History The first lighters were converted
flintlock pistols that used gunpowder. One of the first lighters was invented
by the German chemist named Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner in 1823 and was
often called Döbereiner's lamp. This lighter worked by passing flammable
hydrogen gas, produced within the lighter by a chemical reaction, over a
platinum metal catalyst which in turn caused it to ignite and give off a great
amount of heat and light. The device was very large and highly dangerous and fell
out of production by the end of the 19th century.
The patenting of ferrocerium by Carl Auer von Welsbach in 1903 has made
modern lighters possible. When scratched, it produces a large spark
which is responsible for lighting the fuel of many lighters, and is suitably
inexpensive for use in disposable items. Using Carl Auer von Welsbach's flint,
companies like Ronson were able to develop practical and easy to use
lighters. In 1910, Ronson released the first Pist-O-Liter, and in 1913, the
company developed its first lighter, called the "Wonderlite", which was a
permanent match style of lighter. The Zippo lighter and company were
invented and founded by George G. Blaisdell in 1932. The Zippo was noted
for its reliability, "Life Time Warranty" and marketing as "Wind-Proof".
Most early Zippos used naphtha as a fuel source.
In the 1950s, there was a switch in fuel choice from naphtha to butane, as butane
allows for a controllable flame and has less odour. This also led to the use of
piezoelectric spark, which replaced the need for a flint wheel in some lighters
and was used in many Ronson lighters. In modern times most of the world's
lighters are produced in the United States, China, and Thailand.
Operation Naphtha based lighters employ a
saturated cloth wick and fibre packing to absorb the fluid and prevent it from
leaking. They employ an enclosed top to prevent the volatile liquid from
evaporating, and to conveniently extinguish the flame. Butane lighters
have a valved orifice that meters the butane gas as it escapes.
A spark is created by striking metal against a flint, or by pressing a button
that compresses a piezoelectric crystal, generating an electric arc. In naphtha
lighters, the liquid is sufficiently volatile, and flammable vapour is
present as soon as the top of the lighter is opened. Butane lighters
combine the striking action with the opening of the valve to release gas. The
spark ignites the flammable gas causing a flame to come out of the lighter which
continues until either the top is closed, or the valve is released.
A metal enclosure with air holes generally surrounds the flame, and is
designed to allow mixing of fuel and air while making the lighter less sensitive
to wind. The high energy jet in butane lighters allows mixing to be
accomplished by using Bernoulli's principle, so that the air hole(s) in
this type tend to be much smaller and farther from the flame.
Specialized "windproof" butane lighters are manufactured for demanding
conditions such as shipboard, high altitude, and wet climates. Some
dedicated models double as synthetic rope cutters. Such lighters are often
far hotter than normal lighters and can burn in excess of 1,100 °C. Contrary to
common misconception, the windproof capabilities are not achieved from
"higher pressure" fuel, with lighters using the same fuel as standard
lighters, and therefore developing the same vapour pressure. Instead, windproof
lighters mix the fuel with air, and pass the butane/air mixture through a
catalytic coil. An electric spark starts the initial flame, and soon after the
coil is hot enough to sustain a catalytic reaction and cause the
fuel/air mixture to burn on contact. Other types
= Permanent match= A typical form of lighter is the
permanent match or everlasting match, consisting of a naphtha fuel-filled
metal shell and a separate threaded metal rod assembly —the "match"— serving
as the striker and wick. This "metal match" is stored screwed into the fuel
storage compartment, the shell. The fuel-saturated striker/wick assembly
is unscrewed to remove, and scratched against a flint on the side of the case
to create a spark. Its concealed wick catches fire, resembling a match. The
flame is extinguished by screwing the "match" back into the shell, where it
absorbs fuel for the next use. An advantage over other naphtha lighters is
that the fuel compartment is sealed shut with a rubber o-ring, which slows or
stops fuel evaporation. = Flameless lighter=
A flameless lighter is a safe alternative to traditional lighters. The
flameless lighter uses an enclosed heating element which glows, so that the
device does not produce an open flame. Typical flameless heating elements are
an electrically heated wire or an artificial coal.
Flameless lighters are designed for use in any environment where an open flame,
conventional lighters or matches are not permitted. The flameless lighter is used
in many environments such as prisons and detention facilities, oil and gas
facilities, mental health facilities, nursing homes, airports and night
clubs/restaurants. Many advertised so-called flameless
lighters are not flameless at all, but the flame is invisible. If a piece of
paper can easily be ignited, it is probably not a true flameless lighter
and certainly not safe in hazardous environments where smoking is confined
to specific safe areas. The flameless lighter was invented by
brothers Douglas Hammond and David Hammond in the UK in 1966 under the
"Ciglow" name. = Catalytic lighter=
Catalytic lighters use methanol or methylated spirits as fuel and a thin
platinum wire which heats up in the presence of flammable vapours and
produces a flame. = Automobile lighter=
Some vehicles are equipped with an electric lighter located on the
dashboard or in the well between the front seats. Its electric heating
element becomes hot in seconds upon activation. The car lighter was claimed
to have been invented by Alexander Kucala, a tavern owner and inventor, on
the south side of Chicago in the early 1930s called the AL Lighter.
= Electric Arc lighter= Arc lighters use a spark to create a
plasma conduit between electrodes, which is then maintained by a lower voltage.
The arc is then applied to a flammable substance to cause ignition.
Safety Two technical standards relate to the
safety of lighters: the International Standard EN ISO 9994:2002 and the
European standard EN 13869:2002. The International Standard establishes
non-functional specifications on quality, reliability and safety of
lighters and appropriate test procedures. For instance, a lighter
should generate flame only through positive action on the part of the user,
two or more independent actions by the user, or an actuating force greater than
or equal to 15 Newton. The standard also specifies other safety features, such as
the lighter's maximum flame height and its resistance to elevated temperatures,
dropping, and damages from continuous burning. However, the standard does not
include child resistance specifications. The European standard EN 13869:2002
establishes child-resistance specifications and defines as novelty
lighters those that resemble another object commonly recognized as appealing
to children younger than 51 months, or those that have entertaining audio or
animated effects. As matches, lighters, and other heat
sources are the leading causes of fire deaths for children, many jurisdictions,
such as the EU, have prohibited the marketing of novelty or non-child
resistant lighters. Examples of child resistance features, include the use of
a smooth or shielded spark wheel. Many people remove the child proofing from
lighters by prying off the metal with scissors or keys, making the lighter
easier to ignite. In 2005 the fourth edition of the ISO
standard was released. The main change to the 2004 Standard is the inclusion of
specifications on safety symbols. "Greatest gadget"
In August 2011 Stephen Fry chose the lighter as the greatest gadget in his
Channel 4 programme Stephen Fry's 100 Greatest Gadgets, one of the 100
Greatest strand, describing it as "fire with a flick of the fingers".
See also Butane torch
Car adaptor Ferrocerium
Gas lighter References
External links The dictionary definition of lighter at
Wiktionary