Wobbly flint in fake Zippo lighter! :)

[Hoppimike]

Yeah erm... is the flint supposed to be at all unstable in these lighters? Or is it supposed to be held firm?

This a cheapie little "fake Zippo" that I bought years ago. I know it's silly to spend time trying to get it working but I do like a challenge and this way when I do eventually buy a Zippo again I'll understand how they work far better and so be better prepared to take care of it!

I bet there are good alternatives to Zippos that use the same design these days (after all it's been so long since it was first invented) but this is most likely not one of them because it cost me almost nothing

Thanks all!


EDIT -- Oh, I forgot to say. The reason this is concerning me about this lighter is because it causes it to wear unevenly and then fairly quickly the wheel becomes jammed and won't move.

So it's something that needs to be remedied (or abandoned and a better lighter purchased!) as right now it is not functional, lol

 

[PLANofMAN]

Try a flint from a Bic lighter in it. Those tend to be a bit fatter than the average flint, if I remember correctly. Even an empty Bic lighter typically has plenty of flint left.

 

[luvmysuper]

The flint tube on a zippo is designed with clearances specifically for zippo flints. Most makers who make clones are careful to at least ensure this aspect is correct.
With a bargain basement brand that has excessive clearances, I'm not sure there is anything you can do to reduce an overall large inner diameter.
Maybe a tiny bit of scotch tape around a new flint to increase the diameter?
Wrap the flint once or twice, and cut the excess at the top and bottom with a razor blade so only the flint sides are covered.
Some experimentation may be necessary.
You can buy an actual Zippo for 15 bucks, so I don't know how much your time is worth to get the copy working in this regard maybe to only find that something else is wonky.

 

[Hoppimike]

Try a flint from a Bic lighter in it. Those tend to be a bit fatter than the average flint, if I remember correctly. Even an empty Bic lighter typically has plenty of flint left.

Oh maybe. That would mean dismantling one of my other lighters though XD
Are Bic ones refillable? Maybe they aren't so common here in the UK. I usually see Clippers and cheap disposable lighters.

The flint tube on a zippo is designed with clearances specifically for zippo flints. Most makers who make clones are careful to at least ensure this aspect is correct.
With a bargain basement brand that has excessive clearances, I'm not sure there is anything you can do to reduce an overall large inner diameter.
Maybe a tiny bit of scotch tape around a new flint to increase the diameter?
Wrap the flint once or twice, and cut the excess at the top and bottom with a razor blade so only the flint sides are covered.
Some experimentation may be necessary.
You can buy an actual Zippo for 15 bucks, so I don't know how much your time is worth to get the copy working in this regard maybe to only find that something else is wonky.

Oh interesting. Yeah I think I should just buy a Zippo really. I just wasn't sure what the problem with this lighter was but yeah maybe the gap is just too big and so it's not held in place firmly enough.

Well, it was fun attempting to get it working but I think this is reaching a point of diminishing returns!

It will be nice to buy a Zippo again. I had one years and years back but I didn't watch it closely enough and it got passed around everywhere and eventually I lost track of it!

I might carry a second lighter that's cheaper so I don't pass around the Zippo!

 

[PLANofMAN]

Bics are cheap disposable lighters.

 

[Hoppimike]

Bics are cheap disposable lighters.

I looked them up. I think I've seen them around a tiny bit in the UK.

To be honest I pretty much always buy Clippers (or Zippos) and I avoid disposables.


Maybe these flints are the same size? They sell packs of these to replace the ones in Clippers.

 

[PLANofMAN]

Maybe? Bic flints are about three times as long as those. Odd that Bics aren't common in the U.K., as they are made right across the channel in France.

 

[Hoppimike]

Maybe? Bic flints are about three times as long as those. Odd that Bics aren't common in the U.K., as they are made right across the channel in France.

Maybe my mind just sees lighters as Zippo, Clipper and "others", lol

and oh I see. I guess there are lots of flint shapes and sizes around.

