased by zippo in 2011 I believe it was. and in the yellow ronsonol bottle is now the zipper lighter fluid formula. It's about 1 dollar a bottle compared to paying 3$ extra for the zippo sticker and metal can.
i use coleman camp fuel it came in a 1 gallon can and works completely fine and works same as zippo fluid, burns clean and has a great flame and is very reliable, not once has it failed to light using this fluid
Lamp oil (or kerosene, or paraffin, depending on which version of english you use) does eventually light in a zippo-type lighter, tried it myself and wore the flint out in the process, but it does eventually light, better than being left high & dry in the cold at least... :)
It kept on lighting with the kerosene right after he put it out because the wick was hot and kerosene vapour is REALLY flammable. But it won't work if you don't light it with a match.
I have failed to fill my lighter before work and then it plays out mid morning. I work at a car dealership and we use this "cleaner" called Dealer Sol. It's safe for car finishes to remove paint transfer, light scratched, tar and other uses. I have used it several times and it works as well as lighter fluid. It does however, have a different taste than lighter fluid when lighting your smoking materials. I only use it in a pinch and it mixes with lighter fluid perfectly fine which is a plus.
Well, I didn't stick to one lighter fluid but it still work as I opened the whole case and dry the whole lighter and insert then started pouring the standard lighter fluid and it work! The previous lighter fluid I poured earlier was denatured alcohol by the way.
Welp, I know it is 2020, but I was looking for a test on this fuel for my zippo and found this vid. I have filled one "zippo like" lighter with lamp gas (on my country is also known as kerosene). It works pretty well, no smoke when it burns, it smells a bit more than the zippo fluid, it is kinda oily and more viscous. First time I've tried to ignite my lighter it just failed for every spark, exactly like in this video and I found that the problem is the length of the wick inside the chimney. Cut the wick inside the chimney to about half the length you are using with zippo fluid and try it again. The sparks must land on top of the wick for short and that will ignite it everytime you spark on it. As for the kerosene, it smells but being not so flamable like the zippo fluid, it will last longer in the lighter since it is not evaporating so fast at normal temperatures (20 - 28 degrees C). Mine keeps working well with no signs of getting dry after 3 weeks now (zippo fluid used to dry out after 10 or 12 days). PS: it smokes a bit when you close the lighter lid (if you don't open it again right after you close it you won't have problems with the smoke).
Naptha smells just like Zippo fluid and is probably the same or very similar. Charcoal lighter is mineral spirits and has a lower flash point making it harder to light with a spark.
nafta or in france it is called "essence F"it is basicaly lighter fluid but sold by liter as a paint cleaner.can get it realy cheap and easily,and it is lighter fluid,just rebranded.
Seems like the lamp oil needs to be heated up to evaporate, whereas lighter fluid does not. That's why it works with a match, or with the spark immediately after its put out, but let the wick cool down and the vapors escape and you'll need a match again. As for the availability of lighter fluid, in Colombia (where I'm from), a container of lighter fluid can cost about $40,000-50,000 COP. Even though its only $12 USD, it feels more like $20 or $30 USD, so in such a situation I see why you'd want to use something cheaper. Plus, they're not so easy to get either, so you'll need to go search for it probably downtown or else you'll get ripped off.
Point Taken. Zippo Fluid is the best, but in tight situations there are many solutions that will work. With lamp oil your first problem is that it does not give off enough flammable vapor. Cumming from a Lab back ground, ethanol, acetone etc will work..
You can also use ethanol or methanol, the flame they produce are pale blue, that means they are cleaner and work just fine and produce no smoke or funny smell.
i found the same thing... if you light the wick first w/another flame, then now you have a longer burning flame, if you need one. but the lighter will only re-light using the flint, immediately after you extinguish the flame. once the smoke begins to dissipate, the spark isn't enuff heat to get it going. butane is more 'explosive', hence ignites w/only a spark
I worked in an Aerodrome most of my life. Ocasionally I filed my Zippo with Avgas 100LL fuel for piston engines. It works fine, although it's clearly more smoky. I never tried Jet A-1, and I don't think it would work since it's almost Kerosene.
Whatever you use, do NOT use kerosene, which lamp oil essentially I I suppose. I tried it for fun once, knowing the flint probably wouldn't ignite it. It's a complete pain in the ass to get the lighter working again. Kerosene takes a considerable amount of time to evaporate, and even after adding Zippo fluid multiple times over a month or 2, the thing has a hell of a time lighting. It'll smoke once put out, if you even can manage to light it You basically have to soak and rinse the cotton and wick out with Zippo fluid or as I did, very high strength rubbing alcohol. You can switch fuels, and it will work if you switch back to zippo. It'll just take a half dozen refills till it burns correctly and smoke free.
When I was a kid of about 15yrs ,we used to drain the fuel bowl of carburetor on the tractor into our Zippos . We did this all the time as we were out in field away from the house,it works fine never hurt the lighters as I recall. A word of caution if you put in your pocket before outside was dry it would burn your leg. Not to be critizing you should always be at least 10Feet away from source before trying to light.
I agree With Tony Iocca, I use Coleman fuel in all my Zippos, including older zippos with asbestos wicks , better ignition , lowe smoke and less smell . I also use it in a bunch of Asian Zippo copies no issues. Coleman fuel and Q-tips also clean the lighter very well.
