/ revhiker www.amazon.com/shop/revhiker How to make your zippo a viable ignition source even with no fuel. And a little survival philosophy. Enjoy! Twitter and Instagram: @revhiker
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.
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.
Don't to that you'll loose the flint when opening the lighter. Store it under the pad, preferably next to the screw then you won't loose any even while refueling. Lift the pad to refuel.
LITTERBOOTS I never lost a Flint from putting it in the lift to fill hole I never used the hole anyway so just makes a new one in there and it worked out great
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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😮
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!
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.
in emergency for fire you could also turn the wheel slowly so it powders the flint onto whatever ...paper wood or the cotton then strike the wheel properly and it will light up very quickly
I did that on accident the other day, because I put in a bic flint, that was to long. I had to run the wheel backwards to grind it down. when I finally lit it, it flamed up, from all the dust I made.
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.
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
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!
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.
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.
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
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.
Best liquid fuel lighters for fuel retention are the EXOTAC TitanLight and the Maratac XL peanut. You have to be able to read and follow directions and act accordingly for your own safety with the EXOTAC. Basically lighter fluid migrates in peanut lighters due to temperature changes. So turn the lighter UPSIDE DOWN, the fuel will be in the top cap, put that fuel back in or put it on your fire lay. Wipe your hands AND the lighter off before you strike any fluid lighter.
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.
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
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 !
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.
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.
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 ;-)
There are also now Zippo brand single jet flame and plasma inserts. With these inserts and a couple $10 to $15 dollar chrome Zippos you have backups to the backups! Electric, butane , and liquid.The aluminum fuel canisters make carrying a single charge of liquid fuel easy. You can buy Naptha by the gallon at a big box retailer...much cheaper than Zippo fuel. which is naptha with a bit of liquid Coleman fuel basically. Make your own tinder quick by dipping 100% cotton rope in wax. Don't soak it in but you get my point, just enough to leave a dry cotton core at the center...Cheap... Cut to desired size. You can use any sparker from there.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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!😀
Anyone who says a zippo lighter is bad for a bug out bag is full of it. They can run on anything alcohol ethanol diesel gasoline You can use it as a candle with oil You could probably even make the thing into a damn hand warmer with some platinum mesh
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
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 :)
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!
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
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
