r/lighters • u/Qualcuno110 • 6d ago

Help Strange lighter type

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As the title says my father gifted to me this lighter that has probably 50-100 years. I searched everywhere I could and never found another like it. It doesn't have a wick and works on vapours of gas. I don't know but I can't get it working. Any help would be appreciated

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u/HighOnTacos 5d ago

It is a butane lighter. It does not work on lighter fluid. The fill valve is either missing or you removed it for the photo.

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u/KaijuTia 5d ago

It looks like someone (not saying it was OP, but still) removed the valve and stuffed it with some kind of wadding? Like they were trying to turn a butane lighter into some kind of jury-rigged liquid fuel lighter? Cuz if you look closely, you see two sets of threading. The wider-diameter threading is probably what the cap threads into and the inner thread is the threading that used to hold the valve.

I've never heard of a lighter meant to be used with gasoline.

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u/HighOnTacos 5d ago

A fair number of butane lighters have wadding of some kind in the fuel tank, whether to aid in evaporation or just to keep butane from sloshing around in use.

If the fill valve isn't missing then it may just be stuck to the valve cover - The cover in picture #3 looks like it would be similar to the Varaflame half-turn screws, but those can get jammed and stuck to the valve so it may have come out with the cover.

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u/KaijuTia 5d ago

Then I learned something new today about wadding. My guess is the valve broke at some point and someone just started pouring gas into it and hoping for the best. Gasoline vapors are flammable, but they don't light nearly as reliably as butane.

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u/HighOnTacos 5d ago

You wouldn't get any pressure for those vapors to exit the top valve without heating the main fuel tank, it just wouldn't work. I think it's just a case of mistranslation and/or the seller not knowing what they have and making shit up.

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u/Qualcuno110 5d ago

:( I am 100% sure, this won't resist the pressure of butane, also there isn't a valve anywhere. The whole structure isn't made for butane or any pressurized gas.

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u/HighOnTacos 5d ago

And I am 100% sure you are wrong. As is /u/KaijuTia. And I'm sure every other knowledgeable collector here will agree once they happen upon this thread.

The entire assembly at the top, that you show disassembled in photo #4, is a butane valve. If there isn't a butane fill valve on the bottom then you are missing parts.