when you fill your zippo. 1. Pull up the wool end piece before filling. 2. look at the wick while filling. When the wick starts to get wet the zippo is full. Replace the wool plug and put the lighter back together. Then light it to burn off all the extra fuel. (you might get a small fireball).
I set my thumb on fire a lot. I find it entertaining though when people see and get that worried look just before I casually shake my hand a bit, putting the flame out. its so quick I don't even feel it really. yeah I'm a messy filler sometimes.
Amazing video and excellent commentary on an American classic. I collect them. Any time I get a new Zippo, I always replace the rayon wadding with cotton balls. They retain fluid well, they are cheap, and are easy to come by.
Osama Obama one wick will last a year or more easily. Flint’s will last months to a year, depending on how often you need to use it and using a flint wheel lighter lets you do things like this if you have an issue with your fuel source. Piezoelectric lighters only seem to work with butane in my experience, and even then I’ve found them to be less reliable.
Great video on a great topic! If a Zippo is something you're already likely to carry, then it's good to be practiced in how to best leverage it for survival instead of gear that might be more purpose-built but that you'll never have on you at all times! Oh and like others have already said, the felt should be lifted to properly fill a Zippo insert. Also, it's very interesting you cover replacing the rayon with cotton. One of the most popular "mods" in the zippo community besides properly routing the wick in an "S" shape and repacking the insert, is replacing all the rayon with high quality wicking vape cotton, not only does it work, it works better than the rayon at holding more fluid. More fluid means longer times between fills before it dries out.
Sweet idea, sir. I just purchased a brass luxury Zippo for my EDC fire needs and I'm happy I came upon this video. I will implement your idea immediately.
Good video. To make your fuel last longer, I use a balloon cut to fit on the zippo, which seals it off from evaporating. I saw that idea somewhere, not sure where.
Two words on the Zippo, ranger bands. Now in this pandemic era everyone has sanitising gel, a couple of drops of sanitising gel on the wick, and you can ignite tinder.
I'm sure someome has already said this but the zippo case doubles as both the perfect dupe to open the lighter fluid and a screwdriver to get the flint spring screw out
i do this with mine. inside i have all cotton, a neo magnet, a needle, a fish hook, and an extra flint. wrap it with a wide ranger band and make sure you fill it before you had out. should cover most survival situations especially if combined with a knife and a 6 foot piece of paracord and it's a pretty decent kit. i'm going to replace that 6 foot piece of paracord with that tinder cord or survival cord. it has fishing line in it. it's just about as bare bones as i would want to get caught in a survival situation. but technically it's pretty easy to carry a small pack when you go out with a better kit. but if your carrying a lighter anyways the zippo kit is a good choice.
great vid and thx mate. Personally i love zippos. They might burn fuel fast, evaporate fuel fast, but when fueled they are excellent.. AND they can be refueled with so many random inflammable liquids. Bic lighters are light, cheap, dont leak even after years of storage, and are damn good too. If I had the choice I would always take a zippo AND a Bic for the following reasons: The zippo is best for the first few days...then it will run out. The Bic is awesome, light, and better in so many ways...... but when it runs out its fucked (apart from being a flint sparker) At this point, when you are seriously in a survival situation to the degree that you have dried up both a zippo and a Bic.... well at least you can put any flammable liquid in a zippo and start fires. When i go camping I take a zippo AND a disposable lighter for these reasons. I take the shitty plastic lighter for all the problems i know about... and the zippo is there all the problems I dont know about.
David Weirauch I grabbed a chunk of rubber tube and put it on the lid/base seam after some similar suggestions and it seems to be working well so far. Thanks!
On Amazon you can get a small, cylindrical lighter with an o-ring and a larger Zippo brand fuel container, also with o-ring. I got the lighter 4 years ago, filled it, and it still lights.
I agree with you about how silly the redundancy is. I build my bug out bags and survival packs based on a few ideas/rules: Every step you take burns calories. Every pound you carry when you take a step increases the amount burned. If you don't have a lot of calories going in, you need to be mindful of calories going out, so considering that: 1) Really think about every item you put in your pack. Can you think of, in even the most absolute dire situation, three or more practical uses for that item? If the answer is no, then it's likely wasting space and adding unnecessary weight and robbing you of much needed calories in a survival situation. 2) The exception to #1 is water and fire. 2a) Do you have three methods of starting a fire? No? Get them. But keep in mind that you need them to weigh very little and take up very little space*. 2b) Do you have three ways to carry water that can withstand heat needed to make it potable? Again, if the answer is no, fix that.** 3) Can you put on your survival pack/gear and go about a normal day in non-survival situations without extreme fatigue or strain? If no, then you're carrying too much. Imagine you've got to make a several day hike to affect a self rescue because that's how far you need to go before you're somewhere that you can be found (though if that's the case, you REALLY screwed up)... You're going to be low on calories, conserving water as much as possible, and you need all of the stuff in your pack to keep you alive. You need to make sure you've got your pack down to the bare essentials so you don't die just from the extra weight! * I carry a Zippo with cotton, a waterproof container around my neck with waterproof matches, and I have boot laces that are 550 paracord with ferrocerium tips. ** In this case I technically have 4. A cylinder shaped canteen, a space saver cup/pot that fits on the bottom of the canteen, a belt clip that snaps onto the rim of any plastic water bottle where I carry a small stainless water bottle, and a small lifestraw type filter in my pocket.
