My son got this one for me in the 80's, from the small stores aboard ship. When I find a disposal lighter dumped in a parking lot, I pick it up. The flints are harder and last longer when used in a Zippo.
Good Old Zippo!
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I use only Zippo lighters and I find that the aroma of the fluid is one of the odors that bring back good memories of simpler times when every man carried a Zippo and had their own style of flicking it open and lighting it. I have several Zippos but only use my brass Zippo.
Did you know there is a Zippo Museum? It is in Bradford, Pa and also features Case Knives.
http://www.wrcase.com/about_case/zippo-case/
http://www.wrcase.com/about_case/zippo-case/
Here's my "good old zippo" story:
At my parents' cottage a few years ago, I was on the dock with my nephew catching bluegills. The cottage is on a small lot, and our neighbors were having get together with some of their family and people were going back and forth between the two yards having a good time. I leaned over to take a fish off my nephew's hook, and my zippo fell out of my shirt pocket right into about 4 feet of water. I was just about to jump in and pick it up when a woman next door went down with an apparent heart attack. All hell broke loose. My mom and brother are both nurses (my bro at an inner city Detroit ER) and they ran over there to start CPR. Obviously, I forgot about my lighter for the moment. The fire department was a called, and a few of us ran to the end of the little street so they wouldn't miss the turn. It's in the boondocks, so it took about half an hour. After the EMTs arrived and took the lady away (she made it through; props to Mom and bro for taking CPR shifts on her and keeping her alive), we all just kind of let the excitement die down for a bit. A couple of hours later, I remembered about my lighter. I went in the lake and grabbed it. It fired up on the first flick after being submerged for 2 hours. You'll probably need a smoke after medical emergencies, so always carry a zippo and an ER nurse.
At my parents' cottage a few years ago, I was on the dock with my nephew catching bluegills. The cottage is on a small lot, and our neighbors were having get together with some of their family and people were going back and forth between the two yards having a good time. I leaned over to take a fish off my nephew's hook, and my zippo fell out of my shirt pocket right into about 4 feet of water. I was just about to jump in and pick it up when a woman next door went down with an apparent heart attack. All hell broke loose. My mom and brother are both nurses (my bro at an inner city Detroit ER) and they ran over there to start CPR. Obviously, I forgot about my lighter for the moment. The fire department was a called, and a few of us ran to the end of the little street so they wouldn't miss the turn. It's in the boondocks, so it took about half an hour. After the EMTs arrived and took the lady away (she made it through; props to Mom and bro for taking CPR shifts on her and keeping her alive), we all just kind of let the excitement die down for a bit. A couple of hours later, I remembered about my lighter. I went in the lake and grabbed it. It fired up on the first flick after being submerged for 2 hours. You'll probably need a smoke after medical emergencies, so always carry a zippo and an ER nurse.
Brass, I am a Zippo fan and collector. I really hope that one day I can visit that museum in PA. There is also a Zippo museum in Jeju, South Korea. I also run a Zippo instagram page, however I am not sure if I can mention it here.
Great tips, gents, and I've used Zips for over thirty years. I'm getting a pair of new Zips back from the factory with pipe inserts and can't wait to try this Vasoline trick.
Zippo is a great company. My pipe lighter insert wouldn't strike anymore and was all gunked up, so I sent it to Zippo asking for a new pipe insert. It cost me about $2.50 to ship it and in less than 10 days from the time I shipped it off I had it back with a new pipe insert and the old one as well. They don't care if the lighter is 5 months old or 50 years old. If there is a problem they'll fix it for free. Just send in the lighter and after a short turn-around time you'll have it back working as good as new. Excellent customer service from a top notch company.
Love my Zippos. It can also be cheaper than collecting pipes, although they don't taste as good. :
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I may be a little strange, but I love the smell when a zippo is first lit. It reminds me of my Dad.
Plus one to Ghoststone's sentiment. "I may be a little strange, but I love the smell when a zippo is first lit. It reminds me of my Dad." I A Zippo being fired up takes me back, not so much to my Dad but to my Grandpa. A Kaywoodie (or Medico whichever was on sale that day I would imagine) One pipe, smoked constantly for about six weeks, Amphora Brown, lit with a Zippo. Those were times I wish I had paid more attention to.
Mike S.
Mike S.
Postscipt:
Mr. Pyle was killed by a Japanese sniper on the island of le Shima (near Okinawa in the South Pacific) on April 18, 1945. He was only 44.
Mr. Pyle was killed by a Japanese sniper on the island of le Shima (near Okinawa in the South Pacific) on April 18, 1945. He was only 44.
Now, a question about Zippo maintenance; what do you recommend as methods for cleaning the carbon build-up around a zip's chimney insert, and what kind of solvent?
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