Tobacco

I found a zippo in my work's lost and found, and asked what you normally fill them with, two different people said butane (and knowing nothing about this stuff, I didn't bother to look it up, I just found a butane refill kit in the sporting goods section). Anyways, now there's butane gas eminating in the lighter, and I'm just now seeing on the zippo website that it only uses lighter fluid. If i open it up and let it sit for a day or two will all the butane evaporate, or is it too dangerous to put a second type of fuel into now? I don't know how the two combustables would react with each other, so I'm just trying to keep from blowing a hand off. Opinions?

You fill them with a liquid, not a gas.
Butane is a gas at room temperature, so you need to put in lighter fluid. (available at all good tobaconists) I would think all the butane has gone by now. What you might try is lighting it (at arms length) and the chances are nothing will happen. Then fill it with lighter fluid. Not sure what they use. But dont use petrol, its explosive in many cases.

Just found out, Butane boils (ie becomes a gas) at -0.5c. So in other words, theres no butane left in your lighter. You are safe to proceed with lighter fluid.

Have also just found out: Lighter FLUID (not lighter GAS, which as you rightly say is butane) is normally Naptha, a petroleum distillate. Its not the same as napthalene. But basically you want to go and by a bottle of lighter fluid for wick type lighters.

2007-10-04 02:56:50 by Daniel G

Let's be honest. Most campers use some sort of lighter to start their camp fires. Over the years I've been frustrated by the limitations ...

Hi everyone,

I'm having trouble refilling my zippo lighter. I bought a can of zippo butane fuel but its got this weird pressure system i cant figure out, sort of like a hairspray can, but the nozzle is impossible to figure out how the fuel actually comes out.

The directions on the can are cryptic and dont help at all. Do you hold it upright and stick it in the zippo padding, or do you hold it downwards? I tried both ways and got my fingers frozen for some reason.

Looking for advice from someone who actually knows what refiller I'm talking about.

Someone help!

zippos take lighter fluid, not butane...

all you do with a zippo... is pull out the piece... hold it upside down and put the bottle on top of it, upside down.. and squeeze a few times... so that there is about a tablespoon of fuel in it..


now for a butane lighter... you need to take a small object like a knife, or a screwdriver, that is really small made for eyewear or something, and prod it in the bottom of the lighter... there should be a little metal tube... smaller than a toothpick... you have to press down on that while it is upside down...
this releases the air in the lighter...
then you take your butane can and shake it up real good, and then press down with the can on to that same little tube... with the tube that is on the butane can... and let it sit for about 8 seconds... and then take it off, and then let the lighter set for about a minute before lighting, so that the gas can get room temperature...

2007-07-17 21:59:16 by G

my zippo lighter is out of gas and i have a butane fuel.. is it gonna work or is it gonna like explode? :(

You could likely get a case of frostbite from the evaporating butane. If you strike an arc before the butane diffuses completely you could get an explosion.

2007-05-21 01:29:52 by popcorn

I have a store bought Butane lighter (not zippo) and it has a wire running across like normal, but in the middle there is a ball of some type that gets red hot when litten, now my lighter burns green flame and was wondering if this was the cause... by the way the lighter came with the ball on it and its been reducting in size

I had a multicolored flame lighter that looked the same way. So it probably was supposed to have a green flame the whole time. If you leave it lit for long amounts of time it will burn down the lil ball.

2008-12-18 21:28:18 by Natalie B

Just woundering becasue I imagine it should work just fine, also anyone know any places were I can get cheap fluid compatable with my butane lighter online,

Here are some stats if you need to know them to decide:
Burns at 1300 degrees celcius (2372 degrees farenhieght)
Melts copper, glass, gold, silver, tin, and aluminum
It doubles as a (probabley bad) blow torch

Ok well it is costing me like 6 euro to have it delivered (I know penuts right?) but if you come accross a better one on ebay or something and want to recomend it please do so

Zippos run on petrol (that's what Americans call gas) You need a butane lighter refill (that's what the English call gas). Using the wrong one could cause it to explode (assuming you can find a way of getting petrol into a gas lighter)

2008-04-15 11:42:02 by jambo310

I'm interested in starting up a Zippo/Lighter collection of my own, as many of the ones I see are rather neat looking, and would work well with a collection. I know you can get a Zippo itself if you're under 18 (I'm 17, by the way,) but what about lighter fluid and butane?

I am not aware of any such restriction on lighter fluid or butane.

2008-11-26 19:29:49 by Marcus