Zippo lighter frustrations

[LouBarraza]

hello all,
anyone knowledgeable with Zippo lighters?I love using Zippos over disposables,but can never get them to work right.What I do is soak the cotton with fluid and wet the wick a little bit with fluid thinking that is all to it and it usually fails.I've also read I should use Zippo brand fluid ,but I use Ronsonol that comes in the yellow bottle.I've found that loading a new flint helps light it easier,but not all the time.Is there a trick to getting one to work reliably?
Thanks

 

[Isaac]

perhaps you dont have enough wick exposed? Try pulling the wick out just a touch. You dont want to go higher than the wind guard though

 

[cb91710]

Or perhaps too much fluid?
I've used Zippos on and off for 30 years and all I've ever done is lift the felt pad at the bottom, squirt in the fluid until it appears at the "top" of the cotton, drop the felt, reassemble, and spark it up.

If it's overfilled and the mixture is too rich, just like an automobile, it will not burn properly.
The comment about wetting the wick concerns me.

As far as the fluid, I've always used the Ronsonol yellow bottles. I've never used Zippo fluid unless it was part of a gift set with a new lighter that SWMBO got for me.

 

[LouBarraza]

Or perhaps too much fluid?
I've used Zippos on and off for 30 years and all I've ever done is lift the felt pad at the bottom, squirt in the fluid until it appears at the "top" of the cotton, drop the felt, reassemble, and spark it up.

If it's overfilled and the mixture is too rich, just like an automobile, it will not burn properly.
The comment about wetting the wick concerns me.

As far as the fluid, I've always used the Ronsonol yellow bottles. I've never used Zippo fluid unless it was part of a gift set with a new lighter that SWMBO got for me.

you know,I never thought of it that way.In the same way as a vehicle with a rich mixture.Maybe I am using too much fluid because it starts to drip out of the wick.Thanks,i'll try that.And I will expose the wick a bit more.Very helpful

 

[Commander Quan]

Some zippos even have a hole in that felt pad you can squirt the fluid through. No lifting required, although that's usually where I stick the poker from my Czech tool to lift the pad.

 

[Graybeard57]

Agree, sounds like it's flooded.

 

[luvmysuper]

If there's too much fluid it does indeed get "rich".
When you open the lid, give the lighter a quick small wave in the air, that dissipates the evaporated fluid and introduces more oxygen.
You should then be able to get a light out of it on the first try.
Blowing on the wind guard before you light it works too.

 

[cb91710]

Some zippos even have a hole in that felt pad you can squirt the fluid through. No lifting required, although that's usually where I stick the poker from my Czech tool to lift the pad.

That's where I keep my spare flint

Any time I've tried using that hole to refuel, I end up overfueling and showing off how cool "flaming hands that don't hurt" are

 

[Toothpick]

I recently inquired to Zippo about a pipe insert and got their address. if you want you can send it to them and they will repair it for free. just write a note telling them whats wrong (it wont light) and they will take a look at it.

Zippo Repair Clinic
1932 Zippo Drive
Bradford PA 16701

I haven't messed with my zippo in a few years. I never used Zippo brand lighter fluid in it. Its just one of those marketing things. "for best results use only Crest toothpaste with your new Crest toothbrush"

I wouldn't wet the wick with fluid. if you want to "start over" i'd suggest pulling the insert out and letting it sit for a few days to let the fluid evaporate, then refill only half full. one or two quick squirts and leave it at that. if it works and you have to add more fluid once or twice a week that's better than it not working at all eh?

 

[cb91710]

Thanks guys.

Is there such a thing as "LAD"?

I've probably got 15 Zippos of various styles over the last 30 years.



I just ordered a Venetian with my initials in Old English, requested a pipe insert in the comments field.
Another $50 out the door.

 

[Blue_2]

Is your wick burned at all? There's small ton of it in there, so you may want to pull some fresh wick out with some pliers and cut off any charred portion.

 

[Shave_Rat]

I've been using zippo lighters for over 20 years at this point. I used to use only the zippo brand fluid in it, and never had any issues. I tried the other brands and always had trouble with the lighter not lighting. Recently, I started seeing this happen even with the zippo brand fluid. A bit of research and I found out zippo bought out Ronsonol and reformulated the zippo branded fluid. Personally, I don't think it was a good change.

 

[HLS]

If your wick is getting wet then your flint probably is also. It won't spark correctly or at all if it's wet. Does your lighter spark after you fuel it?

 

[simon1]

No, no, no,...all of the above recommendations are incorrect. From what you are describing, there is a simple fix to this.

Too much fluid.

If there's too much fluid it does indeed get "rich".
When you open the lid, give the lighter a quick small wave in the air, that dissipates the evaporated fluid and introduces more oxygen.
You should then be able to get a light out of it on the first try.
Blowing on the wind guard before you light it works too.

^ What he said. After I refill my lighter, if I get a bit too much fluid in it I have to blow a puff of air on the wind guard or a quick wave to get it "un-vapor locked" on the first light for a while until it settles down. The more it's overfilled, the longer it takes to get it to settle down. Sometimes it take until the next day before I can just light it without blowing on it.

I've been using Zippos since the late '60s and haven't noticed any difference in the performance of them using either Zippo or Ronson fluid or flints...they've all worked for me. The most problem I had back then was overfilling it and the fluid leaking out when it was in my front jeans pocket; gave a bit of a burn to the leg close to the boys.

There's a reason Zippo has been around for 80 years and still carries a lifetime warranty.

 

[sulkhogan]

I find no discernible difference between using Zippo brand fluid and Ronson brand fluid. Try filling it a bit less. Overfilling is a waste. Just pull out the insert, lift the felt flap at the bottom, squirt for about 5 seconds or so, replace the insert, close, give it a little shake while the wick soaks up the juices, and you're good to go. Also, don't absentmindedly open and close the lid, the fluid will evaporate.

 

[Rekonball]

I used to have that problem quite a bit until I took it apart and I think I fixed it. I took the cotton out and packed the wick evenly with the cotton and also clipped the wick off so there wasn't any charred wick next to the wheel. I never really had a problem with Ronson.

 

[Clovis Man]

From the original post, the lighter is way too rich and I'd be surprised if it lit at all. You can raise the first felt, fill until you see the fluid, then put it back together. Don't wet the wick with lighter fluid, just let it air out a bit to get rid of any excess fluid, and you should be good to go.

 

[LouBarraza]

thanks everyone,this has all been helpful
Yes,the flint does spark.But I am going to just start over and leave out the cotton and wick to dry and try it again.This time I will not flood it.I love these Zippos lighters.I like seeing these older movies from the 1940's and watching them light up with zippos.

 

[COHunter]

You'll get it figured out, I'm guilty of overfilling mine on occasion too. Another tip if you're finding that it seems the fluid is evaporating too quickly is you can put some Vaseline on the insert and it helps seal it against the case of the lighter and keeps the fluid from evaporating too quickly.

FYI, that hole in the bottom felt is intended to store a spare flint, but I've always just used it to fill...

 

[PugslyCat]

I've used both the Ronsonol and Zippo fuel. Both burn OK. The Ronsonol seems to have more of a taste to it than the Zippo fuel. I believe that is why the Zippo fuel is recommended.