Lighters to collect that were used in movies

I just hit the big 50. Ugh. The "senior" part of senior member looks differently to me now. To be 25 again...

I repainted the lines on the Rondette table lighter with a paint pen. The problem is that it's not as black as the spray paint so from certain angles or bright light, it's obvious. I can't win.
That aluminium tape is the best trick to achieve you design/look you want.;)
 
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Have you thought about upgrading from space squirrels to space bunnies?
 
This is disturbing. I can move these supernatural squirrel things somehow (don't know how since they don't appear to be made of matter) and I picked part of one up and tried placing it on someone's leg and they freaked out. They said the could feel it moving along their leg trying to get back over to me. Now if it's a hallucination, that shouldn't be possible.
 
This is disturbing. I can move these supernatural squirrel things somehow (don't know how since they don't appear to be made of matter) and I picked part of one up and tried placing it on someone's leg and they freaked out. They said the could feel it moving along their leg trying to get back over to me. Now if it's a hallucination, that shouldn't be possible.

Well, I was just teasing you about switching squirrels for bunnies. Maybe they were teasing you too. It can be fun to pretend. That is the principal of the Ouija board. No spirit is real, but the participants play along and move the pointer as if spirits were guiding it.

I guess we shouldn't tease you. I was just trying to lighten the mood and cheer you up.
 
Well, I was just teasing you about switching squirrels for bunnies. Maybe they were teasing you too. It can be fun to pretend. That is the principal of the Ouija board. No spirit is real, but the participants play along and move the pointer as if spirits were guiding it.

I guess we shouldn't tease you. I was just trying to lighten the mood and cheer you up.
It was my mother. She wouldn't tease. They could be interdimensional beings/aliens of some kind. I don't know what they are, but I'm increasingly leaning towards something real. At least they seem friendly, if a bit annoying at times. They do like to hug.
 
It was my mother. She wouldn't tease. They could be interdimensional beings/aliens of some kind. I don't know what they are, but I'm increasingly leaning towards something real. At least they seem friendly, if a bit annoying at times. They do like to hug.

Okay, now you have my attention. Time for an experiment or two!
 
Well, thinking wide spectrum here, it could be some kind of psychic ability. Try something small like a marble, on a flat table and have one of the squirrels MOVE the marble. If it actually moves, then you've got something. That could even be profitable. There are various prizes around the world for demonstrations of the paranormal. Moving an object would definitely qualify.
 
Well, thinking wide spectrum here, it could be some kind of psychic ability. Try something small like a marble, on a flat table and have one of the squirrels MOVE the marble. If it actually moves, then you've got something. That could even be profitable. There are various prizes around the world for demonstrations of the paranormal. Moving an object would definitely qualify.
They can't even move a hair on my wrist as far as I can tell. Whatever they are, they're not made of matter. I have gotten muscle cramps when they're in an area so they might disrupt neurons or something. They're appear to be too weak to register on my Tri-Meter, though. I'll get a volunteer from work at the end of next week if the country isn't on fire. I'm off until next Thursday.
 
Ronson Pioneer Table Lighter (1960)

I had a heck of a time getting this thing out of the base and made some marks on the side in the process. It was similar to the New Yorker lighter in that the plastic base tightened up over time and created a suction effect. I drilled some material out and it's much easier now, but the damage is done. There was some marks already there as well, but I got it for $16 so....

It's got some kind of rivet mechanism on it too. Fortunately, I was able to drill the old flint out with a drill from below (straight channel) so I didn't have to touch the snuffer mechanism. There was a bunch of yarn in the bottom as well. I don't know if that was supposed to be extra material to soak up lighter fluid that could be absorbed through the Zippo style bottom of the lighter or what. I removed it. I'd put cotton in instead if I was going to use it like that. String just doesn't work as well, IMO.

