Fixing that jet lighter you love

Step 7: I do believe we're done

Again if there's anything I missed or any questions comment me and I'll do my best to help.

Remove these ads by Signing Up

gilesrobert says: Jan 29, 2013. 12:15 AM

Thanks, that sounds like a good plan as I imagine a new one from Dupont would cost an arm and a leg!, I shall have a go. Incidentally, a few months ago while looking for something in a drawer at my parents house, I found a Ronson Viking piezo lighter belonging to my dad ,who after giving up smoking in 1980, left it there in the drawer, I gave it a quick click, as one would and to my surprise it produced a flame!. He said I could have it and I've been using it ever since, after a few fills it did develop the same problem as described by Johnius (not really surprising after 30+ years in a drawer) so I managed to find a new valve so now it's good as new. The piezo unit seems to be of military quality, they certainly made things to last in those days!

107

killerjackalope (author) in reply to gilesrobertJan 29, 2013. 11:43 AM

They did indeed...

Well apart from the odd issue of making it fit I've had much less trouble with cheap lighter ones than I have with fancier ones.

gilesrobert says: Jan 27, 2013. 5:11 AM

Hi , I've got a number of old and new lighters ,this one (sorry about the bad pic) is a Dupont, I was given it new and, after having used it for a couple of months, the piezo stopped clicking, giving it a little tap on the table makes it work once, a couple of years ago my friend took it back to where they bought it and after a couple of months was given a new one the same. Needless to say, the same thing happened to the new one, it must be IMHO a badly designed piezo unit but it's a shame as it is a really nice little lighter. I have opened it up, not completely, but the piezo unit doesn't look a if it will come apart easily, any ideas?
Thanks for now

107

killerjackalope (author) in reply to gilesrobertJan 28, 2013. 11:48 AM

Really the best things for piezo problems is a replacement - if the unit looks the same as the ones you pull from disposable lighters then try fitting it, certain disposables have longer wires which make them handier for using in other lighters. Usually these last ages.

If not then reshaping a cheapy one might still be the best option - since they're usually so similar it's rare that replacing the whole thing isn't the best option.

johnius says: Sep 21, 2011. 8:16 PM

Hello, I hope you still check this one. But I just procured a Ronson Viking 52503 lighter and the filler port leaks all of the butane in a matter of seconds. Is it possible to fix the filler port? Thanks.

107

killerjackalope (author) in reply to johniusJul 22, 2012. 9:05 PM

Sorry on the slow reply, I must have missed this altogether.

Ebay search for the valves and O rings, various sealants will work, usually mentioned in the article, alternatively unscrew the whole valve piece and find an O ring at the hardware store.

johnius in reply to killerjackalopeJul 23, 2012. 6:18 AM

I checked eBay and bought a compatible valve a few months ago. Replaced the whole thing and it works great.

107

killerjackalope (author) in reply to johniusJul 23, 2012. 6:15 PM

Glad to hear... Nice one.

Smithers8 says: Jul 22, 2012. 2:41 PM

I have taken my Colibri Firebird apart many times, and i get the hissing, and a click, i can see the spark, but no matter what the gas is at it wont light itself. I can light it with another lighter, but the flame is still not that of a jet lighter. Is there anything i can do to make it work? Could I pay you to fix it?

107

killerjackalope (author) in reply to Smithers8Jul 22, 2012. 9:03 PM

It sounds like the nozzle is the issue there, I imagine they can be fixed as I've mentioned before but I've only found replacing them to be successful - as I remember colibris are similar to the lighter pictured, the nozzle sits in a sort of bowl with an element above.

The removal of the nozzle is a little trickier, but it does unscrew from the ceramic surround.

The nozzles are different in design to the kind that have a simple jet, they actually spray outward from a tiny top piece in to the bowl rather than straight up, however a lighter with well matched parts can be found no doubt.

I've not come across a place to buy parts but try ebay for colibri, they're a bit better known.

techno guy says: Mar 15, 2011. 7:42 PM

Is it possible to make a nozzle for this like described in your jet engine instructable?

Mark B94 says: Jun 10, 2010. 10:22 AM

Right i have a jet lighter and i can hear the gas coming out and I can see the spark jumping in the right place however it still wont light, however if I hold the gas release button and use another lighter to light it then a flame is produced but it is not the normal jet flame, do you know waht is wrong?

