Author: Joseph

As spring settles in I learn a lesson or two this week that will hopefully be useful in the future.

Valuing Old Lighters

Joining another Facebook lighter group over the weekend, the number of questions I was subjected to seemed ridiculous. I can only assume this particular group has been inundated with the same questions constantly which I understand all too well can be exhausting.

It’s sort of how I feel answering questions about butane lighters. I want to help. I have also made myself clear about what I do and don’t and I absolutely DO NOT Continue reading “Vintage Lighter Diaries Vol. 7: Proper Planning And Something I Haven’t Seen Before”

A look back at some of our older videos reveals an obvious evolution as new friends inspire growth I hadn’t previously considered.

Looking The Part

Nostalgic images are always popular. Taboo subjects can be appealing as well. I put much thought into the images and themes going on in the background of the YouTube videos we produce at DependableFlame.

They are designed to elicit certain emotions or reactions. To transport the viewer, if only for a moment, to a different time or Continue reading “Vintage Lighter Diaries Vol. 6: Making Friends As The YouTube Channel Evolves”

One of the first articles I ever wrote for this website was about a Park Industries lighter made in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. I didn’t know much about them back then and was mildly impressed but have since come to believe the older Park lighters made in Springfield, Illinois are legitimate hidden gems in the cigarette lighter hobby, both for collecting and putting to use.

Upon Further Review

My first encounter with a Park lighter was a brand new slim model with scotch whiskey advertising printed on the case. The lighter

was still in the box with the original paperwork but the flint had degraded and clogged up the flint tube.

I was pretty green at the time and somewhat ignorant of how the “hobby” would view the condition of the lighter. Considering a tool had been employed upon it, I reasoned the lighter as no longer “new” so filled and lit it up! Today I would have simply noted the repair, left it unfueled and conditionally sold it as Continue reading “Are Storm King And Park Industries Petrol Lighters The Same Quality As Zippos?”

With spring surely breathing down our necks, work continues at DependableFlame as a friendly arrival or two remind us where we’ve been and offer a glimpse to where we’re headed.

The Chicken Or The Egg?

My affinity for Cygnus petrol lighters leads to many long searches and rabbit holes. With the majority that I have owned having been purchased unidentified in a group of a few or many lighters, they aren’t easy or many to come by. Oh sure, you can hop on Ebay any day and pay a premium for a few interesting designs or models that someone else found but if you really want to find the interesting lighters before all the other collectors, you need to find them before someone else who knows or has the wherewithal to figure out what they really have.

Visual recognition plays a huge role as one painstakingly sifts Continue reading “Vintage Lighter Diaries Vol. 5: Seeing Cygnus In The Shadows & Making Friends On the Internet”

Historically, The Zippo Manufacturing Company may have been hesitant to highlight the cannabis plant and at times, it still seems the word may be viewed as somewhat taboo but a handful of new designs for 2022 gives “leaf” lovers plenty to shop for.

Delivered To My Inbox

If you’ve ever been to the Zippo website, like many other sites you were probably greeted with the opportunity to supply them your email. I think the first time I was presented with this option, there was a discount offered on your first order from the site.

The discount is a nice enough enticement but if you are a Zippo fan then buckle up and get ready because let me tell you, they have a lot more going on with their email list than just some paltry one time discount! Be prepared to receive a steady flow of emails chock-full of your favorite collectible lighter and news about special events, new releases, and limited Continue reading “Marijuana Leaf Design Zippo Windproof Lighters: Then And Now”

From an item I have had in my possession since at least the 1980s to some others more recently acquired, accumulated relics can be difficult to categorize.

Family Heirlooms

The Leavens Manufacturing Company watch fob advertising CATERPILLAR and the Hoover Equipment Company of Oklahoma City, Altus and Woodward is an item I am glad to display along with some related lighters and other paraphernalia that are linked to and remind me of precious family members, many whom have now passed.

My Uncle Dave(my Dad’s brother, closest to him both in age and life) gave me the watch fob some time during my adolescence and I have treasured it Continue reading “Vintage Lighter Diaries Vol. 4: Heirlooms And Hidden Treasures”

Not only do there appear to be multiple “Vernon” lighters but the actual manufacturer of the example we scrutinize today brings even more vintage brands into the conversation.

I’m Looking For Something

As a seller of vintage cigarette lighters, I have sort of a broad template exemplifying the ideal lighter I link to sell in my Ebay Store. There are a list of criteria though I don’t think any of it has ever been written down especially in the form of a list. I have an eye at least for some of the stuff that will sell. Maybe it’s an enameled emblem, perhaps a rare or interesting mechanism or eye-catching engraving. There are lighters I just know right away, even if I had been ignorant of its existence a few minutes prior. I have bought a few like that.

Some of those criteria are very basic and my first consideration is the basest Continue reading “Vernon Lighter Of Newton, Iowa Advertising John G. Cafky First State Bank Forgan, Oklahoma”

This past was not the typical week around the DependableFlame headquarters as an efficient and productive early week gave way to (Hopefully!)winter’s last gasp but sharpens my perspective toward the goals at hand.

Is Evaporation Really A Problem?

It is probably the question I am asked most often via YouTube comments, email, social media, etc. “What do I do if my petrol lighter leaks?” There are variations or sometimes different questions altogether that are after the same solution: there is fluid dripping out of the bottom of the questioner’s lighter and they need to know how to stop it!

I purchased this odd Cupid Japanese roller lighter in a group of several some time back. There are many factors that lead me to call it “odd” but for Continue reading “Vintage Lighter Diaries Vol. 3: Common Lighter Complaints, ZIP-A-FLINT By Zippo And Weather Taking Up Residence”

An update on a years long quest to gain meaningful information about the first lighter manufacturer that ever stumped me. A guarantee paper yields some useful clues but will it help us come any closer to understanding who and exactly where the Allen-Haddock lighter was manufactured?

A Couple Cool Old Relics

In early December of 2017 I purchased a sterling silver petrol lighter marked on the base with the name of an obscure firm located in Atlanta, Georgia. I bought this lighter in an online estate sale auction and there was no real information included in the listing.

I didn’t pay much for the lighter that was engraved “E.H.I.” and as I’ve documented thoroughly, everything I purchased back then was bought to Continue reading “Allen-Haddock Co. Petrol Lighters: New Light Shed On A Subject No One Cares About”