Don't restore any valuable old ones cause even brass finished ones that are tarnished that are worth money will be worthless if shined up and restored if it still works flawlessly leave it alone. But rebuilding the insides and new wick and cotton and exact is fine just don't mess with the case
Man, again, that’s how my father was. He was a Zippo lighter nut. Didn’t really collect them but kept one alive for decades. It’s a very simple and strangely elegant contraption that just had a particular sound upon opening the lid and striking the flint. And that warm and peculiar smell of Ronson lighter fluid that made everything just seem normal. When Bic butane lighters came out, my dad just laughed. Plastic garbage for lazy people. “They have no soul.” For as long as I can remember, dad had a zippo lighter he refused to give up on. It was nickel-plated brass, the nickel plating long worn off, he settled with the brass underneath. At one point, he glued his army paratrooper wings on the lighter and that was all it needed. Besides a magazine full of flints, replacing the cotton inside, and those yellow bottles of Ronson lighter fluid. My dad smoked a pipe and cigarettes his entire life but what I remember fondly was that sound of his zippo lighter lid opening and that strike on the flint. No other sound has a value like that. No other smell has such a vivid memory. It’s exclusive to a time and place and my dad dragged that well beyond what young people can appreciate. The Zippo lighter is now newer and cheap, a collector’s item in many new and terrible paint jobs. But the really old ones are not novelties or copies. They’re a signature of time and an era. They were a detail of a generation that really clung to what simply worked. Nothing disposable about a Zippo. Like anything from those days, it took some effort to keep it going. The biggest fear among Zippo guys was that one day they’d stop making flints. Then it’s over. But strangely, Zippos gained a new generation of fans and Ronson kept up with the demand of flints and lighter fluid. But still, I don’t know anyone who bought a new Zippo and actually goes through the tasks of using it daily and carrying it around? Maybe they don’t want to scratch the paint? More likely, a Bic lighter is easier. But once again, thanks for restoring that beautiful old Zippo. You’re a real classic, man.
You Sir are a Great Writer! Thanks for sharing your story with me and my channel! Your Dad would have been nice to talk to and have gotten to know! Thanks again for watching and the support!!
@@theknifedoctor , Thank you sir. I just watched one of your recent shorts about what you like in the morning. A dog on the floor, a cup of coffee, a good old pocket knife and a Zippo lighter. I don’t know if that was personalized but it sure felt like that. The sound of that Zippo opening, striking and closing brought a tear to my eye. Thanks for that.
@theknifedr-edc I found a $30 copy of Official price guide to collector knives 15th edition. It should be here in a few days. I ordered it on Amazon used from Atlanta. Cool huh?
One of the most irritating habits of the film industry is lighting a Zippo and tossing it to start a fire...ridiculous!! We have a few Zippos in some drawers and I am going to check out their dates. There should be a couple from the seventies. Although I did not smoke I carried and maintained one for years before retiring. Someone always waned to know if it would light ten times in a row...it sure did. The Twilight Zone with the great Steve McQueen "Man From The South". Looks like your flea market find is ready for duty!
This isnt a restoration. You put some lighter fluid in a Zippo that desperately needed to have the insert cleaned and the felt, cotton, & wick replaced.
