Month: January 2018

Vintage Lighter Repair and Service: Wick/Flint Basics

A basic understanding of flint/wick lighters.

This article was prompted by an EBay customer who wanted a refund on the 1930s era brass/glass lighter they purchased because they didn’t believe it was in “working order” when they unwrapped it and it would not light. They hadn’t considered you had to put fuel in it.)

Flip-Top Petrol “Zippo” Type Lighters19502 General Electric Zippo

I’m writing this article from the standpoint of service on and repair of your basic flip-top Zippo/Ronsonol fuel(naphtha) type lighters. I don’t have any complaint with Zippo, I love them. I am however, currently infatuated with Champ Austria, mainly because of the flip-up wind cage design. The same elementary mechanics are employed in most vintage lighter repair and service projects. If you can manage to work a screwdriver and Continue reading “Vintage Lighter Repair and Service: Wick/Flint Basics”

Selling Vintage Lighters on Ebay: The Coolest I’ve Ever Seen

My first Beattie Jet Lighter will not be my last.

Back in the Day

Beattie Jet Lighter

I remember when I was a kid my dad telling me stories about the things he did during his time in the U.S. Army. These stories always had elements of difficulty: drinking ones own piss out of a boot, cross-country skiing , field stripping your service weapon blindfolded.

Now, he didn’t do all those things himself but if he didn’t do it he saw someone do it and while these things are all challenging, he told the stories with so much fondness and detail that I knew these Continue reading “Selling Vintage Lighters on Ebay: The Coolest I’ve Ever Seen”

What is Huntington’s Disease? Everything I Knew & Some of What I Know

Once a minor curiosity, Huntington’s Disease has consumed my life for the last seven yrs.

Ignorance Is Bliss, I Suppose

I remember learning about Woody Guthrie when I was a child in school. He wrote “This Land is Your Land” and he died due to complications from Huntington’s Disease. That was about all I really knew about him or Huntington’s Disease(HD) for the longest time.

I am also a Bob Dylan fan, have been my whole life. When I was a young man, once I’d heard all his music, I read every Dylan biography I could get my hands on. Woody Guthrie was a huge influence on Bob Dylan. Continue reading “What is Huntington’s Disease? Everything I Knew & Some of What I Know”

In Search of the Best Online Head Shop: One Man’s Quest

Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a place you could go online to get most, if not all your smoking needs?

First Off, the Important Stuff

Back in the day, like a whole ten yrs ago, people had to go to the store to buy rolling papers, flint and other articles necessary for combusting their favorite foliage. I don’t know about you but where I grew up we would have called that a head shop.

When I started smoking, I asked myself, “what is the best online head shop?” I might be a tad slow but I know how to perform an Continue reading “In Search of the Best Online Head Shop: One Man’s Quest”

Best Vaporizer Pens for Weed? A Lighter Mechanic’s Perspective

First thing you need to know: buy a vaporizer with a 510 thread.

What Will You Be Vaping?

I sometimes wonder if people realize how much about themselves they reveal when responding to a question they’ve been asked directly. But the main thing is it’s nobody’s business what you intend to vape. We may be asked, “Where to buy vapes for marijuana?” or “What are the best vaporizer pens for weed?” but if we just have a basic idea about the vaporizers available then we have a better grasp on the questions we’re asked. Continue reading “Best Vaporizer Pens for Weed? A Lighter Mechanic’s Perspective”