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The Count of Merkur Cristo

B&B's Emperor of Emojis
Stop the Presses!
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Here's my Zippo after engraving (don't know why, but the Mrs. told me not to add my birth year in the pic...shhhhh...she just doesn't know [wink]). :001_rolle

I replaced the standard Zippo liquid gas insert w/ Zippo single flame torch butane Insert. :thumbsup:

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"The most tangible of all visible mysteries [is a Zippo]". Leigh Hunt
 
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That is an great solution for your hemp wick. Thus far, I've just wrapped a few feet around a Bic; less than elegant. I'm finding the hemp wick to be fiddley, but not so much I've stopped using it. It remains in the test mode for me. I will say that I've not filled any of my butane lighters or my Zippo since starting the wick experiment over a week ago. I'm pondering a more elegant solution as to what to do with a few feet of hemp wick. I'm thinking of maybe a tamper/hemp wick combo.
 
That is an great solution for your hemp wick. Thus far, I've just wrapped a few feet around a Bic; less than elegant. I'm finding the hemp wick to be fiddley, but not so much I've stopped using it. It remains in the test mode for me. I will say that I've not filled any of my butane lighters or my Zippo since starting the wick experiment over a week ago. I'm pondering a more elegant solution as to what to do with a few feet of hemp wick. I'm thinking of maybe a tamper/hemp wick combo.
Thanks @KellyG
This leather piece is an amazon sourced headphone cord wrap.

as the wax wears away from carrying, or like when I ran it through the wash, I’ll drag it through a pinch of some
scented beard-wax/balm I blended together. Then lights have a slight lavendar, sage, and mint flavor.
 
Simple Zippo from Tractor Supply shell with a Z-pipe butane insert.

As much as I like zippo's for what they are, the Z-pipe insert is just better. I've owned it for over a year, and it hasn't leaked.Zippos dry out in a few weeks...

Also, buy QUALITY butane. Smoke shops have that. It is actually cheaper than the "better known" brands!

That said, I wish I had owned a zippo in my early 20's when I was smoking cigarettes. I still have a couple Bic lighters from that time, and they still work (16+ years old!) Bic Lighters are my go-to for bug out bags. They work. They last. They are cheap :) $1 each is still cheap!

If I smoked pipe more often, I'd use the actual zippo insert with zippo fuel. The new stuff doesn't leave any taste, as long as you let it burn a few seconds before lighting your pipe.

Matches are great, but a royal PITA when you have a bowl that just refuses to stay lit.
 

The Count of Merkur Cristo

B&B's Emperor of Emojis

Columbo

Mr. Codgers Neighborhood
Well, you talked me into a Pipemaster. Do I need it...NO! What’s one more lighter added to a growing collection anyway? These IM Corona lighters are high quality at an attractive price. A person could do a lot worse...here’s the one I settled on.
IM Corona Pipemaster Chrome Engine Turned Briar Wood
View attachment 1178534

Been away for a while. Saw your acquisition.

That is about the nicest Pipemaster they make. Many happy lights to you.
 

Columbo

Mr. Codgers Neighborhood
In the FWIW department: I find I am enjoying my new (and first) Zippo w/pipe insert (shown above) very much. We tend to have windy days on the high plains and the Zippo is proving useful for my patio smokes.

When they first came out in the 80s, my first pipe lighter was a Zippo insert. A wonderful, dependable flame. I still have that lighter, but it has long been retired from service. They work flawlessly for decades with minimal care.

I know the cigar snobs hate them, but there is nothing wrong with using a Zippo with pipes and cigars. The latest iteration of the Zippo fluid really does burn cleanly with a minimum of odor and taste.

The trick is to let the flame stabilize for a few seconds before lighting. Waiting those few seconds makes all the difference.

And when the outside temps hit the 20s, you'll light with a smile, as all the Zippo snobs struggle with their butanes.

On the pipe inserts, the only thing I can add is to not overfill them. An overfilled pipe insert may not drip or leak when you tilt it, but it will burn a little too rich. They work best when about 1/2 filled, even though you will be refilling them more often.
 

Columbo

Mr. Codgers Neighborhood
Between the pipes and cigars, you can’t have too many lighters.

Over the holiday, my trusty old Xikar Element finally died after 11 years (and countless cigars). And with a patio full of us sitting down for double coronas, no less. It was a $25 auction lighter, and frankly owes me nothing at this point.

The good news is Xikar quickly issued an RMA and will honor its warranty, despite the new ownership and customer service rumors. So in a couple months, I‘ll get back a repaired or new one.

The better news is that it justified picking up another lighter, especially with all the black friday deals. A Zino ZM. A potent single jet that can handle a 50+ ring, and about as thin as a pack of matches.

