# Think back to the days of refillable wick pocket lighters. Did people just buy a quart of Naphtha? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 22, 2015, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-back-to-the-days-of-refillable-wick-pocket-lighters-did-people-just-buy-a-quart-of-naphtha/725904 "2015-07-22T21:33:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-back-to-the-days-of-refillable-wick-pocket-lighters-did-people-just-buy-a-quart-of-naphtha/725904/1 "2015-07-22T21:33:06Z")
Naphtha and lighter fluid are basically the same thing. Did people go to the paint store for a quart of Naphtha? or did they keep buying the small cans of [lighter fluid](http://guideimg.alibaba.com/images/shop/77/09/11/2/ronson-lighter-fluid_4585832.jpg)? Something I’ve wondered about. It would make sense buying one can of lighter fluid because it has the squirt feature to moisten the lighter’s cotton core. Then refill the can. But did they do that back then? IIRC it seemed like a single bottle of lighter fluid lasted a long time. Naphtha is some amazing stuff. Leaves no residue. I recently learned it can be used to wipe down a guitar. Removes all the sweat and body oils. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-back-to-the-days-of-refillable-wick-pocket-lighters-did-people-just-buy-a-quart-of-naphtha/725904/2 "2015-07-22T21:47:48Z")
About two fluid ounces would be my guess. If you know “Liquid Wrench”, the can it uses looks much like the old squirt-nozzle Ronson lighter refill cans. Folding nozzle in a steel rectangular can. Gawd, I feel old… ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-back-to-the-days-of-refillable-wick-pocket-lighters-did-people-just-buy-a-quart-of-naphtha/725904/3 "2015-07-22T21:49:09Z")
My dad always had a Zippo and he would buy lighter fluid and flints. I used to have a Zippo when I smoked but I kept losing them. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-back-to-the-days-of-refillable-wick-pocket-lighters-did-people-just-buy-a-quart-of-naphtha/725904/4 "2015-07-22T21:51:55Z")
And, if you like naphtha (also sold as starting fluid for cars), buy some while you can - I suspect it is on the endangered list for environmental reasons. Try buying MEK in California - Home Depot now has some generic low-VOC solvent that is to replace MEK and naphtha. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-back-to-the-days-of-refillable-wick-pocket-lighters-did-people-just-buy-a-quart-of-naphtha/725904/5 "2015-07-22T22:53:50Z")
Prolly cheapest to buy a barrel of naptha straight from the refinery. Should last you a few years. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-back-to-the-days-of-refillable-wick-pocket-lighters-did-people-just-buy-a-quart-of-naphtha/725904/6 "2015-07-22T23:05:46Z")
I still smoke, and I still use a Zippo. A standard brushed chrome I got in San Francisco, and a brass one from a Midtown smoke shop in NYC. I change them up every once in a while. People always say “Nice lighter!” to me, and I always say “It’s just a fucking Zippo. They still sell them EVERYWHERE.” I buy a little bottle of Zippo lighter fluid at the bodega for about two bucks. It lasts me about a year. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-back-to-the-days-of-refillable-wick-pocket-lighters-did-people-just-buy-a-quart-of-naphtha/725904/7 "2015-07-22T23:07:30Z")
Seriously, if you still smoke, why NOT own a Zippo? It’s one of the best products America ever developed. Let’s see you try to light up in a high wind with a pack of drugstore matches. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-back-to-the-days-of-refillable-wick-pocket-lighters-did-people-just-buy-a-quart-of-naphtha/725904/8 "2015-07-22T23:16:28Z")
I don’t smoke and I own a zippo anyway. Pull it out of your pocket and open it on your hip; spark the flint on the backswing. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2015, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-back-to-the-days-of-refillable-wick-pocket-lighters-did-people-just-buy-a-quart-of-naphtha/725904/9 "2015-07-22T23:18:20Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > And, if you like naphtha (also sold as starting fluid for cars), buy some while you can - I suspect it is on the endangered list for environmental reasons. > Try buying MEK in California - Home Depot now has some generic low-VOC solvent that is to replace MEK and naphtha. Starting fluid is Ether, not Naphtha. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-back-to-the-days-of-refillable-wick-pocket-lighters-did-people-just-buy-a-quart-of-naphtha/725904/10 "2015-07-23T00:09:04Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Something I’ve wondered about. It would make sense buying one can of lighter fluid because it has the squirt feature to moisten the lighter’s cotton core. Then refill the can. > s. IIRC, I have a can of lighter fluid at home, and removing the top will only end up in having a destroyed top…or can. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-back-to-the-days-of-refillable-wick-pocket-lighters-did-people-just-buy-a-quart-of-naphtha/725904/11 "2015-07-23T00:16:52Z")