I'll give you a like because your beard is wonderfully majestic.... but lift the felt pad to refill next time. Otherwise you waste fuel when refueling.
Place a shortened plastic bag over the felt in the bottom to keep fluid longer ! You can get a metal Zippo refill for lighter and the hand warmers ! 8:468:54 electricle tapr around the insert near the top no wrinkles!
Just discovered your channel because of your spearcarving video and you are doing amazing work! It is super interesting to see the survivaltips you know and Imma use them for sure, keep up your amazing videos!
Thanks so much for the tip, I enjoy your channel and still have your ultra light on a budget saved in my watch later playlist for ideas. I go back and forth carrying either a bic or zippo everyday for twenty years and I will now add cotton and extra flints to the zippo. A good tip I learned a while back from Far North Bushcraft was to cut off a piece of tubing to use for zippo protection; I cut the thumb from one of those yellow dish washing gloves and roll the white side over the the top of the zippo. It helps a lot with evaporation, extending the fuel time and protecting it from water. Hope this helps you too.
Thanks for your support! I have heard about wrapping it in a bike tube but havent had a junk one to cut up. Maybe I can scrounge up a dish glove though. Thanks for the tip!
RevHiker My thought would to pack the zippo with vaseline cotton balls. Although you wouldn't get flame from the zippo you would have the basics for fire in one compact container
If you slowly file off some flint to get flint powder without sparking it then spark it you get a larger longer spark. I use empty bic lighter flints but they corrode in the lighter fluid.
I never thought about replacing the rayon with cotton. THANKS! I'd like to see what different fuels can be used in a Zippo if you were not able to obtain lighter fluid.
During WW2 guys would tie a string to the wind guard and drop it off into a Jerry can for five seconds. Dad told a few guys that when he had to pull the second gas tank out of a Jeep and found a Zippo stuck under the fuel pick up tube inside the tank. Also a plastic Skoal can with a wrap of tape around the seam makes a handy water proof lighter case. Add some cotton balls and a tube of chapstick and theres your tender box ready to help the freezing pilgrim you may find on your hike.
You can buy rubber gaskets to replace the little cloth bit at the bottom that you lift to fill the lighter. It’s a tight fit and will cut evaporation down to pretty much nothing. Also has a nice spot for holding extra flints. Theyre cheap like 5/$5 on amazon.
That's unrealistic. All it does is seal the bottom. Most of the evaporation is out of the exposed part of the wick. If you wanted to cut evaporation down to nothing, you would have to put a seal under where the lid closes onto the case body, or put an external seal around the the line like with electrical tape
Great thing about a zippo is that you can use anything to fuel it. Also, it's easily repairable. In a survival situation, having those options is pretty great. Besides that it still makes sparks even when empty, though not as good as a firerod, better than nothing.
Changes sine this came out: MULTIPLE Zippo Butane inserts, and a portable Fuel Canister. Also, in order to get cheap cotton, find a hair salon and ask them for some of their "perm cotton". A 4" strip of that, cut in half, is enough to repack your lighter, one half folded over on each side of the wick. Basically the same thing as "Cotton Bacon" but MUCH cheaper, and easier to find.
Good stuff. Also liked in the other video where you showed how you drilled out the side and put the balloon on it to save the fuel. When you do these videos if you could put links in the description to where you get stuff like flints and any other videos you mention that would be helpful! Thanks again :)
I highly recommend you put some inner tube around the gap where the zippo is folded open. It really reduces the evaporation speed a lot. Usually my Zippo runs out of fuel in 2 - 3 weeks from evaporation but with the inner tube around it it's good for at least 2 1/2 - 3 month so make sure to check that out if you're EDCing a Zippo ;-)
Even with no fuel, the Zippo by itself is still a firestarter. In a pinch, you can soak a small fleck of cotton or shredded tissue in paint thinner or similar light petroleum distillate fuel, or even vodka, place the soaked wad inside the chimney of the Zippo, strike the wheel a few times and get a flame quickly.
Honestly just pack some extra flint for the lighter, then all you would need to do is put the the tinder close to the lighter and use the sparks to light a fire
1.5 inch bicycle tyre tube a one inch + piece for storage and cut the corner of a frezer bag after you fill the insert Put the bag over the felt and install in the Zippo case if storing then put the tire tube over to prevent evaperation or go Zippo butane torch or yellow flame !
On fuels. Zippo fluid is actually white lamp oil. Same stuff you use in old style oil lamps. You can use any flammable oil but don't use anything more volatile. So that means DON't USE acetone, gasoline, rubbing alcohol, white gas.
Jeremiah Alfrey Both Zippo and Ronson fluid are basically naphtha. It's quite volatile and has a relatively low flash point. Please, folks, do not use Zippo fluid or Ronsonol fuel in an oil lamp. It's way too volatile and you will very likely have an explosion and/or a fire. Likewise, don't use kerosene or heavier lamp oils or parrafin oils in a Zippo lighter as it will become very difficult or impossible to light.
+Jeremiah Alfrey Everything after 'dont use' still works, just so you know. It's not recommended, but it works. Thanks to the cloth it won't explode or anything.
Well, if you want to use kerosene or low flash point paraffin oils in your Zippo go ahead. All I know is I tried it decades ago and the lighters became extremely hard to light. Meanwhile lighter petroleum distillates, such as naphtha always worked great and lit on the first flick of the flint.
White spirit lasts longer. I have an old star lighter works fine if it doesnt light just add a little bit of regualr lighter fluid. Another way to light in desperate times is to shave some fine silver birch bark into where the wick goes then that will work.
Something to consider is that in a pinch or survival situation you don't have to use lighter fluid, things petrol, kerosene, alcohol, stove fuel, shellite ect will still work. They might be harder to start or be a little smelly and smoky but they still work. I would consider a bic light to be the ultimate suvival lighter though especially in a kit, even better than a ferro rod which would actually suck in true survival situation. Edit: woops, looks like you already covered that just seconds after i posted the comment.
anything that makes a spark is a viable option. I prefer ferro rods or magnesium strikers. If you live in the country whatever you have with you if you end up stranded without help for a while might be the only thing saving you, especially in winter conditions. like say you're stuck with no fuel to run and a dead battery (no joke this happened to a friend of mine in upstate NY once but luckly I didn't live too far to get to him.). little tricks like this might save your life.
if you have empty bic lighters what i do is depressize them cut them open and make a survival sparker or just harvest the flint from the bic lighters with a little modding on your zippo spring you can fit them
btw ZIPPO makes a fuel canister that can re-fill 1 zippo and abit that clips onto your belt or key chain ect/whatever..plus it holds flints..you should check it out
Here's a hint from an old guy. When you buy a Zippo lighter, everybody buys fluid. Don't forget to buy a pack of Flint's. What you do with the flints you put them in the bottom of the lighter. If you go out into the wild buy some cotton ball and petroleum jelly. Take the cotton balls and make sure they're soaked in the petroleum jelly wipe it all over. Fallout 1 cotton ball and Spark it up. It is not complicated as you make it. It works I do it all the time😮
i know this is an older vid but the best trick to make a zippo last is you cut a bit of a rubber bike inertube and put it over the seam and it keeps it air/water tight and it will last for a really long time and you can just out it back on there when you are done using the lighter :)
I like this guy! xDDD Just keep on using ur knife, no matter how much it cost! I bought 2 decks of poker-cards just for practice throwing them! I want to use them, so I do it. That's not other people's bussiness, even if their heart burn just because they wouldn't do it and sit on their money and buy expensive things only for showing but not using it! :D
Exactly. Only because a knife is no screwdriver doesn't mean you cannot use it for such a thing. It's still a TOOL after all, and it's yours. :D the packing of my cards say "poker cards" but throwing them is fun too. I don't care what things are supposed for. I use them the way I want. Nobody should care about it as long as I don't hurt someone and so on... But there are people out there... you know... whatever...^^
Surely putting it in a zip lock bag it would keep the fuel whilst in storage, if just using it in an emergency capacity I mean. You will always have a spark too. Which in theory you could start a fire with. Cotton ball soaked in Vaseline (I think) is also a decent fire starter so a spark on that would start a fire.
Ik this Is an old video but I thought this was a great idea. So as I’m taking the ronsonol out I decide to test its flammability like you did and found that the cotton isn’t really necessary at all. Maybe they use something else in 2017 or something for me it caught fire fine pretty consistently. I found what helps is holding the material with your fingers rather than just placing it there and lighting only say 2 strands that branches out into more
Two tips too improve that would be put a ranger band that covers the hinge and gap you will lose fuel slower and two carry some char cloth as it still sparks.
The cotten is more absorbent aswell. Double the life with a ziplock, put the lighter insert in one corner cut then place in the holder. Plastic keeps alot of the fumes in.
I suggest keeping a rayon ball or two as it would creat a none flammable layer one would hope making it last longer lit without possible unwanted fire.
What you can do is get some paracord inner strands or just a thin line and you know why there is holes on the lighter area flint area so you could attach line to it and find a vehicle and put it in the gas tank that's what the guys back in Nam did all the time
+URBANSASQUATCH 55 Good luck finding a vehicle with a fuel tank filler neck that you can fit a Zippo insert through. Even if you manage to fit the insert through the hole at the top of the filler neck (which you won't, because it is only 13/16" in diameter, and a Zippo insert is about 1-3/8" wide), on most modern vehicles there is an anti-siphoning mechanism down in there (usually a ball which liquid can flow around but a solid object can't get past). In all likelihood, if those stories are true, they dipped the inserts into gas cans (AKA: jerrycans), like you'd find mounted on the back of a military Jeep.
Well the beautiful thing about Zippos is you can use gasoline and that's pretty easy to find when you can't find zippo fluid. You can dip the whole zippo in a gas tank and oila!
cotton is going to hold less fuel, rayon is much more absorbent.. you are sacrificing one convenience for another. i cary a 5oz mini flask to refill my hand warmer it would work for lighters too. if you bend the wick to touch each piece of rayon, your lighter will last much longer. a step further is getting a gasket to replace the felt pad to minimize mere evaporation. even a ranger band wont keep fuel in your lighter long term...its a good idea but fire is one thing that can be done so many ways with practically nothing, if there is sunlight you can fill a clear baggy with water to make a magnifying glass to start a fire
I never carry a bic after reading of a welder killed when a spark landed in his shirt pocket on the bic that blew, so I figure they aren't safe near sparks (wood stove or campfire). Have enjoyed an Auer for awhile and now have a zippo. JUst can't beat these lighters to start campfires and am looking for the inner tube to put over each lighter as the odor is getting obnoxious as I age. Read the comments and the one about the holes in the flame guard made me think of a willie and men lowering a lighter into it's gas tank, lol.