If you are a Coleman stove user, Coleman fuel(white gas) works perfectly and its cheap if you are American, very expensive if you are European so I being English, I am NOT paying £10 a litre for Coleman fuel, when I can use Holts brake liner cleaner at £13 for 5 ltrs, its Naphtha the same as lighter fluid and I also use it in my Petrol stoves and lamps.
Diesel works in a zippo brand. Heard somewhere that when fighting in the European theater, American GI's would just dip their lighter in a gas tank when lighter fluid was far and away.
ok i used to fill my zipo with this too and your vid prompted me to get my old zippo out and try to see,i got two oils,one says very pure with no scent the other is kerosene based and has that certain fuel smell a bit,,i did a burn test with some toilet paper i made into wicks and dipped each one in the oils and flicked my lighter under each,,guess what ,the pure one did not light till i held the lighter under it,the kerosene one blazed instantly and the fire made was very flammable so i used that in the zippo at the sacrifice of smelling like i work at a gas station in my pocket and it works good enough once you light it let it burn a while so it draws fuel to the wick,also you may need to adjust the way the wick is facing the flint with a pair of tweezers ,make sure the tip of the wick is fanned out and at the right height to catch sparks ,thats why you were able to light it with the lighter easily,not because it did not draw fuel but the sparks aint hitting it right,another trick is to get the flints from empty lighters before you throw em out and save them for the zippo ,even if they are a bit smaller size than what zippo requires they still work and save you money cause the butane runs out before the flint so you still have a good amount of flint for use
my reason is because i want to know what will work in a survival situation, lamp oil isn't really much easier to find than zippo fuel or butane but grill barbeque fluid and kerosene/gasoline/naptha are manufactured in larger quantities
Lamp oil is a terrible choice. Paraffin doesn't produce fumes like Zippo fluid. Any brand of lighter fluid (not pressurized butane) will do, and something like gasoline or kerosene would also do the job. Something with a high level of fumes. Also, you can pull the foam off the bottom and replace the rayon balls inside. The insert as a whole isn't ruined, just the balls and wick. Both are cheap as heck.
Lighter fluid is $1.99 at Safeway and you get 5 ounces. Lamp oil may work but it's also sloppy while lighter fluid has a great delivery system. I'll keep the lamp oil replacement in my mind in case I run out of lighter fluid and need to light a stogie..
Didn't knew that people actually used oil lamps in 2012. My grandpa had one growing up but it's like an antique to us, even my dad has never seen one being used.
In Vietnam the soldiers would tie a boot lace to their zippo and dunk it in the gas tank of a jeep to fill it. It was designed to be used with kerosene.
who has lamp oil, but not lighter fluid
Aggrieved Ranger they call me the lampkeeper
+Aggrieved Ranger lol
What if you were in a disaster all you could find is lamp oil, or some other alternative fuel?
me...
Ruben patrangan Me!!
"No reason to be that impatient"
-Me at 3 am, with half a pack of luckies, and my zippo running out of fuel disagrees strongly with that statement xD
Asmo Deus me and now trying to fix it
😂
Me in front of a house that I covered in gasoline and the cops on the way: agreed
@@rdr2v1nce7 You should have put some of that gasoline in your zippo first.
Amen my friend
The smoke you're seeing is essentially vaporized lamp oil. The vapor ignites easily, the liquid has a lower flash point, so it won't ignite when it's cool. Cool trick: light a candle, blow it out, you can light the smoke, and it will trail all the way down to the wick to re-ignite it.
wtf thats badass
Thanks, wizard
You're a wizard harry
James Dodge
Or a hairy wizard...
Is it lower or higher re the flash point? I would think the vapor had the lower flash point, the liquid (lamp oil) had a higher F.P and that Lighter Fluid, being more volatile would have a lower F.P then lamp oil. Or maybe I'm reading it wrong. But you nailed it on not working because it cooled down. Hope I'm not being obnoxious - not my intent.
Soldiers used to tie shoe strings around their lighter and dip them into gas tanks (of military vehicles) to refill their zippos. I've tried gas and it works just fine.
SINister Gaming he says that in the vid
I've wondered about that for a long time.
White gas works fine too Coleman fuel non premium kind I use crown brand $8.99 at Wal Mart for a gallon
@Michael Persico I've seen a guy on TH-cam do it it goes out way faster than the naptha based fuels like in a day or two. Im still recommending white gas because even using ever clear (the 95% stuff) it evaporates way too quick. Like I just said stick to Coleman fuel or anything that is labeled as white gas nobody questions it and nobody ids you.
Major Asshole I saw on another video of some dude putting gasoline in, the gasoline burned “dirty” compared to the cleaner zippo fluid
The reason people ask is because 90% of people watching this are teens who can’t get lighter fluid
fax
Mine lasted for 8 months
John Min I’m underaged and I just bought mine off eBay.
or poor assholes who live in a third world country like Iran and love their lighters😂
but lighter fluid is a little bit expensive in their country:)
Why are you calling me out like this?
Lamp oil (i.e. kerosene) is no good in a Zippo type lighter. It it not volatile enough and has too low a flash point. You need a lighter petroleum distillate with a high flash point. I just use ordinary naphtha. It's the exact same thing as "lighter fluid" but you get a lot more for less money.
