instructable inspired by : https://ourpastimes.com/how-to-make-a-zippo-lighte...

i had this Christmas a unbranded zippo clone from china.

i was so happy. but after a week i found out the wick given with it was crap and it already burnt out sadly.

so i purchased a genuine zippo wick in a tobacco shop.

and found out too how fucking expensive they are.

but after some use ,it did not burnt at all.

the answer is simple.

most chinese wick maker are doing the old style of zippo wicks.

a thick fiberglass core.

a cotton sleeve that can burn

and some copper wiring to hold everything together

but nowadays new kind of zippo wicks are fully made of silica and copper with no cotton inside.

so today we will make a zippo wick.

but the real new zippo lighter wick. as good and durable as the original thing. but way more cheaper .

as an ex vaper i got tons of old vape stuff laying around to do my projects ;)

Step 1: Stuff You Need

for the wicks you will need:

some vape grade 2mm silica wick .

you see this kind of wick can stand up to 1600 degree Celsius without burning.

they are used for vape, they are used too in alcohol stoves.

you can get it by roll of 2 to 5 meters online.

a lighter or a torch lighter ,to torch the wick,

and some thin multi strand electric copper wire,this will be used to make the wick stronger.

Step 2: Building the Lighter Wick.

here the steps needed to build your wick.

you need to torch the silica wick so it will not break apart when you will cut it.
cut the silica wick in pieces of 8 to 10 cm (3 to 4 inch) long
separate the strands of the copper wire.
roll 2 to 4 strands of copper in alternating directions to make a cross pattern around the silica wick then cut the copper .
and voila you got your zippo wick.

hope you enjoy this tutorial

and now you got wicks as good as the real deal but at way lower price.

;)