It'd have to be an extremely hot spark for that to be true. I've tossed bic lighters in bonfires before they'd usually take about 10 seconds before they blew and even then it wasn't much of an explosion just fuel spraying out quietly extending a flame. But just to clarify that's something My friends and i did in high school as pranks
+RevHiker you can also get a metal lighter sleeve for a few dollars off amazon not sure why I didn't mention it yesterday I have one I use on all my bic's
Good to hear they have come out with the sleeve for Bic's as they are a great lighter. Haven't seen one here in northern Canada but will check them online, thanks, all the best.
Great idea, but have you ever read the red words on the bottom of the zippo? It says 'lift to fill' you have to lift the wool pad up and fill your zippo that way.
MrWhiteguy6 Yes....but Im a rebel without a cause. lol I know youre supposed to but I usually put the nozzle in the hole in the wool and it seems to work fine.
RevHiker, just wondering what happened when you burnt through the fuel, did it burn the wick (cotton)? My bunch is that the rayon is used for its flame retardant properties. Nice video ☺☺☺ ➡and you got me thinking about how I can get other uses to make fire from my Zippo!😀
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when you fill your zippo.
1. Pull up the wool end piece before filling.
2. look at the wick while filling. When the wick starts to get wet the zippo is full. Replace the wool plug and put the lighter back together. Then light it to burn off all the extra fuel. (you might get a small fireball).
I set my thumb on fire a lot. I find it entertaining though when people see and get that worried look just before I casually shake my hand a bit, putting the flame out. its so quick I don't even feel it really. yeah I'm a messy filler sometimes.
Amazing video and excellent commentary on an American classic. I collect them. Any time I get a new Zippo, I always replace the rayon wadding with cotton balls. They retain fluid well, they are cheap, and are easy to come by.
I'd just bring some extra fuel.
Dont forget tons of flint and extra wick. Id just bring a electric bic and butane gas bottle
Just stay in a hotel when you travel. It saves most survival issues.
Osama Obama one wick will last a year or more easily. Flint’s will last months to a year, depending on how often you need to use it and using a flint wheel lighter lets you do things like this if you have an issue with your fuel source. Piezoelectric lighters only seem to work with butane in my experience, and even then I’ve found them to be less reliable.
You've broken the universe
I'd just bring a Bic or a clipper. I would be glad to bring a Zippo and try to use that primarily, but you're going to want to have a backup.
Great video on a great topic! If a Zippo is something you're already likely to carry, then it's good to be practiced in how to best leverage it for survival instead of gear that might be more purpose-built but that you'll never have on you at all times!
Oh and like others have already said, the felt should be lifted to properly fill a Zippo insert.
Also, it's very interesting you cover replacing the rayon with cotton. One of the most popular "mods" in the zippo community besides properly routing the wick in an "S" shape and repacking the insert, is replacing all the rayon with high quality wicking vape cotton, not only does it work, it works better than the rayon at holding more fluid. More fluid means longer times between fills before it dries out.
It hurts me when someone fills the zippo through the hole.. Great idea though 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
sorry...and thanks!
ZeidGho why? What's the difference between lifting the tab?
It's like peeing while your eyes are closed
NJ STUDIOZ It really doesn't matter. I do it both ways.
you cant tell when the rayon is full to saturation
The most intense survival scenario in the last 10 years I have experienced is when my phone died.
Mine was when my power was shutdown for a week due to hurricane
lol….same
if you pull a bicycle innertube over the the the joint and hinge...it is both water proof and will keep the fluid at lot longer
Sweet idea, sir. I just purchased a brass luxury Zippo for my EDC fire needs and I'm happy I came upon this video. I will implement your idea immediately.
Great ! Glad it helped
I will be changing out the rayon to cotton and adding extra flints to my Zippo. Thanks for the great idea.
the purpose of the rayon is to not burn
Good video. To make your fuel last longer, I use a balloon cut to fit on the zippo, which seals it off from evaporating. I saw that idea somewhere, not sure where.
+Matt Schlottmann Thats actually what I do lol
Probably saw that from you!
Bicycle tire tube works good too.
Two words on the Zippo, ranger bands. Now in this pandemic era everyone has sanitising gel, a couple of drops of sanitising gel on the wick, and you can ignite tinder.
I'm sure someome has already said this but the zippo case doubles as both the perfect dupe to open the lighter fluid and a screwdriver to get the flint spring screw out
Tip to keep fuel in longer: shove an bicycle innertube on it, it will seal it!
i do this with mine. inside i have all cotton, a neo magnet, a needle, a fish hook, and an extra flint. wrap it with a wide ranger band and make sure you fill it before you had out. should cover most survival situations especially if combined with a knife and a 6 foot piece of paracord and it's a pretty decent kit. i'm going to replace that 6 foot piece of paracord with that tinder cord or survival cord. it has fishing line in it. it's just about as bare bones as i would want to get caught in a survival situation. but technically it's pretty easy to carry a small pack when you go out with a better kit. but if your carrying a lighter anyways the zippo kit is a good choice.
great vid and thx mate.