+WitchidWitchid well many of the chinese "zippo style" oil lighters are suppose to work with kerosene oil. But the one thing I get is that kerosene oil may have lots of impurities. I just ordered both a chinese zippo style and a genuine zippo from amazon. and I will try different fluids with my oil lighters. I plan to test with gasoline, nail polish remover (Acetone), etc. Now im just waiting for my lighters to arrive. I have like 10 lighters ordered from china and still waiting on them to arrive.
so what were the results?
WitchidWitchid anything like that would work, you could probably use gasoline if you wanted, but I wouldn’t keep the flame on for too long since it can heat up to the flash point and explode.
unfortunately, Zippo genuine fuel is not available here. All are fake. And Naphta is not accessible with this name. We have multiple types of paint thinners and paint strippers. What should I use for that?
For naphta you mean diesel or gas?
How to clean out inserts for Zippo / wick lighters
Step one: Open lid of lighter case
Step two: Remove oil soaked insert
Step three: Remove flint screw and flint
Step four: Remove fill lid
Step five: Remove and discard oil soaked fiber fill with tweezers or any small pointed object and check wick
Step six: Completely clean insert with cotton ball
Step seven: Shred 3-4 cotton balls and replace fiber fill
Step eight: Reverse engineer steps 1-4 to assemble lighter again
Step nine: Fill with fuel of choice. I use Coleman camp fuel with good results.
There you have it. Now instead of saying that the insert is useless and can never be used again with anything but oil, you now essentially have a new lighter.
use old shoe lace and used pillow cotton. fabricate the shell case from old canned food container. now you have a new working lighter for free. forgot to add, ferment your fruit that you havent ate and used that as fuel.
@@BlueRice If removing rayon balls and replacing them is the same as machining a whole lighter and if choosing different fuel is the same as fermenting your own ethanol then sure, go for it
Congratulations! You made the worlds smallest oil lamp.
Daniel Meaney ?
@@adamcpak5065 u stupid?
both profiles match to their reactions and I’m dying
Rope ,BOMBS
The reason it lights irregularly is because the flash point of lamp oil is higher than that of lighter fluid. This means that sparks alone do not generate enough heat that lamp oil vapours ignite, but the heat of an actual flame will light it.
Edit: I have a feeling something with high enough alcohol content would light in a Zippo
and hell if you have that shit and matches y not use the matches
It does. Menan after shave will work if you don't mind wasting a little bit of the flint.
Why would you use alcohol or lamp oil anyways? If you're trying to save money go to the hardware store and buy a gallon tank of Naphtha for less than $10.00.. And it will work just fine in your Zippo lighter because IT IS lighter fluid.. the exact same stuff they sell you in tiny 4oz or 12 oz bottles. Only the gallon jug is going to be marketed as "Paint Stripper" but it's the same but people just don't know that anymore because they've gotten used to buying the brand name containers that are sold and marketed for that one specific purpose.. Just like many brands of solid drain cleaner are simply lye... for the price of a few tiny bottles of "Drain Cleaner" you could have bought a 5 gal bucket of it.. But people just don't remember what it actually is, They don't know so they go to the store and buy the product specifically marketed for that one purpose they intend to use it for.
bang on target. another way this video could have been made was the chemistry
Coleman fuel/Crown fuel sold in the camping section works in Zippos. They have the same petrochemical makeup as lighter fluid.
Thats awesome. I didnt know that either. I dont smoke but i use my lighter a lot for fires in winter and have been looking for a cheaper way to fuel it. Thanks.
MountainGamer emergency purposes or survival. Maybe you can’t always find lighter fluid.
exactly,same with Heet,,just go buy a gallon of methyl hydrate for 10 bucks and save a shit load rather than paying for the brand name
btw i just found out you can use the flint from disposable lighters for the zippo
can u use water?
+freshyb1o3 1o3 probably
No... maybe... yes, wait, no... possibly... Dammit! FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU... *Loading...* *Brain.exe has stopped working. End program now, or wait?* **click** *"End program now."*
Lmfao. Your funny AF!!!
Blurry's BTD haha 😂👏 Toothpaste works just as well.
Can u use clorox?
Nice idea! Thanks Jeff!
When I was still in school and some of my classmates started to have lighters to play around with, all the guys that had zippos were just using gasoline or white gas for their zippos (I never did that because zippos always smell so strong - until now I stick to gas lighters...) - only years later I realized that there is something like "lighter fluid".
The lamp oil doesn't work because it doesn't evaporate quick enough (unlike gasoline-like fluids)!
You could use mixuature of ethanol (rubing alcohol and /or acetone ), pretty much anything flammable to spark with that oil lamp to stop evaporated alcohol to quickly Ive personally used rubbing alcohol and acetone mixuature in my Zippo when I've been out of lighter fluid .
in zippo you light the fluid fumes, lamp oil have higher temperature of evaporation and thats why will not work in zippo, you got it working only after you heated the wick with the match and you close the lid and when you open it the wick is still worm thats why its working... leave the wick to cool off and you would not be able to light it without match...
good to know bro👌 thanks
that's when you run the flint wheel down your jeans piles of spark. but then your flints don't last lol
wick is still worm...wtf xDD
Sander Sepp
let me explain my self better for people who want more info...
lighter fluid is Light Naphtha which have boiling point of 30°C so even on lower temperatures you have enough vapors coming out of it which can burn and also have flash point of less than -30°C (according to online sources which i doubt is true) so sparks from lighter flint are hot enough to light it every time...
lamp oil is Kerosene which have boiling point of 150 to 300°C so its obvious that on low temperatures you dont get so much vapors, and its high flash point of 37 to 65°C means that sparks from lighter flint are most likely not enough to light it having in mind the temperature of the sparks and the rarity of the vapors in such case...
understand now?
read my comments, watch the video, test it your self and then see if what i said is true...
