Ever had to do this ?

[DIM TIM]

Over the weekend I started a fire in a burn barrel where I was splitting wood. Nobody had a lighter but me, (a Zippo)and it was out of fluid.

I remembered that you could use gasoline, kerosene, and even Coleman fuel in a pinch, so I got the gasoline from the can we were using to fill the splitter with, and dripped enough to fill a thimble into the cotton, dried the excess, waved it in the air a few times to be sure it was dry outside, and tried it.

Worked like a charm. :D

So how about it...any of you all ever had to do this with yours ?

[All Talk]

No, but at the risk of hijacking your thread (not my intention) I am a serious convert to using denatured alcohol as a fire starter (denatured because regular rubbing alcohol is too diluted). I soak a rag (or wine corks) in it and light it off. It has the advantage of burning far more slowly than gasoline or kerosene or lighter fluid, giving your kindling more time to catch. It's also much safer.

A well-soaked wine cork (I have a bunch continually soaking in a pickle jar of alcohol) will burn, hotly, for 2-3 minutes. Oddly, the cork is not consumed.

[Grand58742]

Sure have. Was downrange and couldn't get more Zippo fluid. We cut the can we had with regular gas, maybe half and half gas to lighter fluid.

Works even better than naphtha IMO. Lights easier.

[DIM TIM]

Sure have. Was downrange and couldn't get more Zippo fluid. We cut the can we had with regular gas, maybe half and half gas to lighter fluid.

Works even better than naphtha IMO. Lights easier.

Thanks for the tidbit...I'll have to remember that when I get low. BTW....I never knew anyone to mention it before, but I wonder if alcohol would work in a Zippo ? All I ever heard mention of was gasoline, kerosene, and Coleman fuel. And I wonder if lamp oil would work ? HMMMMM

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Done it but i went back to the regular fluid once we got back into base. Dunno how safe it is/was but it worked. I didnt fill it all the way, just enough to soak the cotton.

[qrprat77]

Did it burn as bad when you put it in your pocket? My zippo always seemed to irritate my leg where I carried it.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Did it burn as bad when you put it in your pocket? My zippo always seemed to irritate my leg where I carried it.

Yup but so did the regular fluid. I carried mine in my armor vest pocket cause (1) it kept it away from my skin and (2) it kept a layer between it and my dumb self walking around with a mini molotov trying to light the stupid heaters cause i forgot to fill it before we went out again.

[Grand58742]

Thanks for the tidbit...I'll have to remember that when I get low. BTW....I never knew anyone to mention it before, but I wonder if alcohol would work in a Zippo ? All I ever heard mention of was gasoline, kerosene, and Coleman fuel. And I wonder if lamp oil would work ? HMMMMM

I don't know about alcohol, never tried it before. The only thing I wonder about is whether the flint would be enough to start it or if it would burn hot enough. I know for a fact charcoal lighter fluid doesn't work worth a darn. Just wouldn't catch from the flint. I might imagine diesel to have the same problem.

Did it burn as bad when you put it in your pocket? My zippo always seemed to irritate my leg where I carried it.

Used to happen to me, but I stopped overfilling it. It meant refilling it a little more often, but I didn't have to worry about that problem.

[ridgerunner]

Did it burn as bad when you put it in your pocket? My zippo always seemed to irritate my leg where I carried it.

LOL!!! That's exactly why I quit carrying a zippo. My leg would break out in a red rash from the dang fluid. Now I just flick my bic or use one of those super duper butane crack pipe lighters :cool:

[qrprat77]

Yup but so did the regular fluid. I carried mine in my armor vest pocket cause (1) it kept it away from my skin and (2) it kept a layer between it and my dumb self walking around with a mini molotov trying to light the stupid heaters cause i forgot to fill it before we went out again.

Seems like this is the best solution.

Used to happen to me, but I stopped overfilling it. It meant refilling it a little more often, but I didn't have to worry about that problem.

you know I tried that, but I just couldn't get the darn thing to hold anything and still keep my leg from burning.
I really like Zippos when fooling with antennas because they stay lit when I'm buring string.

[brokedownbiker]

When I was a smoker (a long time ago, thank goodness) I had to buy a little leather pouch that looped onto my belt to hold my zippo due to the rash/fluid thing. As to the OP, we found that gas worked fine but flared on lighting quite a bit. Diesel didn't work at all, maybe if mixed with gas? I never tried that.

[DIM TIM]

You guys are overfilling them TOO much. I'm like Grand58742. A couple of times was enough for me, and I started filling them less, and a bit more often as well. I usually count to seven and quit. Never had a chem burn since then.

I've got this post on a couple of forums that I frequent, and the alcohol thing has me curious. If I don't get any real positive or negative feedback on the subject within about a week, then I think I'll pick a day when mine is dry, and try a little bit of alcohol. I know that the flame from alcohol is real hard to see, but a piece of tiolet paper held above the wick will tell all for sure.

[sardog]

1. Purchase a number of the small airline size (50ml) bottles of your favorite bottles of booze. Dispose of in a safe, responsible manner.

2. Purchase a gallon/quart of naphtha at your local hardware store. It is the exact same thing as lighter fluid and Coleman fuel.

3. Decant above said naphtha into above said empty, clean and dry booze bottles and distribute among your stores.

This should give you lighter fluid for the rest of your natural life.

[PerryJeff]

I tried using kerosene once it wouldn't light from the spark. It kept the fire going great if you lit the wick with a match.

[DIM TIM]

I'm still waiting for the fuel to finish off before trying the alcohol, but in the mean time there is something else that I wanted to share with everyone that I found just yesterday on YouTube.
I also mentioned in this post that I wondered if lamp oil would work. Well I am still going to test that one as well, but if you store lamp oil like I do for emergencies, then you will want to check out this video. This is the second person that I have heard mention this possible "disaster". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kr9v8...McMwSr5goDerXQ

Anyway, after I test the alcohol in my zippo, I thought that a bit of lamp oil would be proper as well. I have my doubts, but to cut it with a bit of fluid or gasoline might work pretty well. Reguardless, I'm going to try strait lamp oil after the alcohol test.