Personally i love zippos. They might burn fuel fast, evaporate fuel fast, but when fueled they are excellent.. AND they can be refueled with so many random inflammable liquids.
Bic lighters are light, cheap, dont leak even after years of storage, and are damn good too.
If I had the choice I would always take a zippo AND a Bic for the following reasons:
The zippo is best for the first few days...then it will run out.
The Bic is awesome, light, and better in so many ways...... but when it runs out its fucked (apart from being a flint sparker)
At this point, when you are seriously in a survival situation to the degree that you have dried up both a zippo and a Bic.... well at least you can put any flammable liquid in a zippo and start fires.
When i go camping I take a zippo AND a disposable lighter for these reasons. I take the shitty plastic lighter for all the problems i know about... and the zippo is there all the problems I dont know about.
+TheWtfnonamez nice! Thanks for the input and for watching. Always better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it
Канистра брелок zippo в помощь
I have a zippo for a back up but I also have a ,"ranger band", overlapping the lid. So far, so good.
David Weirauch I grabbed a chunk of rubber tube and put it on the lid/base seam after some similar suggestions and it seems to be working well so far. Thanks!
On Amazon you can get a small, cylindrical lighter with an o-ring and a larger Zippo brand fuel container, also with o-ring. I got the lighter 4 years ago, filled it, and it still lights.
AND check out zippo's survival lighter...safety orange and its packed with orange starters and a flintwheel designed to start it
Random_rapper20 will do, thanks
I agree with you about how silly the redundancy is.
I build my bug out bags and survival packs based on a few ideas/rules:
Every step you take burns calories. Every pound you carry when you take a step increases the amount burned. If you don't have a lot of calories going in, you need to be mindful of calories going out, so considering that:
1) Really think about every item you put in your pack. Can you think of, in even the most absolute dire situation, three or more practical uses for that item? If the answer is no, then it's likely wasting space and adding unnecessary weight and robbing you of much needed calories in a survival situation.
2) The exception to #1 is water and fire.
2a) Do you have three methods of starting a fire? No? Get them. But keep in mind that you need them to weigh very little and take up very little space*.
2b) Do you have three ways to carry water that can withstand heat needed to make it potable? Again, if the answer is no, fix that.**
3) Can you put on your survival pack/gear and go about a normal day in non-survival situations without extreme fatigue or strain? If no, then you're carrying too much. Imagine you've got to make a several day hike to affect a self rescue because that's how far you need to go before you're somewhere that you can be found (though if that's the case, you REALLY screwed up)... You're going to be low on calories, conserving water as much as possible, and you need all of the stuff in your pack to keep you alive. You need to make sure you've got your pack down to the bare essentials so you don't die just from the extra weight!
* I carry a Zippo with cotton, a waterproof container around my neck with waterproof matches, and I have boot laces that are 550 paracord with ferrocerium tips.
** In this case I technically have 4. A cylinder shaped canteen, a space saver cup/pot that fits on the bottom of the canteen, a belt clip that snaps onto the rim of any plastic water bottle where I carry a small stainless water bottle, and a small lifestraw type filter in my pocket.
Decent knowledge there 👌🏼
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing this tip.
thanks bro, glad you liked it!
Thanks!
I'll give you a like because your beard is wonderfully majestic.... but lift the felt pad to refill next time. Otherwise you waste fuel when refueling.
Haha yea that annoyed me
Ha the felt pad even says lift to fill.
TheJokerscene why lift it bitch?
NJ STUDIOZ thats how i get to your ass bitch!
you're mom wanted me to help her with that too
Place a shortened plastic bag over the felt in the bottom to keep fluid longer ! You can get a metal Zippo refill for lighter and the hand warmers ! 8:46 8:54 electricle tapr around the insert near the top no wrinkles!
Just discovered your channel because of your spearcarving video and you are doing amazing work! It is super interesting to see the survivaltips you know and Imma use them for sure, keep up your amazing videos!
CH1C Flowbusch Thank you!
love the 940 man, use that thing for boxes, use it for everything, it's one of the best knives ever made. also, I fill my Zippo through the hole too.
Thanks so much for the tip, I enjoy your channel and still have your ultra light on a budget saved in my watch later playlist for ideas. I go back and forth carrying either a bic or zippo everyday for twenty years and I will now add cotton and extra flints to the zippo. A good tip I learned a while back from Far North Bushcraft was to cut off a piece of tubing to use for zippo protection; I cut the thumb from one of those yellow dish washing gloves and roll the white side over the the top of the zippo. It helps a lot with evaporation, extending the fuel time and protecting it from water. Hope this helps you too.
Thanks for your support! I have heard about wrapping it in a bike tube but havent had a junk one to cut up. Maybe I can scrounge up a dish glove though. Thanks for the tip!
RevHiker
My thought would to pack the zippo with vaseline cotton balls. Although you wouldn't get flame from the zippo you would have the basics for fire in one compact container
That would certainly be an option. Theres always more then one way to skin a cat. Thanks for watching!
