How Do Refillable Lighters Work?
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Ferrocerium
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Lighters use one of two basic sparking methods: ferrocerium or piezoelectricity. Ferrocerium is the older of the two, and still the more common. A small rod of a man-made metal called ferrocerium is held by springs against a jagged metal wheel. When the wheel is turned by a finger, it grinds against the rod. This friction heats up the ferrocerium and causes small sparks to shoot off of it. These sparks are actually tiny pieces of burning metal ground off by the wheel. The rods are called flints because of the older method of making sparks from flint and steel.
Piezoelectricity
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Some newer lighters use a phenomenon called piezoelectricity to make a spark. When a quartz crystal is stressed, it creates a brief electric charge. The faster and harder it is impacted, the more powerful the charge. In a piezo lighter, a small hammer is held against the crystal by a spring. When the user pushes a button, it draws the hammer up, compressing the spring. When the hammer gets to a certain level, it automatically releases. The spring drives it into the quartz crystal, which creates a quick burst of electric current. This current makes a spark that ignites the lighter fuel.
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Lighter Fuel
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There are also two types of lighter fuel: naphtha and butane. In naphtha lighters, a wick is stuck in a reservoir filled with the fluid. The fluid soaks into the wick, which runs next to the igniter. When the sparks hit the wick, they ignite the naphtha fluid.
In butane lighters, the fuel is compressed inside the lighter. When the user hits the lighter ignition, he opens a valve, which lets the butane gas flow out of the lighter. This gas shoots out in a jet that is ignited by the sparks.
Naphtha lighters--the Zippo brand is one example--keep burning until the top is closed, which deprives the flame of oxygen. Butane lighters stop burning as soon as the valve button is released.
Refilling
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Both types of lighters have refillable reservoirs. With naphtha lighters, the user opens the reservoir and pours in fluid. On butane lighters there is a small one-way valve to the reservoir. The butane refill canister has a small hose that pushes into the valve and injects pressurized butane.
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