Mine lit on the first try with lamp oil so u know nothing
I guess as long as you have matches, it would work great.
Go to a paint supply store and buy a can of NAPTHA, it is all that Zippo,Ronson and other lighter fluids are. Get a gallon for almost the same cost as a large bottle of licensed lighter fluid.
Beer Drinker Gasoline, diesel fuel and crude oil are also naphtha. Naphtha is a generic term used for any flammable hydrocarbon liquid.
Wasn't aware of that,thanks .
ShadyJ That would be "A generic term that [has been] used for any flamable hydrocarbon liquid.
As Wikipedia (where I am sure you scrounged your information from) states, Light Naphtha contains 5-6 carbon atoms (a.k.a. Pentane, hexane or benzene, etc.) while Heavy Naphtha contains 6-12 carbon atoms (similar to gasoline).
Likely the stuff you buy at the hardware store is light naphtha rather than gasoline...
You can always check the flash point if you want to know what it really is.
Benzene is really really dangerous stuff. Like seriously carcinogenic...I think about that when I smell my zippo fluid and then light it up...Graphic artists (which I'm) used to use benzene as solvent to clean stuff up; glue, wax etc. And I always heard that it's gloriously dangerous. Hmmm...maybe matches aren't such a bad idea! :)
Panters use turpentine to dolk te paint, dont use that. Also they clean surfaces with 'light naphta'. Ive been using only that in my zippos for years, and its about 20x cheaper then branded lighter fluid.
It works between -20 and up to at least 40 degrees Celsius with no problems.
Coleman fuel works as good as zippo fluid and is much more affordable.
You can get clipper fuel at the 99pence stores
i recomend VM&P naphtha its more pure than normal zippo fuel and coleman white gas
Panel Wipe is cheapest. Auto paint shop. (naphtha).
I myself have used denatured alcohol in a Zippo that has previously been used with lighter fluid and has suffered no ill effects for the past 4 years, and I have switched between the two fluids. When I run out of regular lighter fluid I just add the denatured alcohol (this usually happens while I am out in the woods and do not have access to lighter fluid) since the stove I use is the triangia.
I also saw an episode of man woman vs. wild where Mykel Hawk used 100 proof vodka to power a Zippo lighter. So I believe if it is flammable enough and burns clean enough that you should be ok but these are my experiences and you should take care and be careful no matter what you decide to do.
I absolutely love the fact that he is using an oil lamp to save on electricity.
3:12 "Don't want that to spill." *Puts on bumpy unstable rock*
zippo fluid is primarily naptha, I used to be able to get it from my old job where we used it as an industrial solvent. I ran it in all my lighters and it worked as good as any store bought wick lighter fluid.
Whenever I was out of Zippo fluid at the house I would use charcoal lighter fluid. It burned pretty good but sometimes it took a little extra when striking the lighter. It was pretty great because for the price you would get like 10 times more fluid. But again I only used it when I absolutely had to.
I did the same thing and came to this video to see if it was even safe lol
In a push, if your lighter runs out of fuel and you need a smoke; if you have a can of body spray handy give the wick a very quick squirt and hey presto. Not for refueling but in an emergency. Good for about 4-5 lights
Or hand sanitizer.
Hey, I do live in a city with no availability of lighter fluid (when we do find it, it's 30 coin a can). Not all of us live in the US, you know.
Only a few possible alternatives exist as fuel. The zippo functions on the fact that the fluid evaporates (drys), and the vapor mixes with air and ingites. The fluid has to be "gasoline-like"
Zippo fluid works well (suprise), But a more economic alternative is something called VM&P Naptha sold at Home Depot in the paint section. It is a 1 quart can and the Zippo fluid spout just pops right on the can. Coleman camp fuel works great, but it comes in 1 gallon cans which suck for filling up lighters. You WILL SPILL FUEL with them and that is DANGEROUS. These are the best options.
Second in line is Automotive gasoline, which is very smelly, but lights like a charm. Charcoal lighter fluid works too, but maybe not in cold weather. You can mix it with a little gasoline and it should work just fine. (DANGEROUS)
And any type of alcohol will NOT work so don't even bother. Kerosene, deisel, lamp oil, olive oil, etc. will NOT work.
The main problems with alternative fuels are that the fuel canisiters do not have easy pour spouts like the lighter fluid canisters do, and also the canisters are quite a bit larger than a little bottle of lighter fluid. So spilling fuel is a serious concern.
If anyone atempts this please do so outside, this stuff is VERY FLAMMABLE and could seriously hurt you. Do NOT underestimate the danger of playing with gasoline, or gasoline like substances. Fire is no joke, especially when it's in convenient liquid form!
drys wtf
+Ilir Kumi yea coleman camp fuel works great it just doesnt have as long of a carry time it evaporates faster
Sander Sepp Do you not know what drying is?
I use kerosine all the time it stays lit for a lot time and is very hot and cheap but it does not ignite well.. Can anybody help me?
