A couple of weeks back, Commander Zero was visiting and revisiting certain redundancies in fire-making implements. I threw in a post-long comment in reply to one of them, and others joined in. Almost all the commentary there is useful, and the perspective is refreshingly wide-ranging without rancor.
One of CZ's takeaways is that while there are about a gajillion ways to make fire when you need it, for bog-simple DUH! factor, it's hard to beat the humble but ubiquitous Bic lighter in your pocket.
But, as with all things, even that simple choice can itself be improved upon.
So in line with our peanut-gallery comments to one post, we did a deep dive on the 'zon for "brass EDC items", and one of the things its algorithms sorted for us was this solid brass gem:
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| Brass Bic Lighter Sleeve |
Yeah, it's 30 bucks. (Bic Lighter not included.) Buy once, cry once.
Solid brass (apparently), which takes the weight of a Bic lighter up modestly, but turns a couple of ounces of crushably fragile space-age plastic body into a much more crushproof T-rex trench lighter. Oh, and looks cool.
So we ordered one. And it arrived t'other day, and is herewith unboxed and suitably loaded.
Notes
In no particular order, about the good, the bad, and the ugly:
1) It's a tight fit. Good, because you don't want to have one half separating from the other, until you really want them to part company. Bad, insofar as after loading ours up, we're pretty sure we'll need a sturdy metal punch, or a pair of needle-nose pliers - maybe both - to get the dead Bic out of its shiny armored shell when the time comes.
We're okay with that.
2) Which explains the little hole at the bottom. Without it, you'd be trying to compress the air trapped at the bottom as you jam your lighter into place, which wouldn't work.
3) The lighter top is still exposed. Good, when you're using it. Not so much at other times.
Very Small Gripes
Things we wish the People's Number One Brass Factory had done:
a) If it was round on the outside, rather than oval, they could have had screw-threaded caps at both ends, to protect the gas switch from accidental depression when not in use, and seal the small air hole at the bottom once it was loaded into place, making the whole thing waterproof AF. A little more brass - and associated weight - for a lot better and more robust design.
b) A small pen/pocket clip on the body wouldn't have been amiss.
c) Alternatively, or in addition, neither would a small lanyard/key ring.
User hacks
1) We'll try sealing up both ends, either by overmolding slide-on end caps for top and bottom out of layered Plasti-Dip, or short pieces of epoxied folded over bicycle inner tubing. We may try both approaches, and see which method (if either) works acceptably, and if either one works better than the other.
2) As is, without any of that, it's the perfect size to fit inside an Altoid-tin-sized brass box (an assortment of which we ordered at the same time). It leaves enough space for tinder balls and whatnot else in that tin for a one-box pocket fire-making kit.
3) We may have a go at threading the air hole at the bottom, and screwing in a removable lanyard loop. If we can find/source such a thing with machine threads, and in brass, along with a suitable matching tap tool.
4) Being brass-bodied, it lends itself as an ad hoc spool center for brass snare wire, and/or several feet of duct tape, one of the ancillary uses for which is as fire starting material(!).
5) Bonus hack: If, as we believe is the case, the Mini-Bics have the same plan profile as their full-length cousins, we might could fit one into one of these, and have space beneath it for two or more vaseline-soaked cotton ball tinder blobs, wrapped in plastic. When we get a second one of these, we'll try that out and let you know how it goes.
Otherwise, we're impressed enough with this as-is to get several more, and retro-fit Bic lighters in other kits.
You want to turn any plastic Bic lighter into a crush-proof gadget, with a minimal weight penalty? Get this item. WYSIWYG.
12 comments:
Try a crutch tip for one or both ends. The tips are round inside, they will deform to oval. They come in various sizes, in black or white.
Amazon is selling electric Zippo inserts....
https://www.amazon.com/Zippo-Butane-Lighter-Insert-Double/dp/B07XSPY5DK/ref=pd_bxgy_d_sccl_2/140-2532823-7084305?pd_rd_w=HLXKV&content-id=amzn1.sym.839d7715-b862-4989-8f65-c6f9502d15f9&pf_rd_p=839d7715-b862-4989-8f65-c6f9502d15f9&pf_rd_r=JDQ5VGYRDBQXM19HFQ8N&pd_rd_wg=tS53c&pd_rd_r=19b5b3f9-bb7a-4b92-9964-c878582300b7&pd_rd_i=B07XSPY5DK&th=1
No more liquid in your pocket!
We use the mini-BICs sometimes on backpacking trips. The ones we've bought in the past (been a year or so since I've bought them) seemed to to be smaller in every dimension compared to the regular BIC lighters. Also have used the Exotac "fireSLEEVE" that is a rubber waterproof case for regular BIC lighters. They work well for that purpose and have a "strap" to keep the gas lever depressed, which can be handy. But they don't do any of the other functions you're looking for and are somewhat bulky.
Very cool. I wasn't aware this beast even existed. Much thanks for letting us know about it.
Some of the reviews are saying that it is not actually solid brass, but gilded white metal. That may not change it's utility for your purposes if it is a sturdy casting, but that might be something to check before you dig deep into your pockets for more.
-Grey Fox
This is cool! My suggestion: Drill and tap the bottom hole for 10-32 thread, and use it to screw in a 10-32 eye bolt for a lanyard (as you stated). When the BIC lighter is dead, unscrew the lanyard, screw in a 10-32 air fitting (easily available online), and use compressed air to "pop" the lighter out of the holder. Easy-Peasy. From an Engineer who likes your blog.
Would something like this work for the lanyard?
https://www.mcmaster.com/2434K666/
They sell taps and dies also.
I got one some years ago. It works sometimes, and sometimes not. I've figured out it's a fuel issue. It only likes certain butane fuel.
I've never understood the Bic fetish, there are better out there. I use Clippers, just as cheap, just as available, more reliable, (the kicker for me is they are) refillable and if it runs out you can simply/easily remove the sparker and use that on its own (and you can get metal ones if you choose).
Sweet! Had no idea that existed.
Bow and sticks will always be available
I was gonna comment that the super small Bics are the same width and depth, just shorter, so I thought... then I read you are gonna try a second one with those mini Bics. Your idea of keeping plastic wrapped fuel in there too is a great idea 💡.
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