How To Replace The Flint Wheel On Your Zippo Lighter

The flint wheel is the most important and indispensable part of a Zippo.

It is always used for ignition.

Therefore, after many years of use, the flint wheel gradually wears out, leading to a decrease in ignition power.

If your Zippo has lost ignition power due to wear of the flint wheel, you can revive the ignition power by replacing this part.

In this article, we will explain where you can buy a flint wheel and how to replace a flint wheel with pictures.
Please try to replace the flint wheel while watching this article!

What is the Zippo flint wheel?

For those of you who are not familiar with Zippo, the flint wheel is the part that you rotate with your finger when you light your Zippo.

It is designed to be able to ignite a Zippo quite a few times (73,000 times), but of course it is a part that wears out, and a Zippo that has been used for many years may stop sparking due to wear and tear on this part.

Also, if you want only this part to be replaced and ask Zippo to repair it, they will only send you a new inside unit and will not repair this part.

So, if you want to keep using your favorite inside unit and do not want to put a new inside unit in your vintage Zippo, you will need to repair it by yourself.

Where Zippo flint wheels are sold

You can buy Zippo flint wheels here.
Free shipping is available now.

▼ Flint wheel ▼

 

 

 

 

 

 

Go to Amazon site

 

 

How to replace a Zippo flint wheel

What to prepare

Replacement procedure

・First, remove the inside unit (insert) from the case.

・Check the flint wheel’s turning comfort here.

This will be used as a reference when fixing the new wheel with the clamp later.

・Turn it over and unscrew the flint spring using a small screwdriver or a coin. Slowly remove the spring.

・Turning the inside unit (insert) right side up again, remove the remaining piece of flint, if any, by gently tapping the inside unit on a hard surface.

・Next, remove the rivets (clamps) that hold the wheel in place.

Outline drawing of removing the rivet

The flint wheel is fixed with rivets like this.

Therefore

↑Crush this part spreading on the trumpet with pliers

↑and round it off like this to remove the rivet.

・As explained in the outline drawing, use pliers to round off the rivet’s upper part.

・Here is the progress.

・If the rivet is at an angle that makes it difficult to crush with the pliers, you can adjust the angle by rotating the rivet with nippers.

・Adjust the angle and crush the rivet again. This is a very persistent work.

・Finish crushing the rivets.

・If the rivet is firmly crushed, you can pull it out from the head side with nippers.

・The rivet is removed. The wheel can now be removed.

Caution

Flint wheels have two sides.

Some have lines on the side of the wheel and some do not,

Please make sure to check the direction of the wheel when you remove it.

・The next step is to secure the new wheel.

This is an untouched Zippo. Use it as a reference for orientation.

↓Head side of rivet (without wheel line)

↓Back side of rivet (with wheel line)

・Insert the rivet into the wheel, taking care of the orientation.

・The rivets are fixed in the reverse order of when they were removed using the center punch.

Outline drawing of fixing rivets

The rivet is secured by expanding the hole in the new rivet by hitting it with a hammer to make it into a trumpet shape.

・Please lay something hard on the head side of the rivet to fix it in place.

・Place the punch in the rivet hole…

・Tap the rivet lightly with a mallet. (Be careful not to hit too hard!)

・When the rivet is temporarily fixed by light tapping, put the flint and flint spring back in place.

・Repeat tapping, checking, tapping, and checking, referring to the feeling of turning that you confirmed at the beginning.

・Finally, this amount of expansion was just right. Please use this as a reference.

Put the inside unit back in the case to complete the replacement!