Restoring World War I Trench Lighter - Antique Lighter Restoration & Repair

This World War I Trench lighter in in dire need of restoration and repair. It's missing some parts and rusted badly. I started restoring this lighter long ago but I continued now because I finally came up with a plan to make new screw for the bottom. Th lighter was made by Imco. You've seen me restore number of Imco lighters previously. They have usually interesting mechanics. Unlike the previous lighters, this design was also made by other manufacturers.

This lighter did not have many parts to disassemble. I left the cap attached to the body because it was riveted on and removing it would have cause unnecessary damage to the body I can mask the cap during nickel plating to keep the parts in their original colors.

After disassembly the rust was removed with electrolysis and the body was polished. I didn't have too much damage from the rust and the whole body was covered by patterns so I wouldn't have sanded it much anyways. After polishing the pars were decreased with acetone. the cap was pianted with nail polish so it will be protected from plating. If this as not done I would remove the plating from the cap afterwards. Then the parts cleaned with acid bath and electrolysis and put into the green nickel plating bath.

While the nickel plating was going on, I made new screw for the bottom. I used 8 mm brass rod. I don't have metal lathe but I wont let that stop me. I used files to shape the rod to the wanted shape and added threads. then I bent a thin wire so it formed a ring. I drilled a hole trough the screw and put the ring on it.

I used ketchup to polish the used brass parts. Ketchup has vinegar and enzymes that help with cleaning the brass. It's also readily in nice paste form so it's easy to apply on the surface and it doesn't smell like vinegar.

After the plating was done I assembled the lighter. The screw was perfect! During the assembly I still needed to add the second missing part. It was a really simple fabrication, however I was lucky that my first estimation for the correct length was correct. The lighter works really well and is one of the coolest lighters I've restored. I also was inspired to make short scene WWI flashback scene. It turned out to be more distressing than I originally thought but let's not forget WWI was very brutal so maybe that's how it fel like in the trenches.

Thanks for watching I hoped you liked my video. Please let me know how you liked it. Next some ways to support me in making more videos.

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Tools used in this video:

SOME OF MY OTHER TOOLS:

MY FILMING GEAR:

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[OddTinkering]

Is there a certain type of lighter you'd like to see restored? Please let me know!

[jr]

Why was everything so much cooler and fancy looking back in then

[gax]

The way u switched from restoring a cool object to the harsh reality of its past. Cool af

[aliceinclockworks]

That "look to the past" bit looks like an intro to some horror game. Nice!

[SirMacNoot]

Love the creativity at the end portraying a young man in the war desperately clinging to his little trusty trench lighter. Keep up this amazing work. You're an *Artist* !

[wendyclark]

When you pulled the outer casing out of the bath and the star pattern was suddenly visible I gasped.
Watching you took me back to my childhood, hanging out and watching my dad in his shop as he created and repaired everything and anything. Thanks for that memory.

[Sirenhound]

Uh oh! Odd Tinkering's having flashbacks again...
It's okay! You're safe here! You're safe.

[superdarklink]

That's so cool.

And to the soldier who owned this back in that awful time, thank you. Your sacrifices were not forgotten.

[ahmedmulalic]

My mom: Why is all the ketchup gone??

Me holding my super sweet shiny trombone: idk

[jayrimel]

"so we're gonna put nail polish on this part so that it doesn't get plated"
Me: okay yeah that makes sense
"And now we'll use ketchup to clean the brass
Me: Now just wait a damn minute.

[cannon]

imagine someone randomly in the street asks you for a lighter and you pull this out

[keselekbakiak]

Me : that looks like ketchup
Me : wait a minute, that's actually a ketchup?

[TNgrandee]

Sir, you are the master of "attention to detail" and that is one of the reasons I so enjoy watching your videos.

[moman]

Nice job restoring history and the actual feeling of a frightened soldier. I’m seventy three years old and I know that feeling in the jungles of Vietnam. I also got the same feeling when jumping out of a plane in the dark.

[docv]

I have no clue how the first one ended up in my feed, but now I've sat, enthralled, through four of these, and I'm so impressed, and want this lighter much, it's indescribable.

Amazing to watch the transformation. I've done this with a 1911 pistol that was in a flooded basement, placed into a plastic container, still wet and filled with silt and mud, then set on a shelf for several years. I did another one with a Husqvarna rifle from the 1870s that was in a flooded garage. My YouTube channel has me using them to do complete armorer's level tear downs and reassembly. I wish I had taken before/after pics, or thought to do restoration videos. This is awesome.

[Extreme-Graphics]

WOW SUPER COOL what you did at the end - - - like you were a WW1 Soldier in the trenches .... Scared and using the lighter to see AMAZING!!! Also, the Restoration was Top-Notch!!

[cutenose]

I think what you do is amazing. To think that lighter is 100 years old is quite astonishing. To take things in the states you get them and to make them new again is a talent that not too many people have. Ive subd and liked

[Rapier-]

You may or may not agree but I still think this is one of your most impressive restorations, and that’s saying something. Your metallurgy, technology/consumer tech knowledge and craftsmanship is unlike a lot of restoration creators out there. You also don’t cover up the past with new creative liberties, you always try to keep things as close to their original form as possible and I feel there’s a level of respect in that

[raine]

the ghost of the veteran who owned that lighter thought "finally, my legacy has been restored"

[enis]

No one:
Flies at night in my room: 7:33