I guess the "lift to fill" writing is not for american citizens
lol...youre like the 900th person to say that...and I still wont lift to fill
i lift, but there is a hole for a reason...
I don't know about the intended purpose for the hole, but it fits a spare flint perfectly.
Gucci Mane it IS for a flint
Gucci Mane ..the hole in the felt cover is for inserting the fluid nozzle..lol
You could always use a little bit of you beard instead of a cotton to make fire
Burning human hair smells awful though
If you slowly file off some flint to get flint powder without sparking it then spark it you get a larger longer spark.
I use empty bic lighter flints but they corrode in the lighter fluid.
Thanks for the tip! I also throw a fishing hook in where you put the extra flint.
+Eric Martins good idea!
Thank you so much, now my Zippo becomes survival
I never thought about replacing the rayon with cotton. THANKS! I'd like to see what different fuels can be used in a Zippo if you were not able to obtain lighter fluid.
BigFootWalker1776 Gasoline.
BigFootWalker1776 supposedly wwii soldiers just used gasoline.
During WW2 guys would tie a string to the wind guard and drop it off into a Jerry can for five seconds. Dad told a few guys that when he had to pull the second gas tank out of a Jeep and found a Zippo stuck under the fuel pick up tube inside the tank. Also a plastic Skoal can with a wrap of tape around the seam makes a handy water proof lighter case. Add some cotton balls and a tube of chapstick and theres your tender box ready to help the freezing pilgrim you may find on your hike.
Thank God someone assessed this.
You can buy rubber gaskets to replace the little cloth bit at the bottom that you lift to fill the lighter. It’s a tight fit and will cut evaporation down to pretty much nothing. Also has a nice spot for holding extra flints. Theyre cheap like 5/$5 on amazon.
That's unrealistic. All it does is seal the bottom. Most of the evaporation is out of the exposed part of the wick. If you wanted to cut evaporation down to nothing, you would have to put a seal under where the lid closes onto the case body, or put an external seal around the the line like with electrical tape
Great thing about a zippo is that you can use anything to fuel it. Also, it's easily repairable. In a survival situation, having those options is pretty great. Besides that it still makes sparks even when empty, though not as good as a firerod, better than nothing.
+Martin Smith agreed! Thanks for watching
You can get a metal refill by Zippo !
Changes sine this came out: MULTIPLE Zippo Butane inserts, and a portable Fuel Canister. Also, in order to get cheap cotton, find a hair salon and ask them for some of their "perm cotton". A 4" strip of that, cut in half, is enough to repack your lighter, one half folded over on each side of the wick. Basically the same thing as "Cotton Bacon" but MUCH cheaper, and easier to find.
Good stuff. Also liked in the other video where you showed how you drilled out the side and put the balloon on it to save the fuel. When you do these videos if you could put links in the description to where you get stuff like flints and any other videos you mention that would be helpful! Thanks again :)
Adam Baumgardner Thanks for the tips, Ill try to remember to include that stuff in upcoming videos. Thanks for watching!
I highly recommend you put some inner tube around the gap where the zippo is folded open. It really reduces the evaporation speed a lot.
Usually my Zippo runs out of fuel in 2 - 3 weeks from evaporation but with the inner tube around it it's good for at least 2 1/2 - 3 month so make sure to check that out if you're EDCing a Zippo ;-)
VaylorexTV Thanks...I have rubber around there now...but I couldnt find any in time for the video haha
Even with no fuel, the Zippo by itself is still a firestarter. In a pinch, you can soak a small fleck of cotton or shredded tissue in paint thinner or similar light petroleum distillate fuel, or even vodka, place the soaked wad inside the chimney of the Zippo, strike the wheel a few times and get a flame quickly.
Honestly just pack some extra flint for the lighter, then all you would need to do is put the the tinder close to the lighter and use the sparks to light a fire
1.5 inch bicycle tyre tube a one inch + piece for storage and cut the corner of a frezer bag after you fill the insert
Put the bag over the felt and install in the Zippo case if storing then put the tire tube over to prevent evaperation or go Zippo butane torch or yellow flame !
On fuels. Zippo fluid is actually white lamp oil. Same stuff you use in old style oil lamps. You can use any flammable oil but don't use anything more volatile. So that means DON't USE acetone, gasoline, rubbing alcohol, white gas.
Jeremiah Alfrey Both Zippo and Ronson fluid are basically naphtha. It's quite volatile and has a relatively low flash point. Please, folks, do not use Zippo fluid or Ronsonol fuel in an oil lamp. It's way too volatile and you will very likely have an explosion and/or a fire. Likewise, don't use kerosene or heavier lamp oils or parrafin oils in a Zippo lighter as it will become very difficult or impossible to light.
+Jeremiah Alfrey Everything after 'dont use' still works, just so you know. It's not recommended, but it works. Thanks to the cloth it won't explode or anything.
Well, if you want to use kerosene or low flash point paraffin oils in your Zippo go ahead. All I know is I tried it decades ago and the lighters became extremely hard to light. Meanwhile lighter petroleum distillates, such as naphtha always worked great and lit on the first flick of the flint.
