On Saturday at the local car boot sale I bought a few lighters. I remember the Imco Triplex Austrian made lighters were quite common here during the sixties and seventies and then were displaced by disposable gas lighters. I replaced the flints and filled them up with panel wipe and they all work perfectly. Unfortunately they don't work so well for lighting lanterns The lozenge shaped one is unbranded (anyone recognize it?) and the Zippo is brand new and authentic.
Phil. I can't help you with the name. I just dropped in to say they are a cool looking bunch of lighters.
Ooh, smoking related stuff. I don't think that's appropriate here and ought to be banned. Tobacco kills thousands of people every year and shouldn't be encouraged; not here, not anywhere...
Hi Phil, .........I have a couple of the Imco ones, they work very well..... ....On first appearance they do look a bit 'Tinny' but they've got this kind of James Bond thing going on with hidden levers and springs.. ..You say you have trouble lighting lamps with them? ... .. ... you mean like a 300x that doesn't let you lift the glass up very much? Regards, PB
David, these are all strictly non-tobacco lighters PB, its just that the flame does not quite reach the meths cup on most lanterns. Lamps, no problem. Maybe I should outfit the lanterns with pieces of asbestos string like Nils said they had in the old days...
Hi Phil, Nice haul! Careful when looking to buy Imco Triplex lighters, there are a lot of counterfeits around. I think the lozenge lighter is just a no-name chinese affair. I generally stick to jet lighters now, no problem lighting a spirit cup, damp tinder, molotovs etc... HD
...Hi HD, I was looking for a jet lighter the other day, but there were so many i was overwhelmed... ...Do you mind me asking where u got yours from, as you seem quite canny? Regards, PB.
Hi PB, Cheap, but reliable: http://www.dx.com/p/jet-1300-c-butane-lighter-with-clear-tank-1455 Modestly priced, has yet to stand the test of time: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Honest-Windproof-Torch-Cigar-Lighter-Jet-Flame-Butane-Gas-Cigarettes-Lighter-/152010376832 Pricey, probably not worth it, but I bought it anyway: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Primus-Power-Lighter-Red--/dp/B000XYUJFE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464188545&sr=8-1&keywords=primus+power+lighter Good addition for cold weather: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Primus-Filling-Adaptor-Lighter/dp/B001MGATIE/ref=pd_sim_200_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=31OKkuIj5oL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=YKHT1MHA3TYHK2PDPGWT FWIW, I own all of these and some others, but these are my pick of the bunch. HD
The lozenge lighter is very well made from thick gauge brass and does not have the band around the middle like the Chinese made (Marlboro) Brass No. 5 and 6. Even the insert is nickel plated. I've been eyeing those Primus and Petromax torches. Quite a versatile tool for a lampie
Yes, the jet lighters are wonderful little things to have around, but I don't think the brand names have any edge over the competition, my Primus is Good, but if it weren't for the name I wouldn't pay more than £5-£10. They do have an association with Meth and Crack, so some discretion is advised in public. I seen old hand warmers from British Hong Kong that are well made, better than the Optimus that belonged to my father, anyway, so maybe it came from somewhere there. HD
Funny that you should mention hand warmers: I filled it, lit it and left it on a trivet on the kitchen countertop overnight. It was still going strong more than 8 hours later
Nice little hand warmer. made in Japan! once a sign of cheapness, I bet it is as good as anything britain mass produced of the same era. Are the pouches for those just plain velvet? I need a cover for a smaller version of the Optimus that I picked on eBay. Actually I bought one new and in it's cardboard/blister pack, but the seller threw in a open but unused one missing it's cover, and I'm loathe to open the sealed one. The Optimus may not be as well made as the one you posted, but you can adjust the heat output. Although it would be easy to modify almost any catalytic hand warmer to do the same.
....The latter description of course!.... Sorry would shrewd have been a better choice? ...Was meant to be complimentary..
There might be some truth to that, my Grandfather was a Purser in the Merchant Navy before being seconded to the Royal Navy during WWII.
I bought one of the OP lighters when on a school trip to Austria in the early sixties. Wish I'd kept it!
What's to stop you buying another? They are not expensive, just avoid the ones that look brand new, because they probably are. They are pretty much an direct evolution of the trench lighter, quite interesting in their own way. HD
I used a Zippo for ages... damn thing used to set your hand alight the first couple of times you used it after filling. Switced to refillable Cipper lighters and never looked back. Smaller, more practical and didn't require filling so often...
Back again. 1. I didn't know they were still available, and 2. Not being a smoker, matches have always been used for lighting stuff - fires, stoves lamps. I'll take a look.
I did discover a small issue. When flipping the top open, it would catch from time to time and not open. This image shows that the shoe attached to the lid should slide down behind the steel guide, but was catching at the red and orange arrowed points: Filing and smoothing the various contact points seemed not to work, and at one point jammed the whole mechanism. So, how do we get into this beast? Sliding a pen-knife down one side allows the retaining step to be over-ridden whilst pressing the release 'tit' on the other side: - and out it comes. A thin strip of beryllium copper was cut to a length just a little longer than the inner casing, and inserted to keep the 'horns' from catching: Back in it goes - Job done!