Pour VMNP NAPHTHA or Coleman fuel into a wide mouth jar from the larger can and USE a funnel to transfer it to a EMPTY ZLF or Ronsonol can. Put the lids on everything. Wipe up any spills, but hey, you can catch those too. There are tools made to do this with if you just think about it. The ZLF and Ronsonol lids can be gently pried up with a screwdriver.
Did this video really need to be this long?
Lamp oil? Rope? Bombs? You want it? It's yours my friend.
Did you get a message from the FBI?😂
Sea Mos nah, he doesnt have enough rupees
as long as you have enough rupees...
I have used lamp oil which is deodorized kerosene but add a little 190 proof alcohol. It works great. I always some "moonshine" out in the barn. I also cut my biodiesel with "moonshine" so it will wick more than 3 inches. It took me a while to get the correct ratio but wanted to use biodiesel in my kerosene heaters. Biodiesel will also work in a Zippo if thinned correctly with 190 proof ethanol. It lasts much longer than naptha and in my Zippo Catalytic Hand Warmers burns a little hotter.
"This stuff's flammable, don't screw around with it!" - The guy who's using lamp oil in a zippo, 2012.
“You can’t have lighters till you’re older” me an intellectual “BuY It OnLinE”
Or at least that’s what I did when I wasn’t allowed to bc I’m obsessed with Zippos
I’m obsessed with BICs 😭
Just use naptha it's the same as the official fluid.. but cheaper. Same composition.
my friends claim that naptha will NOT screw the zippo after long term usage, They use it everyday for years as it is a lot cheaper.
THANK YOU finally someone uses it other than me
Matt Rhoades Out of curiosity, does Butane work if it's diluted?
I use regular gasoline that works very well:)
seriously?
lighter fluid is purified, more clean gasoline
that's like saying gasoline is a purer form of petroleum. Or Diesel..
You're either a liar, or a complete fool.
Terminxman it still has the same octane level as lighter fluid so it works the exact same
When I was stationed in Turkey we use to use JP4 jet fuel because we couldn't get lighter fluid. British Sterling aftershave also works.
Here's another trick with JP4 jet fuel. Put some in a bucket, add a bunch of bottles or cans of beer and run an air hose into it. Let the air bubble thru it for awhile and presto ice cold beer. We used to do this in the service when we were stationed in the desert and had no access to ice or a fridge. I learned it from my brother who served in Vietnam.
@@avidhunter6169 Just don't have a smoke with your beer - Yikes!
Lighter fluid for a grill works really well you still need to light it with a match the first time you fill it up with it but after that works great
I'm guessing that the lamp oil might burn at a higher temperature than lighter fluid, so that the sparks from the wheel won't usually get it hot enough. This might explain why he was able to a) light it with a match, and b) light it with a wheel soon after lighting it with the match, when it was still fairly hot.
I dont want to trade my freedom for safety
when i was young we use car gasoline,
hobbexp that never worked well for me
The real question is, if I light a cigarette with it will it kill me?😂
@@davidpoder3695 not any faster than that cigarette would lol
----edit, old video, i know, but i still figured some people might watch this and want some clarification.
what you attempted to use was lamp oil, i noticed you didnt rub the zippo against your hands to heat the metal and the fluid inside.
hence the only reason you were able to reignite the zippo with lamp oil was because you had already lit it with a match and increased the temperature.
the flash point for kerosene is around 37 and 65 °C (100 and 150 °F).
whereas zippo fuel lies around
Sue McQueen, Thank you!., such a rarity, concise, courteous and correct .....Kudos !!
I've used acetone and at the beginning it works fine, later I found that if u didn't use it for long u will have to blow it before ignition or else u can get a sudden flameball because the acetone evaporates inside the case, but for most part it works just fine.
I just wanted to let you know that I actually did the drumroll when you asked...😂
Me too 😂😂😂
3:47 he says drum roll please (me “gives drum roll” him oh ok not drum roll then😂🤣
A suggestion: I once used mega cheap lighter fluid and had the same problem. Just take a Q tip and touch it to the wick a few times so you see the fluid sink into it. It fixes the problem 90% of the time.
actually not a bad question. zippo got it's inspiration from a much older lighter known as a trench lighter, and sometimes are labeled as petrol or kerosene lighters, and while I would never attempt to run that in my zippo as it's vintage, but would like to see more videos on the older trench lighters
What you are seeing as it "relights" is the soot catching fire, and then igniting the lamp oil, you can do this with a candle. That's why when the soot cleared, it didn't light. There are cheap alternatives, but zippo fluid is simply Naptha. You can get that quite cheap, and you can also use isobutane, and rubbing alcohol. Not all three are the same, but lamp oil requires a flame to light, it doesn't light without a flame. It's essentially liquid candle.
ok
i'll buy matches then light my zippo aaand now i can smoke
What about using lighter fluid would that work??
Joshua Vargas nah lighter fluid doesn't work on lighters sorry bro
Yeah sorry bro I’ve tried lighter fluid it doesn’t work
i dont have lamp oil. what else can i use thats not almost exactly like lighter fluid?
benzine
***** deoderant it works butit smelss funny
Denatured alcohol, but naphtha is best.
