I have an Old Boy, too. A gift from another piper. But it's so damn expensive I'm afraid to take it out of the house, and anyways, as I indicated, a gentle breeze blows it out as there is no windscreen. My back=up for outside is linse pipe lighter.... cheap, disposable, and like a BIC for pipes.
True story, one of the crazy bikers in our circle of friends/fiends, lit a cigar in his mouth while another one of the guys “directed” the Flame Thrower😂😂
This is probably a waste of your time, but I thought I would share this observation I made YEARS ago. With winter coming on, and many of us limited to our unheated garage or outdoor smoking, that trusty old BIC and facsimiles maintain their optimal flame when the lighter is kept warm. I usually keep those lighters either in my pants pocket or totally surrounded in the palm of my hand. I've found that leaving them out in the cold elements greatly reduces the flame and, in extreme cases, become almost impossible to produce a flame at all. Is it just me, or has anyone else made this observation?
@KA9FFJ Oh absolutely, In the colder months I have two lighters that are turned up so they work well when in my jacket pocket, as pulling my gloves off to fish for a lighter in my pants just frustrates me.
My grandfather told me years ago that a butane torch will not work when it gets too cold, propane torches work much better. When using propane fired heater in the winter, ice fishing or hunting, it is good to have a teaspoon or so of alcohol put in the empty tank before it is filled to keep the flame orifice from icing up...otherwise no heat at -10🥶
Thus the science of heat -- expanding with heat, contracting with cold. Seems it happens to a much larger volume with gasses than it does with liquids or solids. Dunno if it affects plasma to any extent, though.
And with lighters, it is the gas vapors coming off the liquid form that do the burning when in use, so the colder the lighter and its contents, the harder it is to get enough vapor pressure to push out enough flammable gas to ignite into a useful flame.
I pretty much only use my Kiribi pipe lighter since I got it last year. It is a really good lighter, though a bit pricey - I paid $125 for it at my local B&M, but it’s been worth the money to me. Only thing that bugs me about it is that it’s made to be far easier to use with your left hand and, for what ever reason, I prefer to use my right hand to hold the lighter and my left hand to hold my pipe.
I want to get one of those Old Boy lighters next when I have about $130+ to spare. I would love to get one of those Dunhill lighters one day, but the only way I’m gonna be able to afford a $700 lighter is if my poor butt wins the Powerball. I know...fat chance of that happening, but a guy can dream.
I’m 110% not a snob about pipes, tobacco, or methods to light your pipe. I’ve owned and used pipe-specific Zippos for many years, and I’ve got love for matches as well. I just really like my Kiribi and will stick with that, at least until I finally pull the trigger on an Old Boy.
Comments
...and, like the much more expensive butane Old Boy, it’s worthless in a light breeze.
I have an Old Boy, too. A gift from another piper. But it's so damn expensive I'm afraid to take it out of the house, and anyways, as I indicated, a gentle breeze blows it out as there is no windscreen. My back=up for outside is linse pipe lighter.... cheap, disposable, and like a BIC for pipes.
or the diagram?
Why a Japanese pipe lighter has a German diagram? Maybe something to do with the lighter's .... uh .... Axis?
That is a GREAT idea 👍🏻
Not with your beard...😄
... or my mustache for that matter...🤔
in fact, flamethrowers are legal in the US.
For example: https://throwflame.com/flamethrowers/
Yet, the very definition of pipe lighting cool......
Actual Zippo Pipe Lighter Insert
https://www.tobaccopipes.com/zippo-pipe-lighter-insert/https://www.zippo.com/collections/11-off-patriotic-lighters
Fascinating......
With winter coming on, and many of us limited to our unheated garage or outdoor smoking, that trusty old BIC and facsimiles maintain their optimal flame when the lighter is kept warm. I usually keep those lighters either in my pants pocket or totally surrounded in the palm of my hand.
I've found that leaving them out in the cold elements greatly reduces the flame and, in extreme cases, become almost impossible to produce a flame at all.
Is it just me, or has anyone else made this observation?
I’m afraid of losing my Old Boy, and it’s worthless in a light breeze, so it never leaves the house.🤨