Click for a a larger view/slideshow:

Ronson Pioneer Table Lighter 02.jpg Ronson Pioneer Table Lighter 01.jpg Ronson Pioneer Table Lighter 03 Lit.jpg
 
Ronson Tropicana Table Lighter (1954)

This was available as part of a set with a matching ashtray, which is quite rare as a full set. I'm not certain if it was sold separately. In any case, only the lighter was for sale here. I cleaned it up, polished the brass, removed the frozen flint and manhandled the stuck fuel cap off.

Click for larger picture/slideshow:

Ronson Tropicana 01.jpg Ronson Tropicana 02.jpg Ronson Tropicana 03 Lit.jpg
 
Ronson Butane Insert (1954) with Doulton & Co Ceramic Base "The Poacher" (1954)

It was hard to pass this one up at the price they were asking given the ceramic base sells by itself for $50-200 online without the lighter. It's called "The Poacher" and was made in 1954 by a Dutch company. I think it kind of looks like Dean Martin with a fishing hat.

The lighter was modified around the base slightly to fit tightly into the opening. It had a flint stuck in it and some kind of pink wax thing inserted in the flint tube I had to remove. I replaced the fill valve with a new one obtained from a seller in Britain that has them.

It was still leaking out the top valve and yet if I push on the tip with my finger no gas was leaking. This means the spring is too weak on the ball bearing on the snuffer to hold it down tightly. I don't have the tool needed (tri-connection by the looks of it) to remove it and I don't have a replacement spring anyway. I've had this problem before with Ronson gas lighters. My quick and dirty solution was SteelStick mixed and inserted into the opening of the snuffer so it's a flat metal-like top instead and then shove down on the snuffer to fit the needle in a bit. It then holds the needle down just fine.

Edit: I've since discovered this body originally came with an Evans wick lighter.


Click on the image for a larger picture/slidehow:

Ronson Insert Doulton and Co Holder The Poacher 1954 02.jpg Ronson Insert Doulton and Co Holder The Poacher 1954 01.jpg Ronson Insert Doulton and Co Holder The Poacher 1954 03 Lit.jpg
 
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Ronson Duette Tray/Body (1938) with Ronson RonDeLight Lighter Insert (1932)

I had an opportunity to get one of the most rare Ronson lighter bodies ever made (mostly because it's part of the fragile ceramic saucer itself, not a separate piece. It doesn't have the correct RonDeLight insert (it had vertical metal slats on top), but oddly the insert is technically older than the body, which is from an early 1930s RonDeLight insert. Combined, it's probably worth $1000. With the non-matching insert, who knows. I got it dirt cheap by comparison (the insert with its own body typically sells for $150-500). In any case, it still looks beautiful combined.


Click for larger view/slideshow:

Ronson Duette 1938 01.jpg Ronson Duette 1938 02 Lit.jpg
 
Evans Windsor lighters (1947)

I posted one earlier in the thread. These are modified to have painted stripes (A family member wanted one like mine I put removable gold stripes on with a marker board gold marker, but they wanted more permanent stripes so I bought a pair and made one with a paint marker to look similar to mine and tried a different color for the other one). They're both fully functional.

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I also discovered while checking the year that the above lighter called "The Poacher" (that looks like Dean Martin) actually came with an Evans wick lighter originally.
 
Ronson Cadet Pocket Lighter with Windshield (1959)

The Cadet series were all made by Ronson's England Division in the British Aisles. Previously shown was the Cadet Adonis and Cadet Adonis Table Lighter. This is the regular Cadet from 1959. It featured a couple of slight variants including one with a windshield attached (shown here) for outdoor use.

Click for a larger picture/slideshow showing operation:

Ronson Cadet Windshield 03.jpg Ronson Cadet Windshield 01.jpg Ronson Cadet Windshield 02.jpgRonson Cadet Windshield 05 Shield Off.jpgRonson Cadet Windshield 04 Shield On.jpg
 
I lost an auction on yet another rare one I've been looking for, but it had dents, the flint tube was sticking out the bottom too far and the silver plating was flaking off the top. I wasn't going to bid much more than $100 in that condition (worth more than $400 in pristine condition). You could never fix those dents where they are located. It's a shame people treat such rare near-antiques with such carelessness.
 
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