ZPLITZM-1000.png
 
Been away for a while. Saw your acquisition.

That is about the nicest Pipemaster they make. Many happy lights to you.
The Corona Pipemaster Engined Turned Briar Wood was the only finish that appealed to me out of their whole lineup. Of course, it has to follow, this particular lighter’s finish is probably why it had to be one of the most expensive in their lineup also.

The IM Corona’s engine turned finish has a nice hand to it. It is dressed in a fully engine turned design across the back of the lighter too which in effect gives this lighter both a visual appeal and a luxurious feel in the hand. IM Corona has a number of engine turned lighter designs in their line up and I am now very enamored and pleased with this finish at this juncture.

I “finally” got the Pipemaster and the new Old Boy after a lengthy wait. Strangely enough they both arrived almost on the same day. Both lighters for some reason had lengthy delays associated with their purchases. The Old Boy being held up by an unobtanium colored Falcon stem that had to be abandoned after at least a month.

Again, not that I needed another lighter to add to the stable, I convinced myself I needed to add a Kiribi Kabuto Tsuchime Silver burner to the collection over the Black Friday events. This new lovely utilizes dual burner/jet(s) supposedly for a more robust flame and a generous fuel tank. This burner is also all “gussied up” in what the Japanese call a “tsuchime” or hammered silver finish. Gotta have at least one for each hand...or maybe not!

Kiribi Kabuto Tsuchime Silver
BDDB74C5-007F-45FE-931E-7586C2F5C62B.jpeg
 
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Columbo

Mr. Codgers Neighborhood
The Corona Pipemaster Engined Turned Briar Wood was the only finish that appealed to me out of their whole lineup. Of course, it has to follow, this particular lighter’s finish is probably why it had to be one of the most expensive in their lineup also.

The IM Corona’s engine turned finish has a nice hand to it. It is dressed in a fully engine turned design across the back of the lighter too which in effect gives this lighter both a visual appeal and a luxurious feel in the hand. IM Corona has a number of engine turned lighter designs in their line up and I am now very enamored and pleased with this finish at this juncture.

I “finally” got the Pipemaster and the new Old Boy after a lengthy wait. Strangely enough they both arrived almost on the same day. Both lighters for some reason had lengthy delays associated with their purchases. The Old Boy being held up by an unobtanium colored Falcon stem that had to be abandoned after at least a month.

Again, not that I needed another lighter to add to the stable, I convinced myself I needed to add a Kiribi Kabuto Tsuchime Silver burner to the collection over the Black Friday events. This new lovely utilizes dual burner/jet(s) supposedly for a more robust flame and a generous fuel tank. This burner is also all “gussied up” in what the Japanese call a “tsuchime” or hammered silver finish. Gotta have at least one for each hand...or maybe not!

Kiribi Kabuto Tsuchime Silver
View attachment 1189951

That’s a lot of new pipe lighters!

Over the years, once you start favoring lighters, they do seem to collect like rabbits.

Gifts, freebies ... that one included with the cigar caddy for the golf course (with a golf ball on it) ... irresistible deals for $94 ... and for $4 (so you bought 3 of those). Not to mention the obligatory 4 or 8 pack of Bic disposables.

Before you know it, you find you have a drawer full of them. Flames for every occasion.

With the Zippos, it’s easy to wind up with a box full of just extra inserts, of various colors, types and fuels.

Generally speaking, though, you tend to only light up with one at a time. ;)
 
That’s a lot of new pipe lighters!
Over the years, once you start favoring lighters, they do seem to collect like rabbits
Before you know it, you find you have a drawer full of them. Flames for every occasion.
With the Zippos, it’s easy to wind up with a box full...
I think you are absolutely right. I am collecting a raft load of them lately. A lighter for all occasions, you say. I aleady do not have enough hands for them all. Maybe I can hire a couple hands or does someone know where a good BF ad is for an extra set?

Speaking of finding yourself with a “box full” of lighters, I ended up with “still another”...this one being a multi use flexible head burner for tight, deep, dark caverns and hard to illuminate and light places. Something useful for a tobacco tunnel like the Morgan Briar Cigar or those deep and dark “stacks” outfitted on the H. Wiebe/Bones Radiator bowls.

This new Zippo lighter also seems well suited for lighting Wool Wood tumble weeds embedded in a charcoal grill or for lighting a wood fired pizza oven to name a couple uses.

Of course, as with all Zippo’s they guarantee their products so this will be very useful in the grand scheme of things. Who knows...it may become an overall favorite of mine; albeit, a wee bit large to stuff in my pants, hehehe...

