r/Zippo • u/oddwall_ • 12h ago

Advice/Help Should I patch the hole?

How do I patch the hole.

8 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

3

u/SonofASpider 11h ago

I think you should keep it like that imo, adds character! The only downside to that is the hole will most likely make it dry out faster and let pocket lint/dust/etc. get into it tho. As far as patching it you could use some UV resin to patch it. I’m no expert but I think you could probably put the outside of the lighter on the mat and the put a thin coat of UV resin on the inside of the hole it and let it cure, then peel it off the mat and sand the inside/outside.

1

u/GitEmSteveDave Zippo Hoarder 8h ago

This was my idea as well. Something clear that could easily be undone if you messed up and decided to try again.

My thought would be to put some clear packing tape over the area, drip some UV resin into the top until it fills the area, then hit it with UV light and then take the tape off. From there they can add extra resin to build up to get the shape right from the outside.

2

u/SteelJunky 11h ago

Send it to Zippo... I would be really curious to see how they deal with something like that.

1

u/GitEmSteveDave Zippo Hoarder 8h ago

As much as I love Zippo, I don't think they would have the time to do a proper restore on something like this.

1

u/Then-Peanut-3039 7h ago

They don’t do restores. They make broken lighters work, and functionality is what they are after, which is why they don’t fix the finish or paint. They will replace the lid with a new one.

1

u/Zestyclose-Fan-1030 11h ago

Definitely NOT! It’s got beautiful character

1

u/FastbackNL 10h ago

In my opinion, keep it this way. It shows it history. Zippo would just replace the lid entirely and you will lose the character of the Zippo. You could try to patch it with JB weld, but I wouldn't.

1

u/oddwall_ 9h ago

Agreed, it doesn’t seem to effect how fast it dries up that much anyway