Rope lighter

[pipefitter]

Some years ago I had this lighter I picked up from a gun show. It consisted of a brass tube with a flint wheel striker. There was a piece of cotton rope that fit thru the brass tube. There was a lead ball with a hooked piece of wire attached to it that was continuously moved lower on the rope as it burned away. The flint would light the end of the rope and you could blow on it which made it glow red on the end. Once you were done with it,a tug on the rope would pull the lit end of the rope inside the tube with the wired ball sealing off the tube while extinguishing the rope. I heard it once referred to as an Okinawa wind lighter or something but am unable to find any info on it or it's real name. Anyone seen one of these lighters?

[paladin]

If it's the type I think you are referring to it may have been a reproduction WWI lighter....at one time you could buy the mechanisms and cut off the end of a .30-06 round to use as the barrel. My dad had a couple or so that he made during WWII...along with a silver ring made of a 50 cent piece pounded down with a mess hall spoon.....sometimes G.I.'s had lotsa time on their hands...

[TomF]

Can't remember their name ... I do remember though that these lighters were made because a glowing ember in the tube wasn't as visible as an open flame. Easier to light in a wind too, so I'm told.

[Bob Cleek]

"Trench art" was fascinating. Unfortunately, little of it has survived. I remember making those 50 cent rings with a spoon when we were kids. When you'd drill the centers out, there'd be a bit of the minted printing on the inside edge of them. I still use a brass desk set, tray and a couple of rubber band and paper clip boxes, hammered out of shell casings in the machinist's shop on some WWII navy ship. Here's the repro "trench lighter:

http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:8kThxc_YdCOreM:http://i12.ebayimg.com/04/

[ahp]

A friend had one of these lighters and I used it many times, back when I was a smoker. They would not blow out.

[paladin]

I have the ring my dad made, hanging on his dog tag chain.....along with my dog tags...