White spirit lasts longer. I have an old star lighter works fine if it doesnt light just add a little bit of regualr lighter fluid. Another way to light in desperate times is to shave some fine silver birch bark into where the wick goes then that will work.
You can also put a small can of Zippo fluid in your bugout bag. It won't leak or evaporate in the can.
If you use an alcohol burner when going hiking or camping you can use the fuel for the lighter
Something to consider is that in a pinch or survival situation you don't have to use lighter fluid, things petrol, kerosene, alcohol, stove fuel, shellite ect will still work. They might be harder to start or be a little smelly and smoky but they still work.
I would consider a bic light to be the ultimate suvival lighter though especially in a kit, even better than a ferro rod which would actually suck in true survival situation.
Edit: woops, looks like you already covered that just seconds after i posted the comment.
He said that further in the video
anything that makes a spark is a viable option. I prefer ferro rods or magnesium strikers. If you live in the country whatever you have with you if you end up stranded without help for a while might be the only thing saving you, especially in winter conditions. like say you're stuck with no fuel to run and a dead battery (no joke this happened to a friend of mine in upstate NY once but luckly I didn't live too far to get to him.). little tricks like this might save your life.
nice vid. I think you are on the right track. thank you.
I even used hand sanitizer on the top of the wick and it worked lol anything flammable works i think
Very good and simple idea and effective
+RILEYOLI Thanks
if you have empty bic lighters what i do is depressize them cut them open and make a survival sparker or just harvest the flint from the bic lighters with a little modding on your zippo spring you can fit them
also you can buy something called the Thunderbird Butane insert so the zippo basically becomes a regular lighter
Random_rapper20 I almost bought one...they look pretty cool
btw ZIPPO makes a fuel canister that can re-fill 1 zippo and abit that clips onto your belt or key chain ect/whatever..plus it holds flints..you should check it out
+jameshabsfan cool, Ill look at that
Here's a hint from an old guy. When you buy a Zippo lighter, everybody buys fluid. Don't forget to buy a pack of Flint's. What you do with the flints you put them in the bottom of the lighter. If you go out into the wild buy some cotton ball and petroleum jelly. Take the cotton balls and make sure they're soaked in the petroleum jelly wipe it all over. Fallout 1 cotton ball and Spark it up. It is not complicated as you make it. It works I do it all the time😮
i know this is an older vid but the best trick to make a zippo last is you cut a bit of a rubber bike inertube and put it over the seam and it keeps it air/water tight and it will last for a really long time and you can just out it back on there when you are done using the lighter :)
Bob Hope Thanks...I have since done that to moth of my zippos
I like this guy! xDDD
Just keep on using ur knife, no matter how much it cost!
I bought 2 decks of poker-cards just for practice throwing them! I want to use them, so I do it. That's not other people's bussiness, even if their heart burn just because they wouldn't do it and sit on their money and buy expensive things only for showing but not using it! :D
+Stevie Neilson Ya man...I bought the knife to use it, not to look at it. I dont abuse my stuff by any means, but I do use it.
Exactly. Only because a knife is no screwdriver doesn't mean you cannot use it for such a thing. It's still a TOOL after all, and it's yours. :D
the packing of my cards say "poker cards" but throwing them is fun too. I don't care what things are supposed for. I use them the way I want. Nobody should care about it as long as I don't hurt someone and so on... But there are people out there... you know... whatever...^^
Great vid. You earned yourself another subscriber.
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
what you need to do to make it even better is to take a old bike tube and and put it around it to seal it because its re usable and it works great
Use the flints from empty bic lighters....they are longer.....also making a rangerband from a bike inner tube extends fuel life
Surely putting it in a zip lock bag it would keep the fuel whilst in storage, if just using it in an emergency capacity I mean. You will always have a spark too. Which in theory you could start a fire with. Cotton ball soaked in Vaseline (I think) is also a decent fire starter so a spark on that would start a fire.
Cool video man.
Ik this Is an old video but I thought this was a great idea. So as I’m taking the ronsonol out I decide to test its flammability like you did and found that the cotton isn’t really necessary at all. Maybe they use something else in 2017 or something for me it caught fire fine pretty consistently. I found what helps is holding the material with your fingers rather than just placing it there and lighting only say 2 strands that branches out into more
Neil Sawhney glad it worked for you.. I didn't have any luck getting it lit...might have been technique
RevHiker now that I think of it I have one of those zippos with a hole in the side. That must have helped a ton
Nice my name is in the title
Good ideas Pastor....thanks for the tips...
+alex “bikeman” o'neal Thanks!
Two tips too improve that would be put a ranger band that covers the hinge and gap you will lose fuel slower and two carry some char cloth as it still sparks.
"woooot!..... that's warm." hahaaa 😂
Lol it was!
Good advise.
Bic lighters last for months. They don't work when wet but they dry right out in a few minutes!
biblical giants zippo work for lifetime, they even fix it for free
Lift To Fill.....?
Alexander Marley you pull the lighter out of the case and pull back the foam and squirt the fuel into the cotton
@@Jac3.3 it's not foam its wool
The cotten is more absorbent aswell. Double the life with a ziplock, put the lighter insert in one corner cut then place in the holder. Plastic keeps alot of the fumes in.
