Can't tell you how many times I've done the HOMER Simpson thing...slapped myself on the forehead with a loud, "DOH"!
Well this time I beat it. I was looking at the nice lineup of Zippo lighters on a shelf and it galled me that they all had standard inserts. Sure, I've thought about getting them replaced with a pipe lighter insert, but I never have gotten around to it. Then a little while later I picked up one from a tool box, one I use that DOES have the pipe insert, and looked closely at the circle they had cut. Hmmm. It struck me that the whole thing was identical (meaning the size and placement of the smaller holes on the windguard). Hmmm #2. So I did a side by side and sure enough, the two windscreens were exactly the same. This means they likely just take the standard windscreen and punch a big hole on either side and suddenly - presto chango - it becomes a pipe windscreen.
So, fellow miscreants and neerdowells, what do you think just screamed itself loudly into my fevered brain? Yup! In a heartbeat I KNEW that I could DO IT MYSELF!
And so after about an hour with a fine jeweler's fret saw, some fine needle files, etc. I sat there are beheld the wonder of my very own custom Zippo Pipe Lighter. On one side I cut a tall oval...on the other, a diamond. And as was pulling together other standard Zippos to convert, I was thinking about other shapes that I could do...hearts and other card suit shapes, a Shamrock, of course a star...anything that made a big 'ol hole would work. The only thing that would limit the possibilities would be my own skill. Oops! Dang...well, at least some simple things would serve. I'll leave the dragons, orcs and troll designs to the pros.
And before you start whining about photos, YES, there will be pics. I just wanted to do a few more prior to showing off.
If anyone has any SUITABLE ideas for shapes I'd love to hear 'em. Just remember that the point is to open up a LOT of space to allow you to pull the flame down into the bowl. So teensy patterns or filigree kinda stuff wouldn't function well. And with my skills, anything that required piercing a really regular pattern would end up looking, well, not very precise. But whatever.
Well this time I beat it. I was looking at the nice lineup of Zippo lighters on a shelf and it galled me that they all had standard inserts. Sure, I've thought about getting them replaced with a pipe lighter insert, but I never have gotten around to it. Then a little while later I picked up one from a tool box, one I use that DOES have the pipe insert, and looked closely at the circle they had cut. Hmmm. It struck me that the whole thing was identical (meaning the size and placement of the smaller holes on the windguard). Hmmm #2. So I did a side by side and sure enough, the two windscreens were exactly the same. This means they likely just take the standard windscreen and punch a big hole on either side and suddenly - presto chango - it becomes a pipe windscreen.
So, fellow miscreants and neerdowells, what do you think just screamed itself loudly into my fevered brain? Yup! In a heartbeat I KNEW that I could DO IT MYSELF!
And so after about an hour with a fine jeweler's fret saw, some fine needle files, etc. I sat there are beheld the wonder of my very own custom Zippo Pipe Lighter. On one side I cut a tall oval...on the other, a diamond. And as was pulling together other standard Zippos to convert, I was thinking about other shapes that I could do...hearts and other card suit shapes, a Shamrock, of course a star...anything that made a big 'ol hole would work. The only thing that would limit the possibilities would be my own skill. Oops! Dang...well, at least some simple things would serve. I'll leave the dragons, orcs and troll designs to the pros.
And before you start whining about photos, YES, there will be pics. I just wanted to do a few more prior to showing off.
If anyone has any SUITABLE ideas for shapes I'd love to hear 'em. Just remember that the point is to open up a LOT of space to allow you to pull the flame down into the bowl. So teensy patterns or filigree kinda stuff wouldn't function well. And with my skills, anything that required piercing a really regular pattern would end up looking, well, not very precise. But whatever.
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