107

killerjackalope (author) in reply to Mark B94Jun 10, 2010. 12:50 PM

Could be the nozzle's messed up however they never light properly from another lighter, is it a blue flame that's just a bit messed up or is it yellow?

Mark B94 in reply to killerjackalopeJun 12, 2010. 3:46 AM

mostly blue with a small yellow tip, its not a jet flame though its sort of a dome shape

Mark B94 in reply to Mark B94Jun 17, 2010. 7:34 AM

becuase it looks like a cross between a jet lighter and a standard lighter I checked to make sure the gas nozel wasnt blocked but that was still clean so it wasnt that , any more ideas? Thanks

Eric072691 says: Dec 6, 2009. 8:17 PM

Hey! Thanks for this tutorial, its helped me alot in trying to fix my old Prince pocket torch.. but the problem is, it still doesn't light.

I think its the piezoelectric spark, I can see that it jumps from the sparker directly to the lighter body, but I have no idea how to fix that.

107

killerjackalope (author) in reply to Eric072691Dec 7, 2009. 3:31 AM

If you try moving the spark wire closer to the nozzle and away from the lighter body it may help. Oddly I'm currently using a lighter missing its body and it commonly shocks people that stick their finger against the piezo wire...

Eric072691 in reply to killerjackalopeDec 7, 2009. 2:41 PM

Well I opened it up again and looked at the piezo wire with a magnifying glass. Its scraped up and I can see the wire.

So I think that needs to be replaced, but I don't know how to do that or where to get a new piezo sparker.

Any ideas?

-Thanks again, the shocking part made me look at the wire more throughly.

107

killerjackalope (author) in reply to Eric072691Dec 8, 2009. 1:20 AM

Any cheapy electric disposable other than a Bic will have a replacement piezo, the bic electrics have no wire so they're no good as a replacement...

If the spark still fires you might still be able to revive it though...

Eric072691 in reply to killerjackalopeDec 9, 2009. 1:41 AM

I went and picked up two Ronson Jetlites, one of them I actually like and it might be my carry lighter.

The other one, I intend to strip down and replace the pocket torch's piezo with the ronson one. Hopefully things work and my favorite lighter will can used once again.

107

killerjackalope (author) in reply to Eric072691Dec 9, 2009. 3:54 PM

Good stuff, let me know how it goes and if you run in to any problems do ask...

Mark B94 says: Aug 2, 2009. 11:44 AM

I've read this a few times and I'm pretty sure the problem is with a blocked valve like you said but when I push a pin in it it comes across some very strong resistance and I'm wondering if this is right, I think the only way I can get past it is by whacking the pin with a hammer and I've bent two pins so far, is there any other possible problems, the lighter is full but none comes down even when the lever is fully pressed

107

killerjackalope (author) in reply to Mark B94Aug 9, 2009. 5:42 PM

Hmm, check that the lever that pulls the valve up is making contact effectively, it could just be misaligned with the button or valve, also they can get bent but are easy to fix in general...

Mark B94 in reply to killerjackalopeAug 24, 2009. 2:06 PM

right, when I push the valve up with a knife gas comes out so I guess my problem is the lever doesn't push the gas release thing up far enough, what do I do to fix it ?

107

killerjackalope (author) in reply to Mark B94Nov 13, 2009. 4:37 AM

You need to bend the lever back in to shape...

___ says: May 6, 2009. 2:32 PM

Smoking is bad

107

killerjackalope (author) in reply to ___May 7, 2009. 1:56 AM

Go home.

___ in reply to killerjackalopeMay 10, 2009. 8:09 AM

i am home..... i didnt want to insult u

107

killerjackalope (author) in reply to ___May 10, 2009. 3:19 PM

Apologies, I was in a foul mood at the time and I get particularly annoyed at people blithering about smoking on an 'ible about fixing lighters...

jgracik says: Jul 22, 2008. 11:51 PM

Thanks for the instructable. i've been trying to find information about lighter repair for quite a long time. I have two older lighters in need of repair: a Dunhill Rollagas and an old Dupont Gatsby series. Any chance you know how to diagnose and repair lighters like these? Best, Jeff

107

killerjackalope (author) in reply to jgracikJul 23, 2008. 2:31 AM

I can indeed, I used to do antiques... If you get a few pictures of the problems and decribe them I should be able to fix them. At the moment I'm using an older rollalite but have a rollagas somewhere, I prefer petrol ones, simply because I can repair them with whatever I have in my pockets but I can do gas ones as well... I will have to put a little more thought in to the gatsby, since I don't have one anymore... But still post up a few pics and a description of the problems and I'll do what I can from here...

