Any saving this zippo?

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redbeard

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 2, 2013
841
4
So I bought a lot of three zippos a few weeks back and finally had a chance to polish one up a little bit but wasn't sure how it would work out or if it would damage it somehow. With that in mind I grabbed the one that was carved into and began polishing it with MASS polish. It cleaned up a bit but obviously the carvings are still in there. They do look pretty deep too, would some sand paper fix this? I don't know if it's solid brass or if sand too much it would remove all the brass.... I really have no clue. Hopefully someone with more experience will be able to help me with this.
These two lighters had about the same amount of patina. The polished one is the one in question, will sanding damage the color? I know it's already pretty damaged so I guess whatever I do to it would only help most likely. I look forward to your knowledge.


 

huntertrw

Lifer
Jul 23, 2014
5,219
5,338
The Lower Forty of Hill Country
redbeard:
I believe that the cases of Zippo lighters are typically manufactured from solid brass: some plain, some plated, and some with other finishes. If yours is all brass, then you might try directionally-sanding the case's front and back by using a belt-sander fitted with a very fine-grit abrasive. I would use only minimal pressure, and hold the case to the belt of the inverted sander. Brass is soft, so it shouldn't take too much effort to remove the scratches. If you like the resultant directional graining, then there you are. Otherwise, you might use a dual-action (or orbital) sander fitted with the same fine-grit abrasive. This will yield a swirl pattern which you may (if desired) lessen with subsequent hand-sanding.
I hope that these suggestions are helpful to you.

 

redbeard

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 2, 2013
841
4
I believe these to be late 80's early 90's. Not too old at all.
And I will give the sanding a shot then, all I have are my two hands though but they will work. I have a wide range of grits when it comes to sand paper. I would love to get a polished look out of the finished product but if not that's fine. I will update when I have the chance to get started on the sanding. Maybe tonight if I am lucky. My darn truck is acting up again so I need to get that looked at right now.

 

winton

Lifer
Oct 20, 2010
2,318
771
Zippo has an awesome warrantee. They will fix or replace any Zippo lighter. I heard about a zippo lighter that had been run over by a train. The owner returned it to Zippo, and they sent him a new one.
They might just put a new isert into the lighter and return it to you.

 

papipeguy

Lifer
Jul 31, 2010
15,778
35
Bethlehem, Pa.
Winton is right; send them back to Zippo in Bradford, Pa. They will unconditionally fix them and return them to you. Let the pros do it, they're worth it.

 

menuhin

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 21, 2014
642
3
If the hinge is not working, definitely should send them back to Zippo in PA, if you want to refinish them, that's another story.

I guess they're not plated, if they are silver-plated or plated by some other rare metal, the last thing you want to do to them is to sand them.

To achieve a brush finish, sand up from 240 grit sandpaper (depending on how deep the scratches are), 400 grit, till around 600 / 800 grit, then you can use 0000 steel wool to do the finishing.

To achieve a mirror polish finish, do the same thing, i.e. sanding up from 240 grit, and then further to 1000, 1200, till around 2500 grit, and then use MASS during your TV / puffing time.

My 2 cents.

 

mcitinner1

Lifer
Apr 5, 2014
4,043
24
Missouri
Almost any zippo can be dated by the markings on the bottom of the case, except for reproductions.
http://smokerstuff.com/datingcodes.htm
This site has a ton of info besides dating Zippos.

 

ravkesef

Lifer
Aug 10, 2010
2,912
9,175
81
Cheshire, CT
While Zippo does not guarantee the finish, you may be surprised at what they'll do for you. At any rate, the price is right, And you'll get a lighter in tip-top operating condition.

 

mcitinner1

Lifer
Apr 5, 2014
4,043
24
Missouri
There are a lot of Zippo collectors out there; even a large club that I checked out for a while. Old Zippos are worth more if they have the original insert; and even more if the insert is in working condition. Then you have hardcore, serious collectors who want Zippos in never fueled condition. I've got 25ish Zippos, and they are all fueled and light-able.

 

zekest

Lifer
Apr 1, 2013
1,136
9
Sand them down smooth and give the a fine coating of Silver Krylon and they will look like brand new.

 
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