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If you have ever sent your old Zippo lighter to Bradford for hinge repairs you know Zippo sends you a new insert to go with your repaired case. Unfortunately your great collectible Zippo may look great on the outside but open it up; the insert doesn't match or if it's the original insert, it's a mess, covered in dust and caked in black carbon and soot.
This is how I can rejuvinate your collectible Zippo, or any carbon fouled machine part by a process which involves subjecting the part to a stream of crushed walnut shell media.
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Zippo Insert Reconditioning
The photos to the left and right of this text are of a 14 hole Zippo lighter insert manufactured between 1943-45. I purchased this Zippo on Ebay and chose to use it as my before and after illustration because of the poor condition it was in when I received it.
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| ...into this! |
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| When I received this Zippo in the mail it was in worse condition than I had imagined. A quick inspection showed lots of carbon and soot buildup as well as it being covered in a layer of rust . Clearly this Zippo had been subjected to a moist environment for quite some time.
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The case that belongs to the insert was pretty much beyond hope. 95% of the original paint was gone and corrosion had taken it's toll.
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| Left: Note the carbon, soot and flint dust buildup under the flint wheel as well as the corrosion evident on the chimney and side/end of this insert.
Right: More corrosion at the rear. Caked on carbon deposit on the cam and around the cam pin.
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Step one is to remove the wick, flint and batting from the insert. If the flint is stuck as can happen in old Zippos that have not been used for years, it is drilled out. More often than not the flint has simply turned to dust that just falls out of the flint tube.
The photo to the right shows a dismantled 1957 Zippo insert ready for cleaning.
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| Dismantled 1957 insert |
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| Walnut Shell Media |
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| The photo to the left is the magic media that I use to clean out the carbon, soot and dust. It is a 100% natural media made from crushed walnut shells. Unlike silica or other hard blast media, walnut shell media is soft and will not etch the material being cleaned.
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How does it work? Simple - I place the item being cleaned into a sealed chamber and I subject it to a stream of low pressure compressed air and crushed walnut shells. As the walnut shells are entirely natural plant material that is soft, it does not etch into the metal surfaces being cleaned as sand, glass or any other shot matrix will do. This is the same process that is used to remove the carbon build up from expensive high performance engine parts (heads) during rebuild.
The lighters shown in the photos on this page have all been cleaned using this dry process that leaves the original patina to the metal underneath the removed dirt, dust, soot and carbon buildup. It clears away the dark sooty buildup inside and around the chimney, including the wick, flint wheel, cam spring, cam and any other exposed surfaces on the insert. If desired, the process can also remove the dust and carbon build up from the interior of the Zippo case. I must stress that this process does not polish the insert or case, nor does it remove or undo heavy corrosion. This process also does not remove any dents, dings, scratches, pitting, brassing or any other permanent marks.
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Finished product to the right. Note the scratches and mild pitting left over where there was corrosion. A quick buffing and most of the mirror finish was restored. Note the huge improvement inside the chimney and case.
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| After cleaning... |
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| To order service on your collectible Zippo simply visit my eBay store. I accept checks, money orders and credit card payments through PayPal.
If you would like more information, please fill out the form and I will reply within 24 hours.
Please visit my Ebay store: Dockmarlins http://stores.ebay.com/dockmarlins
PRIVACY STATEMENT
I offer discrete service and will never divulge client information to ANYONE!
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