Does aftershave and aerosol work
You can use any spray deodorant or body spray...also turns the flame blue, perfectly safe and 100% used by me and other kats here in the bay for years! -Kage
Just keep in mind that ANY other fuel used will yield different temp heat as well as different effects. Zippo makes millions on their fluid alone. They have specifically designed their stuff to be the best...gasoline will work because gasoline itself is NOT flammable, ONLY the FUMES are...BUT...I would strongly, strongly not suggest fuel like that...highly combustible fluids have different flash points...think about leaving your Zippo in the sun for long periods of time. JUST LIKE I HAVE SAID IN MY VIDEOS..NEVER EVER BUY CHINESE KNOCKOFF ANYTHING-FROM LIGHTERS DOWN TO TATTOO MACHINES, ALL CHINESE PRODUCTS ARE CHEAPLY MADE AND WILL NEVER ADD TO BEING THE REAL DEAL..EVER! Kage
Cool, thanks for the great advice man
In WWII Soldiers would Siphon Fuel from wrecked vehicles and stuff to refuel their lighters. :P
Guys the spray thing actually worked try it out it helped me so much THANK YOU
do u just spray the deodarant on it?
I think the lamp oil you used is paraffin oil, its flamable but not volatile enough to generate fumes to catch the sparks. The reason it lit up after you lit it with a match is because it became hot enough to generate a fume.
Im currently doing an experiment. Mixing parrafin oil with regular zippo fuel. Since parrafin oil doesnt evaporate at room temperature, it'll stay in the lighter for a long time, the zippo fuel or naphta in the mixture wil provide the fumes thats gonna catch flame from the spark wheel, and since its mixed in with the parrafin its not gonna evaporate that fast either.
I havent proved anything yet. Ive just filled my lighter with the mixture just now, Im gonna wait how long it lasts. Sorry if i have grammar mistakes i didnt notice, and for the late comment. See ya
how did it go
@@ArtietheArchon oh hi there! Yeah its been 3 years haha if i remember, it didn't light up very well. it seems the parrafin oil saturated the wick so it wasn't able to hold the required amount of zippo fuel for it to ignite by flint sparks, i was able to light it with flame from another lighter but that makes it a candle now😅. Had to pull out and dry the stuffings before i got the lighter working properly again.
@@jdashow9037 thanks
Zippo once advertised using unleaded gas in a pinch as it is just the unfiltered and additive ver of white gas ie zippo fuel. Lamp oil is kerosene and has a low octaine, just as disel does not a great idea for using in a Zippo..
The cheapest fuel for Zippos is gasoline - you don't have to care about its octane rating, the cheapest fuel is good enough for Zippos.
Can you make a video of someting another Than lamp oil.
Pleas
And Nice video
There's a key difference between lighter fluid and anything else, which is how toxic that stuff is. Out of the many things you can put in a Zippo, some will produce toxic vapors, while the Official Zippo® Fluid®, despite not being entirely harmless either, is miles safer.
I myself use something known as "essence F" in France, something surprisingly impossible to find in any other country. It's pure, unscented gas, used for various cleaning tasks, mainly the removal of adhesives and grease marks, but also to clean plastic parts or clean windows. It's not really volatile compared with others, which makes it much more durable in a Zippo, it's incredibly cheap, but then it's more toxic than lighter fluid. I guess we can't have everything.
"Dedicated lamp oil insert. . ." Just pull the rayon balls out and replace them. Rinse the wick off with lighter fluid, good as new. No need to worry about a little oil on the felt, it'll dilute over time.
I never have to light my bic with a match
zippos are toys. they can't even sit for a couple weeks and,..... um..... work.
I have used bics that sat for 2 years and still worked. zippos dry out extremely fast.
+A Tapir Named Jeff Toys that became famous because soldiers liked their reliability and durability?
They smoked like diesel pickups so they actually used up the fluid before it all evaporated. They also have shitty aluminum hinges.
+A Tapir Named Jeff you're a fool
Who the fuck had lamp oil laying around
Almighty M.
Your mom does
Virtually the whole Mennonite & Mormon population of the US & International...:-)
I heard somewhere that in Vietnam they used to tie their shoelaces around the lighter and then just dunk it in the gas tank of a jeep to refill it, does this actually work?
EDIT: ....Should have watched the video before watching... My bad.
Yes gasoline works with a zippo....however I wonder if it does work.
Yes gasoline works with a zippo....however I wonder if it does work.
Yes gasoline works with a zippo....however I wonder if it does work.
+Im Tabe i always use gasoline in mine and it works great the gas escaping from i not nice on your leg tho
+john boyle The military uses Diesel for most vehicles though.
Stainless steel cleaner seems to work. The ingredients in mine:
white mineral oil (CAS 8042-47-5)
synthetic isoparaffinic hydrocarbon (64742-47-8)
petroleum distillate, aliphatic (64742-88-7)
acetone (67-64-1)
methyl acetate (79-20-9)
liquefied petroleum gas (68476-86-8).
I have no idea if this will harm the insert or case, but it makes a flame.
I used to put naptha from the hardware store in my zippo for years, costs a couple bucks for a litre. I think it smells a bit more than the proper lighter fluid though and these days I use proper fluid in the same lighter. I'm not a collector I have one solid brass zippo I bought in 1988, it's pretty banged up but works great.
Would you recommend naphtha ?
@@julianmcdowell7577 I prefer the proper lighter fluid it has less smell.
I use 91 percent alcohol
It evaporates so quickly that it's very unreliable.
But can you still use it?
I use 99 it lights easier
Macintosh Smith I agree. And JSYGK, I tried it once, and the lighter almost exploded when I had to use it three hours after the filling.
very expensive much cheaper to buy lighter fluid lol
Jp8 jet fuel works great.
