burn? How easy/difficult will it be to ignite with the flint?
Yes, I KNOW that there are other ways and other things I could use, but please answer this question before you start asking why I didn't ask where to buy a butane lighter.
On a related topic, (optional question for extra credit) I've seen liquid fuel lighters with flint igniters and gas fuel lighters with piezoelectric igniters, but I've never seen liquid fuel lighters with piezo igniters or gas fuel lighters with flint igniters. I've even asked Zippo representatives at tobacco shops and they're clueless. Anybody know of a reason why the alternative variants wouldn't work? I'd love to have a lighter where I never needed to replace the flint, just fill it with fluid every so often.
2007-11-28 09:07:15 · 1 answers · asked by cdf-rom 7 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
Methanol should work fine in a zippo but has a very fast evaporation rate so it will run out of fuel when not even lit.
An alcohol flame is a couple hundred degrees hotter than lighter fluid.
The Piezoelectric igniters require an electrical return path at the ignition source. On a Butane lighter they use the gas valve connected to the piezoelectric mechanism. You could probably use the wires in the zippo wick as the return path for the spark but the ignition temperature of lighter fluid (or methanol) is much higher than butane so it probably would not light.
That might not be the reason why, but my best guess.
2007-11-28 09:34:46 · answer #1 · answered by sprcpt 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