Waterproofing my lighters

Using a home vacuum seal machine I decided to make up a few emergency lighter kits.

I cut the vacuum bags to size and inserted a (mini) lighter, a square of cotton wool and a couple of my favourite (mini) fire tinders.

Once sealed, I cut a couple of notches in the top of the packs (outside the sealed area), so that the bags can be ripped open by hand without needing a cutting tool.

I’m very pleased with the results:

Do you have any issues with the lighter leaking while you're applying vacuum? Just curious. I have a commercial-style chamber vac sealer and I'm forever sealing stuff up for camping & hiking! Very handy thing to have, for sure.

BTW, good call on notching the bags! They're very sturdy and hard to tear, especially with cold wet hands.

Without a vacuum sealing device, you can achieve close to the same result with an appropriate sized zip lock bag, perhaps double sealing it with tape....I don't recall a zip lock failing on me.

I haven't had any issues with leaking. Once the bags are sealed, the plastic "wraps" quite tightly around the trigger, so it actually "locks" it in place.




Yes you can, and this is what I have done in the past, however I notice that after a bit of use the ziplocks tend to get small punctures. Ziplocks do have the advantage that you can open and close them; but I like the fact these stay sealed - it means I can tell if anyone (eg kids) have been playing with fire !

That's a good setup for an emergency stash.

If you want repeated access and can give up a little space savings, a prescription pill case works well enough:
http://www.pharmacyerrorinjurylawyer.com/pill%20bottle.jpg
It's big enough to hold a mini Bic, cotton balls with Vaseline, and a tiny ferro rod and scraper.

By the way, a mini Bic is waterproof. You just need to let it dry a bit after it gets dunked in water. So, you don't need to be too worried about protecting it from water.

+1 I've already relayed the story of the Bic I found in the middle of the park frozen in frost. Dropped it in my pocket and it lit on the first or second stroke. Bright yellow, It went in one of my kits. IMO Bics don't require anything special, just pack them so they can't be accidentally flicked.

Nice to seal the cotton to keep it dry.

Good call on sealing lighters only used for emergencies.In a salt water environment I have seen the flints rot out in a few weeks time.It may be brand specific or the flint was slightly used,but it happens.Coastal and marine can be tricky on gear.Having multiples on fire and over preping them...GOOD CALL

BOATMAN
John

Time can rot flints (and evaporate fuel) too. I came across some of the original (right angle) Sparklites and Bic lighters from 30 years ago, and the flints had crumbled on all the sparklites and some of the Bics, and even the Bics which would spark didn't light.

Do I remember advice to coat ferro rods with something to prevent them rusting. It's early here and I haven't had my necessary quart of coffee to kickstart my brain. I don't know if this would be applicable to lighters or not.

I've heard of using nailpolish to prevent oxidation. I guess it depends on your local environment. I've got a 30+ year old BSA hotspark that has been pocket carried for close to the last ten years. There may be a little deterioration over that time but not enough to coat it with anything.

I coat my ferro rods with Vaseline. The ferro rods and Vaseline are then covered with heat shrink tubing and stored as desired. It works out well because I also keep Vaseline around to put in cotton balls. So, I can implement this protection repeatedly when I'm "out there." There's no need to do anything special before striking the ferro rod.

I sprinkle the little orange and red mini-Bics around my gear, clothing, and vehicles like flower petals at a June wedding. I switch to the standard sized red and orange Bics in winter, as with big, cold hands, the minis are hard to light.

The problem is IMO, that they are pressurized inexpensive pieces of plastic, and I don't think that they are designed for long-term storage. I overcome this with sheer quantities, constantly replenished by the lose-buy cycle.

OTOH, I have some 30 year old lighter fluid and old-time catalytic handwarmers and Zippos out in the garage that I used back in the days before Bics and Hothands. Those are still good and have stood the test of time, but could also be lit with an empty Bic in a pinch.

Good move. In the excellent Essentials of Sea Survival the authors point out that ripping open survival gear packed in plastic pouches becomes significantly more difficult in cold weather due to the plastic getting stiff in the cold plus loss of manual dexterity.

When you are cold and wet, or simply stresses, simple tasks can become difficult.

Many lighters (at least in Aus) have a safety / child proof mechanism on them. I remove this on my lighters so that they are easier to use.