Jet fuel is pretty much expensive kerosene, which itself is almost the same as diesel. If you can get jet fuel for free where you work, excellent, otherwise even the official fluid is cheaper.
I can has some jet fuel?
I have finished my Flint so how can I regain that?????????
Hardik crazy hacker you can buy flint refills at a pretty much 7ch any store
Hardik crazy hacker Find used disposable lighters and collect the flints from them. They're almost always made with way more than they actually need.
When I worked in the steel factory back in the day..we'd use naphtha..they had tons of it for the paint tank.. lol
“Lamp oil? Rope? BOMBS? You want it? It’s yoouurs my friend, as long as you have enough rubies.”
sorry link i can't give credit come back when you're a little mmm richer
3:51 WarThunder in a nutshell
Stanley"Labladorite"Comment lel
Brian griffin is that you?
What kind of glue did you use to attach that cool devil at your zippo?
Jb weld he said it in the video we don't have it here in the uk but I believe that is the brand of glue
It's a brand of glue
Nathan Tweddle It's epoxy...
Borko Vasiljević a sticky glue
***** JB Weld is two tubes mixed together, it is an epoxy that sets up like steel
The thing with naphtha is that it has just the right volatility for oil lighters.
Lamp oil is not volatile enough (won’t gasify enough when the lid is opened to catch the sparks) while for example 99% isopropanol is too volatile.
So I was wondering now…why not use a mix of 99% isopropanol and lamp oil, if that is even possible?
I filled up a zippo with kerosene on accident once. (My dad filled a lighter fluid container with kerosene and I didn’t know, go figure) It worked just fine, you just have to strike it 4 or 5 times quickly to build a little heat with consecutive sparks. The flame puts off some nasty dark smoke though. I think most flammable liquids will work in these lighters.
I have 3rd class kerosene can I use it in my Zippo style lighter
Hardik Poudel I tried using it on mine, didn't work
Your 'zippo style lighter' in other words POS knockoff
DHC DeepBlue you purist are the piece of shits
Gabriel Baclagon being a purist is better than being an income support fucker who can't afford the real thing.
DHC DeepBlue Well that escalated quickly
Naptha.
That is what lighter fluid is made from....
what is naptha?? i refill my lighter with naphtha however it works quite well
A lot of people don't know this but ronson and ronsonol was purchased by zippo in 2011 I believe it was. and in the yellow ronsonol bottle is now the zipper lighter fluid formula. It's about 1 dollar a bottle compared to paying 3$ extra for the zippo sticker and metal can.
i use coleman camp fuel it came in a 1 gallon can and works completely fine and works same as zippo fluid, burns clean and has a great flame and is very reliable, not once has it failed to light using this fluid
Lamp oil (or kerosene, or paraffin, depending on which version of english you use) does eventually light in a zippo-type lighter, tried it myself and wore the flint out in the process, but it does eventually light, better than being left high & dry in the cold at least... :)
It kept on lighting with the kerosene right after he put it out because the wick was hot and kerosene vapour is REALLY flammable. But it won't work if you don't light it with a match.
I have failed to fill my lighter before work and then it plays out mid morning. I work at a car dealership and we use this "cleaner" called Dealer Sol. It's safe for car finishes to remove paint transfer, light scratched, tar and other uses. I have used it several times and it works as well as lighter fluid. It does however, have a different taste than lighter fluid when lighting your smoking materials. I only use it in a pinch and it mixes with lighter fluid perfectly fine which is a plus.
Well, I didn't stick to one lighter fluid but it still work as I opened the whole case and dry the whole lighter and insert then started pouring the standard lighter fluid and it work! The previous lighter fluid I poured earlier was denatured alcohol by the way.
Welp, I know it is 2020, but I was looking for a test on this fuel for my zippo and found this vid. I have filled one "zippo like" lighter with lamp gas (on my country is also known as kerosene). It works pretty well, no smoke when it burns, it smells a bit more than the zippo fluid, it is kinda oily and more viscous. First time I've tried to ignite my lighter it just failed for every spark, exactly like in this video and I found that the problem is the length of the wick inside the chimney. Cut the wick inside the chimney to about half the length you are using with zippo fluid and try it again. The sparks must land on top of the wick for short and that will ignite it everytime you spark on it. As for the kerosene, it smells but being not so flamable like the zippo fluid, it will last longer in the lighter since it is not evaporating so fast at normal temperatures (20 - 28 degrees C). Mine keeps working well with no signs of getting dry after 3 weeks now (zippo fluid used to dry out after 10 or 12 days). PS: it smokes a bit when you close the lighter lid (if you don't open it again right after you close it you won't have problems with the smoke).
thank
Naptha smells just like Zippo fluid and is probably the same or very similar. Charcoal lighter is mineral spirits and has a lower flash point making it harder to light with a spark.
nafta or in france it is called "essence F"it is basicaly lighter fluid but sold by liter as a paint cleaner.can get it realy cheap and easily,and it is lighter fluid,just rebranded.
Seems like the lamp oil needs to be heated up to evaporate, whereas lighter fluid does not. That's why it works with a match, or with the spark immediately after its put out, but let the wick cool down and the vapors escape and you'll need a match again.
