Resurrection of rusty half-buried mud caked wet Bic lighter

[Woods Walker]

Standard Firecraft disclaimer.

I pack 3 modern reliable means to start a fire with tinder in a fire kit. This is how it was done back in the day IMHO. People packed a fire kit. They didn't walk into the woods naked and afraid looking to spin a coal out of the blue. Beyond packing a fire kit practice helps. With that out of the way here is the back story. I was working on a review of the Luci Light 2.0 Pro....

The Pro is in the middle.



I was hiking towards a brook with the intent of doing a dunk test.... yea.... it floats. LOL!



Then stumbled on this. Sorry for the poor photos. Only had my cellphone and video camera. Wasn't planing on taking pics of anything.



Oh this one looks kinda bad. Decided not to use any tools beyond what was in the woods. I had a SAK and might have considered removing the child safety but with the self imposed limitation figured best not to try.



First cleaned out the dirt. Also tried to roll the wheel over my clothes but had synthetics on. I think that would of been more effective with jeans.



Dirt somehow kept coming out of the Bic so washed the lighter in the brook. Oh no.... Not water....



Looks better.



The gas port was clear and working but needed a spark. If the lighter was empty I could still get a fire however no spark would be a problem. My thumb was starting to hurt from all the flicking. The wheel was functioning just fine but no spark. I was getting worried. Used the smooth bark from a Black birch to roll the wheel over. That was the break through.



Bingo!!!!



What to do with a free lighter?





Took these pics once home using a better camera. I resurrected a lighter years ago. Did a thread on that one as well. I am not sure if the safety was in this good shape. Will have to look for that thread.



Sure enough I got a blister for my effort.



I do not know how long the lighter was lost. Probably dead much longer than Lazarus. LOL! I think Bic lighters are more durable and resistant to critical failure than often given credit for. After all what is a lighter? A ferro rod, striker and tinder. Granted there are limits and everything must be considered within the proper context etc etc. I had them fail before but rarely irreversibly so. Using a bit of skill even an empty lighter can start a fire so there are options even for that failure.

Here is a video. Thanks for looking!

[gundogs]

For years my father kept an empty Bic--he used the spark for lighting gas stoves.
He felt,correctly,that pilot lights were a waste of fuel

[CG]

For years my father kept an empty Bic--he used the spark for lighting gas stoves.
He felt,correctly,that pilot lights were a waste of fuel

There are a few cases where they are useful (hello yogurt), but yeah, I wonder sometimes how much fuel those things actually use.

[Asymetryczna]

Superb. I cannot remember what brought me here: 3. Walking Dead reviews, 2. Ease of use or 1. Has anyone touted the Bic lighter. I think it was a search to see if anyone wrote about disposable lighters. Certainly, of course, yes, yes, one ought to take the time to gain experience with primitive methods of fire starting. But having a lighter in one's pocket and one's pack could sure save a lot of time. Finding one and making it work is a bonus. Thanks WW.

It would have been even better with a video of you walking and then dipping down to pick it up, followed by a little jump. On a deployment once before the great electronic wave, one guy had one Gameboy with one game. In the game this Italian fellow pursued gold coins and avoided mushrooms. It had a catchy little tune that I cannot get out of my head for a few minutes after hearing it.

[Woods Walker]

I always carry a Bic in my pocket. Most of the time when not prat icing skills it's what I use.