Introduction: Self-Cleaning Button Pusher Lighter Mod

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This lighter-hack project is not meant to taken too seriously! It is more of cute combination of common household items that may provide utility or peace of mind to someone in an unknown situation. At the very least you'll have the recipe for a useful tool in your future zombie apocalypse toolkit.

Disclaimer: This is not a replacement for washing your hands, always wash your hands (as thoroughly as possible as if you just chopped up 10 hot chili peppers and are going to touch your eyes). Kids, get permission from your parents before even thinking about using a lighter!

The basic idea:

  • Affix a bent piece of sturdy wire to a lighter with part of the wire placed just above the lighter's flame. The wire will act as your "button pusher". Once your wire button pusher has been exposed to any germs on the public button(s) after pressing them, blaze away any contagions and sterilize the wire with the lighter's flame.

There is more than one way to make this button pusher. Offered in this instructable are only a couple of quick and easy possible variations.

This button pusher will not work on capacitive touch screens. It may work on resistive touch screens (but probably best to not scratch up any screens with wire).

Maybe in a future version, we can build a stylus-tipped version that gets zapped with a UV-C light after usage :)

Hope you all stay safe and stay positive out there. 🤗

Supplies

Step 1: VERSION 1 (Paperclip / Rubber Band) - Straighten Out Your Wire

Straighten out your paperclip (or wire) into a long flat wire.

Step 2: Loop Your Paper Clip Around the Lighter

Bend the wire around your lighter a couple of times, leaving about 2 inches of straight wire hanging off the side.

Remove the looped wire from the lighter and tighten up the loop radii so that the loops fit more snugly over the body of the lighter.

Slide the looped wire back on to the lighter to make sure it grabs hold of lighter body nicely.

Step 3: Form Your Button-pushing Cyborg Appendage

  1. Near the front of the lighter's metal shroud, make a 90 degree bend at the base of the leftover wire.
  2. Angle the straight wire so that its parallel with the lighter's flame nozzle.
  3. About 1-2 cm above the nozzle, form an arc-shaped bend. Make sure the bend is close enough to the lighter's nozzle so that the lighter's flame fully engulfs the wire.
  4. Remove the wire and smooth out / tighten up the arc bend.
  5. Tuck any excess straight wire length inside of the wire loops - this will make the wire fit even more snugly onto the lighter body.

Step 4: Install the Button Pusher Attachment

  1. Slip the bent wire attachment back on to the lighter's body.
  2. Crimp and tighten the arc loop and re-position the arc so that its apex is located directly above the lighter's flame nozzle.

Step 5: Secure the Button Pusher Attachment

  1. Take your rubber band and wrap it around your wire/lighter multiple times.
  2. Keep wrapping the rubber band around until you can no longer make loops and it is wound really tight.

Step 6: That's It! You're Ready to Go Push Some Buttons Without Using Your Actual Finger.

No more wipes, no more disposable gloves, no more hand sanitizer...

Note:It's probably still a good idea to have the above items around too :)

Step 7: VERSION 2: Quick and Dirty Variation

  1. Snip a piece of your metal wire ( a piece of coat hanger would work).
  2. Make a single arc-shaped bend in the middle of the wire. Bend the wire enough so that the width of the parallel wires is slightly thinner than the width of the lighter.
  3. Slip the bend wire over the light and position it in place such that the bend in the wire is positioned above the lighter's flame nozzle.
  4. once positioned in place, tape the wire to the body of the lighter. Wrap the tape around the lighter multiple times to secure the wire firmly to the lighter.

That's it, please don't use these button pushers at the gas station pin pad!

Thanks for reading, and again be safe out there. Please consider subscribing on YouTube:
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