A can of lighter fluid lasted forever. You’d go through an entire pack of flints before you ran out of fluid. IIRC the Ronson people were always claiming their lighter fluid was far superior to ordinary lighter fluid, which would mean that make it yourself stuff had to be the pits. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-back-to-the-days-of-refillable-wick-pocket-lighters-did-people-just-buy-a-quart-of-naphtha/725904/12 "2015-07-23T01:17:41Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > Pull it out of your pocket and open it on your hip; spark the flint on the backswing. I gave a nice Zippo to a smoker friend as a gift back in our college days. He liked to do those fancy tricks with it, too. Tore the lid off the case within a week. Just flip the lid back with your thumb and thumb the wheel, like a Normal Person. You’ll look cool enough. You own a Zippo, don’t you? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-back-to-the-days-of-refillable-wick-pocket-lighters-did-people-just-buy-a-quart-of-naphtha/725904/13 "2015-07-23T04:21:42Z")
I recall seeing people shaking or slapping the lighter to get it to work. They warmed them in their hands on cold days. I guess to get the fuel flowing to the wick. collecting lighters was a big hobby for a long time. I remember when disposable and cheap butane lighters took over the market in the 70’s. I was just a kid but knew a lot of people that smoked. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-back-to-the-days-of-refillable-wick-pocket-lighters-did-people-just-buy-a-quart-of-naphtha/725904/14 "2015-07-23T04:27:42Z")
In college, I used to put"my" perfume in my lighter. all us cool chicks did that… ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-back-to-the-days-of-refillable-wick-pocket-lighters-did-people-just-buy-a-quart-of-naphtha/725904/15 "2015-07-23T05:50:54Z")
Still have about a dozen lighters, 6-8 Zippo’s, plain, fancy, old, well made, cheap shit. Quit smoking in 98. Used about 3 different ones that would work at 65mph on my chopper. No windshield, etc. In the way back military everyone I knew used 115/145 av-gas. Over fill it with that could make sensitive areas get hot if the lighter leaked any. Owwwwwwwwww… ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-back-to-the-days-of-refillable-wick-pocket-lighters-did-people-just-buy-a-quart-of-naphtha/725904/16 "2015-07-23T07:12:54Z")
Never been a smoker, but I still got a (new) 1932 model Zippo years back, thinking it would make a handsome and practical firelighter to add to my collection of handsome and practical firelighting methods. I wasn’t too happy to learn that the lighter fluid will readily evaporate from the lighter, so as an intermittent user the damn thing would always be empty when I grabbed it to light something up, no matter that I filled it up the last fucking time. Near useless to me, but hey, it doesn’t cost too much $$ to breathe the lighter fluid vapors day in, day out. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-back-to-the-days-of-refillable-wick-pocket-lighters-did-people-just-buy-a-quart-of-naphtha/725904/17 "2015-07-23T12:35:26Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > I don’t smoke and I own a zippo anyway. Pull it out of your pocket and open it on your hip; spark the flint on the backswing. I do not use tobacco, but I have a few Zippos. My gf’s agency was doing their advertising for a while (back when they had cool ads)\* and she told me about the company’s repair policy. They repaired/reconditioned mine, including one that’s very old, for free. \*[https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/17/a6/d1/17a6d1a4b8511ef2e69b7bc01421580d.jpg](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/17/a6/d1/17a6d1a4b8511ef2e69b7bc01421580d.jpg) Cool, no? ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-back-to-the-days-of-refillable-wick-pocket-lighters-did-people-just-buy-a-quart-of-naphtha/725904/18 "2015-07-23T12:41:10Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > A can of lighter fluid lasted forever. You’d go through an entire pack of flints before you ran out of fluid. > > IIRC the Ronson people were always claiming their lighter fluid was far superior to ordinary lighter fluid, which would mean that make it yourself stuff had to be the pits. Back when I smoked, I used a Zippo. Ronson fluid was definitely better than the Zippo-branded stuff. Functionally, they were the same, but the Zippo fluid smelled bad. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-back-to-the-days-of-refillable-wick-pocket-lighters-did-people-just-buy-a-quart-of-naphtha/725904/19 "2015-07-23T14:04:17Z")
I won a gallon of Coleman camp stove fuel once. It worked fine in Zippos. Really, it worked fine in all the fake made-in-Japan Zippos I won at the fair from the crane machine that year. About ten years later, I bought a gallon for the same purpose and found they’d changed the formula. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2015, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-back-to-the-days-of-refillable-wick-pocket-lighters-did-people-just-buy-a-quart-of-naphtha/725904/20 "2015-07-23T14:52:45Z")
One of the things I loved about Zippos when I smoked was the cool noise they made; the snik of the lid going back and then the fwip of the wheel being turned, followed by the barely audible whoof of the flame taking life. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-back-to-the-days-of-refillable-wick-pocket-lighters-did-people-just-buy-a-quart-of-naphtha/725904.md?page=2)