I'll experiment with some different ones and see if any fix this cheap lighter XD

 

[DesertIguana]

Buy Torch insert, you will be happy.

 

[Alum Ladd]

Maybe? Bic flints are about three times as long as those. Odd that Bics aren't common in the U.K., as they are made right across the channel in France.

Yes, I can confirm that BIC lighters are rare here. They do not seem to be sold in shops that I have observed. They are easily available online though from UK suppliers.

Maybe my mind just sees lighters as Zippo, Clipper and "others", lol

and oh I see. I guess there are lots of flint shapes and sizes around.

I'll experiment with some different ones and see if any fix this cheap lighter XD

I bought (and had usually stolen from me) about 30-40 Zippos since 1979. I suppose I just tired of being an unwitting major shareholder in the Zippo Co and layed off buying them.

A few years ago I saw a 'Bull' Brand Zippo 'homage' in the Pound Shop, well this was £2 actually.

For that price there was little to lose. I was very suprised at the build quality, which was excellent. It's only issue was a crappy wick, so I swapped that out with a Zippo spare I had. Worked superbly.

I've still got it lying around somewhere.

The Ronson Firebronze flints should work well in the clone, or the SWAN flint. Both are a little longer and wider that the Clipper.

Again, both are available on the UK big river site.

 

[PLANofMAN]

I really liked the design and functionality of IMCO lighters. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to hold up very well for me, otherwise I'd probably still be using them.

 

[Alum Ladd]

I really liked the design and functionality of IMCO lighters. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to hold up very well for me, otherwise I'd probably still be using them.

Agreed.

The IMCO's are just too fragile, and the flint mechanism is a bit complex.

They often broke on me.

 

[Hoppimike]

Yes, I can confirm that BIC lighters are rare here. They do not seem to be sold in shops that I have observed. They are easily available online though from UK suppliers.

I bought (and had usually stolen from me) about 30-40 Zippos since 1979. I suppose I just tired of being an unwitting major shareholder in the Zippo Co and layed off buying them.

A few years ago I saw a 'Bull' Brand Zippo 'homage' in the Pound Shop, well this was £2 actually.

For that price there was little to lose. I was very suprised at the build quality, which was excellent. It's only issue was a crappy wick, so I swapped that out with a Zippo spare I had. Worked superbly.

I've still got it lying around somewhere.

The Ronson Firebronze flints should work well in the clone, or the SWAN flint. Both are a little longer and wider that the Clipper.

Again, both are available on the UK big river site.

Oh good so it's not just me who doesn't see the Bics very often!

I genuinely wasn't sure if I just saw them but didn't acknowledge them, lol

That's really interesting about the other flints. I'll try some others yeah and see if they stay in place better!

Buy Torch insert, you will be happy.

I do actually have a lighter with a flame like that. It's vaguely Zippo-like in shape and functionality. I think I prefer regular lighters though, overall. It's not bad though.

 

[Scarry Knight]

Roll the wheel backwards when it hangs, and see if that helps overcome
the binding of the flint and thumbwheel.

 

[Hoppimike]

Roll the wheel backwards when it hangs, and see if that helps overcome
the binding of the flint and thumbwheel.

It seems to work for a moment and then lock up again.

 

[Ankerwycke]

Ronson flints used to be sold at most newspaper shops in the U.K. I used them in my zippo (pre 2008) and they were fine.

Bic disposable lighters used to be widely available in the U.K. They were also sold at most newspaper shops along with at least a dozen brands of cigarettes and half a dozen loose tobacco’s all on display with no horrible images.

 

[luvmysuper]

Ronson flints used to be sold at most newspaper shops in the U.K. I used them in my zippo (pre 2008) and they were fine.

Bic disposable lighters used to be widely available in the U.K. They were also sold at most newspaper shops along with at least a dozen brands of cigarettes and half a dozen loose tobacco’s all on display with no horrible images.

Ronson is owned by Zippo now.