Piezo ignition, discuss

[Neo]

Pro:
You don't need a spark or lighter to set fire to gas.
Con:
You need a spare spark or lighter to set fire to gas if the piezo stops working.

[Neo]

So some of my experience. Had a boil over once, piezo stopped working. Carefully half disassembled it and cleaned, a drop of oil on the spring and all good. The trigger wasn't fully disengaging to reset.

Otherwise intermittent. Could it be the occasional use of the stove, thus corrosion on the flame surface and the piezo not arching?

Currently use a mini Bic (which I carry regardless so no probs, but no piezo)

[eggs]

Carry a fire stick

[Kickinghorse]

I carry one of those mozzie bite zappers in Summer and as a last resort will provide enough of a spark to light a gas stove. Imagine the zappers are just another form of Piezo.

Phil

[crollsurf]

Carry a fire stick

https://www.bunnings.com.au/our-range/brands/f/fatwood

[eggs]

The flint variety of fire stick. I have a piezo which is intermittent.
The flint produced sparks fills in those moments and it can be carried on planes.

[Huntsman247]

I find heavy moisture sometimes stops the peizo on my stove but I've found a bit of tp works well to dry it out. I generally don't bring a backup ignighter/lighter unless I'm by myself and going somewhere real cold. Can always use another stove to start it or I figure worst case senario, I'll just eat the food that doesn't need cooking if I have a more serious failure. If it happens once and I run out of food for a few days, I'll lose some weight. Not the end of the world.

[wildwanderer]

I have a piezo on my soto amicus stove. Works really well. I do carry a back up mini bic for camp fire lighting etc.

Similar to huntsman, only time it didn't work (until it dried) was in the rain.

Pro tip: Don't cook in the rain, you'll get wet, soggy food is not enjoyable and your stove ignition won't work.

[Lamont]

I tried a bic a while back (for when I carry a stove which is not often) as a back-up, then the one time I tried lighting the stove with the bic it was of course,
out of gas/blocked/stuffed/goodness knows what.
Nearly drove me up the wall trying to get the stove alight with the spark from the bic. I know some can do it well but I'm useless.
Now if I carry a stove and it's cold I'll carry a little scratchy 'steel' thingy. Weighs a few grams, takes no space and never fails. I've lit the gas stovem and etho burner from it and even an esbit type/firelighter block. If I wanted to light a fire-I could use the stove.
Where do you get a mini Bic? Are they refillable or disposable?

[Lamont]

..

[Neo]

Hi Lamont. You can get a mini Bic lighter where they sell tobacco, so supermarket service counter, tobacconist etc. Sometimes they only have the large/regular Bic so try another shop.

I once watched a YouTube video demonstrating the flint methods and thunders. In the background were a couple of ciggy lighters dunked in a glass of water. At the end of the demo he gets a wet lighter and it works fine

[Lamont]

Ta

Hi Lamont. You can get a mini Bic lighter where they sell tobacco, so supermarket service counter, tobacconist etc. Sometimes they only have the large/regular Bic so try another shop.

Yeah I have a few years back-no tobacco joints down here-I'll try again-wouldn't mind having one just in case.

At the end of the demo he gets a wet lighter and it works fine

As long as it's working (and you are not a flamin/gas coward like me ) -yep bingo
I think a steel does the same? Even wet it works-don't they? Never tried mine wet-will have to go do some testin' and learnin' .

Edit works. 18 gms. 4 years old and many left. Can't even remember where I bought it.
Same size as my lighter and weighs less than the empty lighter. Jim Morrison sang it best.....

[wildwanderer]

I got my mini bics at Coles about 3 years ago. Were at the tobacco/refund desk, had to ask for them.

Not sure if they still stock em but worth a look.

Unfortunately they are even more fiddly to operate than the full size BICs. Those child safety features work as I struggle..lol

[Lamont]

I got my mini bics at Coles about 3 years ago. Were at the tobacco/refund desk, had to ask for them.
Not sure if they still stock em but worth a look.

Ta. Still wondering are they disposable or refillable?

[CraigVIC]

You would never do it of course, but the safety mechanism of a Bic lighter is easily removed. Just temporarily remove the silver windshield and it will pull off no problem.

[CraigVIC]

I'm pretty sure you can refill but they are thought of as disposable. They last a long time and as a bushwalkers compared to someone lighting 30-40 cigarettes a day you could get years out of one.

[Neo]

The flint eventually runs out. If you had spares and the spring didn't fly away it would be possible to replace.

[Lamont]

Goodonya Craig and WW.


But my fire steel has an inbuilt whistle so I reckon that's that.

[Kickinghorse]

Hah, whistle envy!
My Osprey day pack has a whistle incorporated into the breast strap. Lucky to hear it down the backyard let alone in the bush
Now if your talking a real whistle then this is what you need. Makes my ears ring! And kids can’t make the excuse they didn’t hear it when I’m on yard duty!

https://www.stormwhistles.com/

Phil

[ribuck]

whistle envy!

We all carry a whistle because it's what bushwalkers do. But when was the last time that a bushwalker got rescued because of their whistle?

[Kickinghorse]

Rbuck wrote
when was the last time that a bushwalker got rescued because of their whistle?

Don’t know, you tell me. Why do we carry anything that might be of help when things go pear shaped? If you’re still not convinced check this advice from Bushwalk Search and Rescue Victoria.

https://www.bsar.org/?s=Whistles

[ChrisJHC]

Not bushwalking, but the crew of a yacht that sank off Port Fairy were rescued because a boat looking for them heard their whistles.

They didn’t see their lights or the reflective tape on their life jackets.

[Neo]

Well my windmaster piezo is sheet. Up for a good clean and service this month. A little sewing machine oil on the spring action.