How Do Zippo Lighters Work?

The Flint and Wick

Zippo lighters are famous for their flint and wick design. They produce reliable lights, even under windy, rainy conditions when other lighters don't work. They also have a cover, which helps keep the lighters clean and the flint protected.

How it Lights

To light a Zippo lighter, just flick the wheel, grinding it against the flint stone. This creates an array of sparks that flies into the wind screen, which is simply a piece of metal honeycomb that surrounds the lighter flint and wick. It cuts down on wind, which can blow the sparks away. The sparks fall onto the wick, which is made of rayon. This wick is connected to something called a batt and that's what contains the fuel. Lighter fluid, alcohol or naphtha is used in the batt and is transferred up to the wick. A flame appears when sparks hit this fuel-soaked wick.

The Concept

A Zippo works kind of like an oil lamp. It uses the same concept of burning fuel through a piece of cloth or wick. When you stick a piece of cloth into oil, animal fat or another fuel, it absorbs it and allows a flame to burn off the fuel without burning the cloth. In this way, you can have a continually burning light that slowly uses up a fuel source. This design allows for a continual flame, giving the Zippo lighter many uses.

Resources

• Zippos for sale
• Zippo.com