jgracik in reply to killerjackalopeJul 23, 2008. 10:46 AM

The lighters are being shipped back from a repair shop that wanted $300 for the work--that's their base charge for these two. Whoa! Consequently, I have no photos at the moment. The Dupont will take gas, doesn't leak, but won't light. I can't figure out why. The Dunhill took gas on the first try, but shortly discharged everything from the adjustment screw on the bottom. It might just be a gasket issue, but I don't know where to get one that will fit nor how to install it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

107

killerjackalope (author) in reply to jgracikJul 23, 2008. 3:46 PM

Does the Dupont spark well? Any problems with the mech inside or possibly a lack of gas to the nozzle... That's a bad gasket, not complicated to fix, it's usually the little outer ring on the valve, if you unscrew it and look for which gasket is worn, nip to the hardware store to find a replacement, you may have to go to a specialist or ebay to find one small enough, maybe a hose and fittings shop, I've manage d to get whole new valves from them before...

jgracik in reply to killerjackalopeJul 24, 2008. 10:34 AM

The Dupont sparks just fine. There just doesn't seem to be any gas escaping from the nozzle. Neither a hiss nor any indication that gas is being released can be noticed. I'm heading out of town for a few weeks, but when I return I should have the lighters and will search for the gaskets on the Rollagas. I'll post back when I have more info. Thanks for the help so far.

Mario1 in reply to jgracikJan 9, 2009. 4:35 AM

Ugh.. open it & try adjusting the air tube (if you have one) i bought a jet lighter that had the same problem after 3 refills .. i opened her up and pulled out the air tube a lil bit and it works just fine

107

killerjackalope (author) in reply to jgracikJul 24, 2008. 10:37 AM

No problems, for the Dupont try taking a pin or something and sliding it in and out of the nozzle while it's in what should be releasing gas position, may be a simple blockage. other wise check the mechanism that opens that valve hasn't slipped off the little collar.

jgracik in reply to killerjackalopeAug 6, 2008. 2:07 PM

Alright, I finally returned home and have the lighters in front of me. I'm going to give the Dupont nozzle a clean with a guitar string. The Dunhill gasket issue might be easier to repair than I'd expected, but the nozzle is quite dirty and in need of a cleaning. How do you clean out a Dunhill nozzle that has no clear hole? The valve mechanism doesn't appear to move at the moment, so I'm curious how it operates and how to possibly take it apart to see.

107

killerjackalope (author) in reply to jgracikAug 6, 2008. 2:36 PM

If you take the valve assembly out and give it a run over with a wire brush it might dig the dirt out, hopefully nothings corroded, safety pins are great for picking and poking out dirt with...

jgracik in reply to killerjackalopeSep 15, 2008. 12:37 PM

Apparently my last post didn't publish. I had a chance to sit down with both lighters this weekend. The Dunhill clearly has a problem with the adjustment valve on the bottom. It immediately releases gas once the lighter has been charged. I suppose I need a new gasket. Do you know any online sources for gaskets of this nature? As for the Dupont, I managed to get it to light again. The problem with this lighter is twofold. First, the fill valve on the bottom leaks slightly. I don't see any way to remove, tighten, or check gaskets on it. Any suggestions here? The second issue is that the nozzle doesn't shut off when the lighter is closed. It actually can maintain a flame through the roller once the top has been shut. That could be a "bit" of a problem. :) How might I adjust or repair this? Thanks.

107

killerjackalope (author) in reply to jgracikSep 15, 2008. 4:44 PM

I'm not sure of any definitive source or gaskets since we had hundreds of random ones sitting around from pneumatic stuff, out of broken valves and stuff, maybe hit the hardware shop or somewhere that carries fittings and stuff, if it's just the gasket then you should be able to get it sorted, unless you can remove it easily and try a little sealing grease or the like, just do things in small amounts and you'll not cause major problems. As for the Dupont the staying on issue sounds like an internal gas leak on first impressions, it might be a loose piece inside or possibly damage to the mechanism, stopping the valve from closing properly. Sometimes the filler valves can't be removed by obvious methods but if you post a few pictures I might be able to help, I can't remember what type of dupont it is now...