As for the availability of lighter fluid, in Colombia (where I'm from), a container of lighter fluid can cost about $40,000-50,000 COP. Even though its only $12 USD, it feels more like $20 or $30 USD, so in such a situation I see why you'd want to use something cheaper. Plus, they're not so easy to get either, so you'll need to go search for it probably downtown or else you'll get ripped off.
Point Taken. Zippo Fluid is the best, but in tight situations there are many solutions that will work. With lamp oil your first problem is that it does not give off enough flammable vapor. Cumming from a Lab back ground, ethanol, acetone etc will work..
You can also use ethanol or methanol, the flame they produce are pale blue, that means they are cleaner and work just fine and produce no smoke or funny smell.
i found the same thing... if you light the wick first w/another flame, then now you have a longer burning flame, if you need one. but the lighter will only re-light using the flint, immediately after you extinguish the flame. once the smoke begins to dissipate, the spark isn't enuff heat to get it going. butane is more 'explosive', hence ignites w/only a spark
I worked in an Aerodrome most of my life. Ocasionally I filed my Zippo with Avgas 100LL fuel for piston engines. It works fine, although it's clearly more smoky. I never tried Jet A-1, and I don't think it would work since it's almost Kerosene.
Whatever you use, do NOT use kerosene, which lamp oil essentially I I suppose. I tried it for fun once, knowing the flint probably wouldn't ignite it. It's a complete pain in the ass to get the lighter working again. Kerosene takes a considerable amount of time to evaporate, and even after adding Zippo fluid multiple times over a month or 2, the thing has a hell of a time lighting. It'll smoke once put out, if you even can manage to light it You basically have to soak and rinse the cotton and wick out with Zippo fluid or as I did, very high strength rubbing alcohol.
You can switch fuels, and it will work if you switch back to zippo. It'll just take a half dozen refills till it burns correctly and smoke free.
When I was a kid of about 15yrs ,we used to drain the fuel bowl of carburetor on the tractor into our Zippos . We did this all the time as we were out in field away from the house,it works fine never hurt the lighters as I recall. A word of caution if you put in your pocket before outside was dry it would burn your leg. Not to be critizing you should always be at least 10Feet away from source before trying to light.
you posted that comment on my brothers birthday
I agree With Tony Iocca, I use Coleman fuel in all my Zippos, including older zippos with asbestos wicks , better ignition , lowe smoke and less smell .
I also use it in a bunch of Asian Zippo copies no issues.
Coleman fuel and Q-tips also clean the lighter very well.
If you are a Coleman stove user, Coleman fuel(white gas) works perfectly and its cheap if you are American, very expensive if you are European so I being English, I am NOT paying £10 a litre for Coleman fuel, when I can use Holts brake liner cleaner at £13 for 5 ltrs, its Naphtha the same as lighter fluid and I also use it in my Petrol stoves and lamps.
Diesel works in a zippo brand. Heard somewhere that when fighting in the European theater, American GI's would just dip their lighter in a gas tank when lighter fluid was far and away.
ok i used to fill my zipo with this too and your vid prompted me to get my old zippo out and try to see,i got two oils,one says very pure with no scent the other is kerosene based and has that certain fuel smell a bit,,i did a burn test with some toilet paper i made into wicks and dipped each one in the oils and flicked my lighter under each,,guess what ,the pure one did not light till i held the lighter under it,the kerosene one blazed instantly and the fire made was very flammable so i used that in the zippo at the sacrifice of smelling like i work at a gas station in my pocket and it works good enough once you light it let it burn a while so it draws fuel to the wick,also you may need to adjust the way the wick is facing the flint with a pair of tweezers ,make sure the tip of the wick is fanned out and at the right height to catch sparks ,thats why you were able to light it with the lighter easily,not because it did not draw fuel but the sparks aint hitting it right,another trick is to get the flints from empty lighters before you throw em out and save them for the zippo ,even if they are a bit smaller size than what zippo requires they still work and save you money cause the butane runs out before the flint so you still have a good amount of flint for use
my reason is because i want to know what will work in a survival situation, lamp oil isn't really much easier to find than zippo fuel or butane but grill barbeque fluid and kerosene/gasoline/naptha are manufactured in larger quantities
Lamp oil is a terrible choice. Paraffin doesn't produce fumes like Zippo fluid. Any brand of lighter fluid (not pressurized butane) will do, and something like gasoline or kerosene would also do the job. Something with a high level of fumes. Also, you can pull the foam off the bottom and replace the rayon balls inside. The insert as a whole isn't ruined, just the balls and wick. Both are cheap as heck.
Lighter fluid is $1.99 at Safeway and you get 5 ounces. Lamp oil may work but it's also sloppy while lighter fluid has a great delivery system. I'll keep the lamp oil replacement in my mind in case I run out of lighter fluid and need to light a stogie..
Lamp oil is oil, you need an open flame to light it where as lighter fluid is more flammable and only needs a spark to ignite.
Didn't knew that people actually used oil lamps in 2012. My grandpa had one growing up but it's like an antique to us, even my dad has never seen one being used.
In Vietnam the soldiers would tie a boot lace to their zippo and dunk it in the gas tank of a jeep to fill it. It was designed to be used with kerosene.
No. Kerosene no good in Zippo. Gasoline !!.
This is a fantastic demonstration, its a great not to video, it shows the difference between light and heavy fuels,
If your zippo is low on fuel or your only adding a small refill. You can blow into the bottom of the insert to help force the liquid up to the wick