I am coming to the conclusion I can convince myself into buying any lighter if I work at it long enough. At least this one is relatively inexpensive compared to the others at around the $12.00 mark.

Zippo Mini Flex Neck Candle Lighter
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So, as you may know, if you've been reading this thread, I have purchased three knock-off Old Boy lighters from Aliexpress over the last two years. They seem to work just fine. A few weeks ago, my wife asked me about what I was discussing in the forum and I told her about the Old Boy knock-offs and the discussion. She said nothing.
Today is our 47th anniversary and we really haven't been buying ourselves gifts the last ten or so years, I think only because it is so soon after Christmas. This afternoon I stopped by a gift shop in town and bought my wife a nice bracelet and necklace set. I was feeling pretty good about surprising her with a gift. When I give her the box and card, she heads to the living room and hands me an unwrapped box. Inside I find this:
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Then I find this:
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A bit later, she asks me; Is that lighter any better than those knock-offs you were bragging about?
I assured her that the Old Boy is, in fact, much higher in quality; which it is, according to my brief analysis.
The long and short of it is, I am extremely fortunate to have this fine lighter for two reasons: 1. My wife, even though she complains some about my pipe smoking habit, supports me in my pursuit of pipe nirvana. 2. She had already ordered the lighter when I was shooting my mouth off about how good the knock-off Old Boys are.
Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good!
 
So, as you may know, if you've been reading this thread, I have purchased three knock-off Old Boy lighters from Aliexpress over the last two years. They seem to work just fine. A few weeks ago, my wife asked me about what I was discussing in the forum and I told her about the Old Boy knock-offs and the discussion. She said nothing.
Today is our 47th anniversary and we really haven't been buying ourselves gifts the last ten or so years, I think only because it is so soon after Christmas. This afternoon I stopped by a gift shop in town and bought my wife a nice bracelet and necklace set. I was feeling pretty good about surprising her with a gift. When I give her the box and card, she heads to the living room and hands me an unwrapped box. Inside I find this:
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Then I find this:
proxy.php

A bit later, she asks me; Is that lighter any better than those knock-offs you were bragging about?
I assured her that the Old Boy is, in fact, much higher in quality; which it is, according to my brief analysis.
The long and short of it is, I am extremely fortunate to have this fine lighter for two reasons: 1. My wife, even though she complains some about my pipe smoking habit, supports me in my pursuit of pipe nirvana. 2. She had already ordered the lighter when I was shooting my mouth off about how good the knock-off Old Boys are.
Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good!
Congratulations for not killing each other after 47 years!!!
My grandparents anniversary would have been yesterday. They got married in a blizzard while he was in leave between infantry school and shipping off to Korea.

Nice lighter she gave you. She's obviously a keeper.

And you're right about the old boy knock offs. They work well. I ordered two for myself.
 

Columbo

Mr. Codgers Neighborhood
So, as you may know, if you've been reading this thread, I have purchased three knock-off Old Boy lighters from Aliexpress over the last two years. They seem to work just fine. A few weeks ago, my wife asked me about what I was discussing in the forum and I told her about the Old Boy knock-offs and the discussion. She said nothing.
Today is our 47th anniversary and we really haven't been buying ourselves gifts the last ten or so years, I think only because it is so soon after Christmas. This afternoon I stopped by a gift shop in town and bought my wife a nice bracelet and necklace set. I was feeling pretty good about surprising her with a gift. When I give her the box and card, she heads to the living room and hands me an unwrapped box. Inside I find this:
proxy.php


Then I find this:
proxy.php

A bit later, she asks me; Is that lighter any better than those knock-offs you were bragging about?
I assured her that the Old Boy is, in fact, much higher in quality; which it is, according to my brief analysis.
The long and short of it is, I am extremely fortunate to have this fine lighter for two reasons: 1. My wife, even though she complains some about my pipe smoking habit, supports me in my pursuit of pipe nirvana. 2. She had already ordered the lighter when I was shooting my mouth off about how good the knock-off Old Boys are.
Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good!

Outstanding. Great wife, great lighter. You can never go wrong with a Corona.

Be sure to use the genuine Corona flints in it. It will make a difference.
 
Zipponistas:
The only problem I have is that butane fuel by Zippo only comes in a small 75ml container. :001_huh:

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"[Zippos]: having [flame] inside, never burn by themselves…”. Tulika Prasad
I would recommend using an ultra refined butane fuel. Xikar makes a decent one. I bought a 6 pack of neon 11x on amazon and have been happy with it. The ultra refined stuff is less likely to clog up your lighter. Living at 5k feet is another reason I buy the ultra refined stuff.
 
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