Keeping Your Lighter Clean
Good lighters can cost quite a bit of money and, like any high-quality product, they’re designed to pay for themselves by offering a long service life to their owner. In the past, refillable lighters were almost all liquid-fueled types. Today’s refillables are just as often filled with butane. Cigar and pipe smokers, in particular, tend to gravitate toward these models as they lend no fuel taste to their tobacco products.
Any of these lighters will require a bit of basic maintenance and care in order to provide their full potential lifetime of service.
A butane lighter requires little cleaning. Butane burns very efficiently and leaves hardly any traces behind. Particularly where the torch lighters are concerned, there is almost never an occasion where one will find a black spot on their lighter. If there is, it can usually be removed by simply wiping it away with dry cotton or a cloth. If the jet area becomes obstructed, simply tap the lighter gently on a hard surface to dislodge the debris.
The flame jets are generally recessed a bit into the lighter. To clean them if they become obstructed, it’s preferable to first attempt to tap out the obstruction by rapping the inverted lighter very softly on a hard surface. Make certain not to do this so hard that the finish becomes damaged. Chrome finishes and plastic finishes are very durable but tapping them too hard can result in dents and nicks. If the obstruction is still present after doing this, one may attempt to remove it”very carefully”with a bit of wire or a wooden toothpick. If something becomes deeply-lodged in the jet, it may be possible to blow it out by opening the fuel valve a bit without actually tripping the igniter device.
On a butane-fueled lighter, there is a receptacle which is designed to accept a butane canister. This area must be kept clean. Generally, anything that may be obstructing this area can simply be brushed away. If anything should happen to become lodged in the jet area of the lighter, invert the lighter and tap it, gently, on a hard surface. This should dislodge any debris. If it doesn’t, one can use a thin piece of metal to gently lift away the obstruction. Anything that is stubbornly-lodged in the workings of such a lighter should be removed by a professional to avoid damage.
Brian is a business consultant of an online specialty lighters store and has expert knowledge of cigar accessories, including Colibri lighters.
