A few years ago I got fed up with the County Comm Peanut lighter that was on my keychain. Although waterproof and sexy looking, it was a pretty ****** lighter: It required two hands and several turns to deploy, and was totally at the mercy of the wind. While it did serve well as a backup to my Zippo, I wanted the option of having a primary lighter on my keys. I don’t always leave the house totally geared out, but I always have my keys with me. Enter the Keychain Mini-Bic. I came up with this idea a few years ago, and I have been refining it ever since — modifying materials, design style, and testing it in “the field” i.e. in my pockets and my girlfriends’ purses. I smoke, light fireworks, and do outdoorsy stuff, so the keychain lighters were put through their paces. They’ve held up quite well to all the abuse. And unlike an untethered Bic, I’ve never lost one of these lighters before they ran out fuel. It’s a fun and easy project, and they make great cheap gifts to help get friends a little more prepared. Anyway, enough with the ******** preamble, let’s get down to the how-to action. Materials: Mini-Bic lighter (or several for an economy of scale) Superglue, 5” of Paracord Sandpaper Tape — either silicon self-adhesive tape, or Gorilla tape. I prefer silicon tape, as it gives the lighter a classy, rubberized feel. However, Gorilla is much more durable. Step 1- Sand both sides of the lighter like so, to give purchase to the glue Step 2- Cut your paracord to 5” in length, and take out the inner 7 strand “guts” Step 3- on a non-stick surface like aluminum foil, apply glue to both the paracord and the lighter body Step 4- flip the lighter over, so the paracord is contacting the foil, and press for 1 minute — this keeps you from gluing your fingers together. (Ask me how I know.) Step 5- repeat step 3 on the other side Step 6- repeat step 4, hold 1 minute Step 7- cool, all glued, hard part’s over Step 8- wrap the lighter in tape. This helps protect the super glue from cracking, and improves the aesthetics. You don’t need that much, just cover the paracord. Ta da! You’ve completed your first Mini-Bic keychain! Now, either attach it to your keys, or to something else — a paracord lanyard, a zipper on your BOB, a small pocketknife, etc. Enjoy!
Its so simple, its amazing that no one else had thought of it before. And I think we all know how you know...
Thanks for posting your Bic Mr. Greenman. There is one more way to put a mini bic on your keys using a split ring but it makes the lighter upside down on your key's. I like your idea much better and I may make one myself. Good thinking
Okay, how do you know? ;D Thanks for the tutorial. I like the idea of using the foil to press the cord against the lighter. I may use that idea for other applications... Just out of curiosity, have you ever tried heat shrink tubing in lieu of the electrical tape. Over time electrical tape can get sticky, though a Mini Bic would likely run out before that became a big issue.
Glad you guys like the DIY ;D You know, thats funny, I've looked at numerous hardware stores and none had heat shrink tubing wide enough to fit a mini Bic. If you have access to it I would say thats just about ideal, but so far I have had great success with either the silicone self-adhesive tape, or just regular gorilla tape. Doesn't really get sticky because all the pocket fibers fuse over the glue right from the get go. Another thing you can do is wrap the lighter in about a 1' of gorilla tape, to create a combination lighter/duct tape roll, although this can get a bit bulky if you overdo it with the tape.
Pretty cool idea. I've been looking for an easy way to carry a small lighter and that looks like it will do the trick. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing Mark! I used a similar method for attaching a spark-lite to a keychain setup. Took some much smaller bright red nylon cord that came with a compass and superglued it around the bottom to make a loop, took some shrink tubing and pulled it over and shrunk it down. Looks real nice and was able to carry one on a keychain setup for camping. Actually I shrunk a little more over the spark wheel itself and then cut a little notch in it so it did not damage the rest of the items on my keychain, but could be torn off using the notch easily if needed. I've never found heat shrink large enough for a bic either at my local store.
No! Don't do it - it will cut into your EDC budget terribly! :broke: Also, there are some health risks... Seriously, though, I don't smoke and I EDC a lighter. They're great for sterilizing needles, scissors, tweezers, nail clippers, etc...
Great Idea. I have one on my key chain, but the cord keeps moving around under the tape. The superglue idea is just the trick I need to fix that. Thanks
Actually, there's little point in sanding and using super glue; just wrap tape over the piece of paracord, it will hold perfectly well.
Nice mod. Wonder if there's a way prevent the thumb lever from being depressed in your pocket and losing all the butane? I keep one in a change purse in my back pocket and it seems to go empty every year or two - fortunately it's next to the other "gas leak," so other than being a fire hazard, no one would notice :laugh:.
Great idea. Would personally put one wrap of 3m electrical tape then several of the gorilla tape so it could be re-used.
I saw this on someone else's edc so I copied it. Put a small ziptie around the top of the lighter, under the red button, so it cannot be pressed unless you slip it off. Cut off the excess and file it smooth. That will keep the gas from discharging in your pocket and it'll be there when you need it