I suggest keeping a rayon ball or two as it would creat a none flammable layer one would hope making it last longer lit without possible unwanted fire.
for fire starters just have a lot of coconut husk and a dead zippo for the sparks (coconut husk for the fire)
when dry, try wetting the wick from the top. just don't get the flint wet.
cool video, useful tips, thanks for sharing !!!
youre welcome
You can also just put 2 flints behind the using one right in the "tube" so you dont lose them so easily.
sry for the bad english :P
+Pasqual Kress thanks for the tip
loved the shirt
You can always throw sparks on charcloth, I bet it would work, just prepare some beforehand and carry it in a tin box.
Great video
Great tip thanks a lot!
What you can do is get some paracord inner strands or just a thin line and you know why there is holes on the lighter area flint area so you could attach line to it and find a vehicle and put it in the gas tank that's what the guys back in Nam did all the time
URBANSASQUATCH 55 Thats a pretty good idea, thanks!
+URBANSASQUATCH 55 Good luck finding a vehicle with a fuel tank filler neck that you can fit a Zippo insert through. Even if you manage to fit the insert through the hole at the top of the filler neck (which you won't, because it is only 13/16" in diameter, and a Zippo insert is about 1-3/8" wide), on most modern vehicles there is an anti-siphoning mechanism down in there (usually a ball which liquid can flow around but a solid object can't get past).
In all likelihood, if those stories are true, they dipped the inserts into gas cans (AKA: jerrycans), like you'd find mounted on the back of a military Jeep.
MaximRecoil yup true about the Jerry cans
Well the beautiful thing about Zippos is you can use gasoline and that's pretty easy to find when you can't find zippo fluid. You can dip the whole zippo in a gas tank and oila!
...replacing the synthetic batting with cotton. ...what do you think they used before synthetic materials were widely available?
+Penguin Pie wool...
cotton is going to hold less fuel, rayon is much more absorbent.. you are sacrificing one convenience for another. i cary a 5oz mini flask to refill my hand warmer it would work for lighters too. if you bend the wick to touch each piece of rayon, your lighter will last much longer. a step further is getting a gasket to replace the felt pad to minimize mere evaporation. even a ranger band wont keep fuel in your lighter long term...its a good idea but fire is one thing that can be done so many ways with practically nothing, if there is sunlight you can fill a clear baggy with water to make a magnifying glass to start a fire
there is a capsule that holds the Zippo fluid for like 10 bucks don't remember if it is necklace or keychain carry
rayon is synthetic but is also cellulose like cotton.
..and put the flints under the felt so they don't get lost when you yank the case off.
Is the filling not cotton by default because it bakes if overheated?
nice vid and beard!
+Carlos Rivers thanks!
Good vids pal
i have a couple of butane inserts the butane inserts DONT leak they slip right into your zippo case a couple cans of butane will last a very long time
good trick !
where u get camo one
Jeffrey Ricketts got mine from Gander Mountain
Thanks
Jeffrey Ricketts , I have 3 I have found at campgrounds with my metal detector.
Just bring the refill bottle with u when u want to go outdoor and spare 2 flint stone is just enough for 2 month until the lid is turn out.
I never carry a bic after reading of a welder killed when a spark landed in his shirt pocket on the bic that blew, so I figure they aren't safe near sparks (wood stove or campfire). Have enjoyed an Auer for awhile and now have a zippo. JUst can't beat these lighters to start campfires and am looking for the inner tube to put over each lighter as the odor is getting obnoxious as I age. Read the comments and the one about the holes in the flame guard made me think of a willie and men lowering a lighter into it's gas tank, lol.
It'd have to be an extremely hot spark for that to be true. I've tossed bic lighters in bonfires before they'd usually take about 10 seconds before they blew and even then it wasn't much of an explosion just fuel spraying out quietly extending a flame. But just to clarify that's something My friends and i did in high school as pranks
+Tall Cedars wow...maybe a white hot chunk of slag...seems a bit far for just a regular spark. Glad you found a lighter you like though.
+Freedom1776 thats what I was thinking. But hey, stranger things have happened
+RevHiker you can also get a metal lighter sleeve for a few dollars off amazon not sure why I didn't mention it yesterday I have one I use on all my bic's
Good to hear they have come out with the sleeve for Bic's as they are a great lighter. Haven't seen one here in northern Canada but will check them online, thanks, all the best.
Great idea, but have you ever read the red words on the bottom of the zippo? It says 'lift to fill' you have to lift the wool pad up and fill your zippo that way.
MrWhiteguy6 Yes....but Im a rebel without a cause. lol I know youre supposed to but I usually put the nozzle in the hole in the wool and it seems to work fine.
i use gasoline/ethanol mix up (50/50) in my fake zippo because zippo fluid 1l = over 30€ and gas + ethanol both 1l = 4€
good thinkin...
+Traptu shadowman thanks!
Keep in mind, a Zippo can run on anything that lights with a spark and will wick.
RevHiker, just wondering what happened when you burnt through the fuel, did it burn the wick (cotton)? My bunch is that the rayon is used for its flame retardant properties. Nice video ☺☺☺ ➡and you got me thinking about how I can get other uses to make fire from my Zippo!😀
Zippos are too much trouble for survivalism. I would stick with Bic as a survival item and use Zippo for EDC.