Will a Submerged Torch Lighter Still Work?
A torch lighter, fortunately, is usually a sturdy little device. They have almost no moving parts in them, which ensures that they don’t wear out very quickly. And, yes, they can hold up to being submerged in water. The important thing to remember is that you want to make sure that the torch is dry before you try to light it again.
The most important thing to do is to take the lighter and dry it off as much as possible right away. If it has a case that you can take apart, take it down to its component parts and leave them all out to dry individually. This allows them to dry out and ensures that they won’t corrode because of having become wet.
Some lighters have electric ignitions on them. These are a particular concern, for obvious reasons. If your lighter has become wet and it activates electronically, you need to make sure that these components are thoroughly dried out before you use them again. Not doing so can cause a short. Give it at least 24 hours to dry out.
If you have a flint and wheel igniter, you just have to wait for them to dry off enough to produce spark, which usually only takes less than an hour. If the lighter refuses to light after it has had plenty of time to dry out, take apart the flint mechanism and shake it out to get rid of any excess moisture. Usually, however, this won’t be a problem at all and the flint will start sparking after a few turns of the wheel. The heat it produces on its own is usually enough to get any excess water burned off of it fairly quickly.
If you find a lot of water in your lighter, you may want to take a can of compressed air can blow it out a bit. You can do this a few times to make sure that you get any standing water out of the cracks and crevices in the lighter and then leave it sit for a while so that the remaining water can evaporate. If the lighter seems unwilling to produce a spark at all and it has a battery-activated mechanism, check to see if the battery simply went dead. Sometimes, being submerged in water will cause the battery to short out and discharge. Most of the time, the worst you have to do is replace the battery to get it working again just the way it was before.
Wendy is a consultant for a specialty cigar lighterss store and has expert knowledge of butane accessories, including lotus lighters.
Lighting a Cigar
On social occasions which are more formal and elegant, enjoying a cigar with the host is oftentimes a pleasant after-dinner activity. As is the case on any such occasion, there are some basic rules of etiquette that can make both the host and the guest enjoy the experience.
Some cigar smokers will prefer to use matches, some will use cigar lighters and still others will use cedar strips to light-up. This is largely the preference of the smoker.
If one happens to be offered a cigar, there are definite rules of etiquette where lighting up is concerned. This not only shows refinement on the part of the smoker; it makes certain that the host\’s gift is truly enjoyed.
One starts by warming the cigar. This is done by holding the match, lighter or cedar strip below the cigar without touching the wrapper and rolling the cigar around in one\’s mouth. Once the wrapper is warm, it is ready to light. Test the wrapper with the fingers to ensure that it is warmed up.
First, hold the flame under the cigar and warm it by rotating it in the mouth. One can gauge when the cigar is ready to be lit when the wrapper is warm to the touch. Lighting the cigar is much different than lighting a cigarette. Instead of holding the flame to the cigar, one draws it toward the cigar by puffing slightly and continuing to rotate the cigar. This ensures an even light. Blow on the cigar to get it burning evenly.
When lighting, repeat the process but puff hard enough to draw the flame to the cigar. Don\’t plunge the end of the cigar into the flame. This is not only poor etiquette; it ruins the flavor of the cigar. If the cigar doesn\’t light all the way through, which is often the case, pull it out of the mouth and blow on it to get the tobacco burning evenly. After that, the only etiquette involved is puffing away and enjoying the flavor. Remember that cigar smoke is not inhaled; it is simply puffed into the mouth where the flavor is more enjoyable.
Dave Sabot is the owner of an online store featuring specialty butane lighters and torch lighters.