Zippo Question

Factual Questions
1

Having recently gotten back into pipe smoking, I picked up a pipe-lighter zippo a few days ago. A zippo lighter is a pretty damn simple machine–just a bit of wick, a flint, a wheel, some wadding to hold fluid. But there’s also this little thing next to the chimney. It has two positions, open and closed, and it seems to do nothing at all in the world except for make that famous zippo click noise. Does anyone know if it has any other purpose? An old roomie of mine claimed that it was some sort of valve, and that the lighter wouldn’t work with it up–but, well, no, it works just fine in either position.

Thanks all!

2

I believe that that piece holds the lid open or shut.

3

If you’re talking about what I think you mean, it’s a spring-loaded lever mechanism which keeps the lid closed.

4

Ah-hah! Or rather, well, duh. :smiley: I had never particularly thought about it, but I guess the lid -does- need something to keep it closed. Thanks!

5

Oho, indeed yes. :slight_smile: Not that my proper Zippo ever broke but for a while I had a cheap copy on which that little thingy broke, and, well, what a scary little fire hazard that was. Didn’t take me long to decide it belonged in the bin. :eek:

6

And here is one more thing I miss about smoking. Zippo’s rule. They frakkin’ rule man!

7

Well, <b>bob</b>, you could learn some tricks? There is… well, now I see that there <i>was</i> a whole website devoted to them, which has been shut down. Bummer. :frowning: