Vintage Colibri lighter - weird butane refill port??

[spectrrr]

While cleaning out the last of my grandfather's things I happened across a a decent looking Colibri lighter. Normal sized, but VERY hefty. Apparently it is an electronic ignition soft flame. It appears to spark and work just fine mechanically, with just one hitch: I can't figure out how to load it with butane!!!!!

Lighter looks very very similar to this one, and is stamped "Colibri 2001 Japan" on the bottom.
http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/2001-colibri-solid-state-electronic-pocket-lighter
http://www.worthpoint.com/pmimages/images1/1/0307/05/1_6743c5e0e5b756d6de95cd36d151e01a.jpg

I don't have my camera handy to take a macro photo of the fuel port, but its design seems to be a a deep recessed circular port with a rubber grommet around the outside edge and a solid pin in the center that you push in. It looks like a successful fill nozzle would be big enough to completely fill the opening, making contact with the rubber grommet on the outside edges and sealing the chamber, plus some kind of a pin in the middle of the nozzle to push in the center pin and allow gas to flow around the edges of the center pin and in. There's a decent chance it could be designed to screw in as well.

Does that somewhat incoherent description make any sense to anyone? Sound like anything you played with as a little kid? how the hell do I fill it?????

[md4958]

Francis, could this be what all those nifty little red attachments that come with a can of Vector are for? The links pics of the bottom are kinda blurry.

[mosesbotbol]

Francis, could this be what all those nifty little red attachments that come with a can of Vector are for? The links pics of the bottom are kinda blurry.

:tpd:

One's got to work.

[spectrrr]

oh yeah, btw, took it by Levitt & Peirce today and the 50yr old woman didn't know, but tried the plastic adapters she had laying around and none worked :)

(but maybe the Vector can has more of em :))

[mosesbotbol]

What didn't work? Did the gas spit back? Lighter could be clogged or faulty. If it got cold when using gas it went in for sure.

[spectrrr]

nope, lighter is still empty as far as I can tell. None of the attachments looked like they were the right shape to work, so I wasn't surprised when none did.

[Cigary]

I've gotta believe that an email to Colibri will get you the info you need.

[spectrrr]

I've gotta believe that an email to Colibri will get you the info you need.

"Typically it's the white adapter with the widest nozzle you'd use to fill the lighter. Ignore the fit of the outer rubber ring, you'd need to place the adapter on the refill valve and press down. Some spray back will occur when refueling."

Blarg.... time to get a Vector and see if one of those attachments happen to work......

Target got it perchance? No wallyworlds around me....

[md4958]

Williams Sonoma carries it too Francis, there is a store at Copley

[Cigary]

"Typically it's the white adapter with the widest nozzle you'd use to fill the lighter. Ignore the fit of the outer rubber ring, you'd need to place the adapter on the refill valve and press down. Some spray back will occur when refueling."

Blarg.... time to get a Vector and see if one of those attachments happen to work......

Target got it perchance? No wallyworlds around me....

Wow...blowback was actually something that was considered acceptable? I guess that would be ok if you really love the lighter and it's like an heirloom but blowback in a regular lighter for me just wouldnt be acceptable. Still think a call to the company would be in order to find a better way to refuel. As far as Vector is concerned their nozzle seems to be perfect for every lighter I have with no issues at all and the fuel is second to none.:tu

[spectrrr]

Williams Sonoma carries it too Francis, there is a store at Copley

ahh, thanks! :)


Wow...blowback was actually something that was considered acceptable? I guess that would be ok if you really love the lighter and it's like an heirloom but blowback in a regular lighter for me just wouldnt be acceptable. Still think a call to the company would be in order to find a better way to refuel. As far as Vector is concerned their nozzle seems to be perfect for every lighter I have with no issues at all and the fuel is second to none.:tu

That quote was from Colibri themselves!!
In this particular lighter, blowback would be acceptable. Besides, if I can find a nozel the fits, I'm sure I can rig up a better seal on it :)

[trent]

I found this thread moderately helpful today. i got an old colibri cigarette case to use as a business card holder, and it came with a matching lighter.

http://i66.tinypic.com/dvk1p4.jpg

ideally, i think, you would have an adapter with an off-center hole like this.

http://i66.tinypic.com/n2lu0m.jpg

i do not have one of those, but one of my butane cans had other adapters on the lid, and i was able to make do with this fat one.

http://i67.tinypic.com/2m5gdxk.jpg

i canted it to the side a bit, so that the brass plunger wouldn't plug the hole, and when the lighter body got cold i knew it was working.

incidentally, whilst researching this today, i found out that you can clean a butane burner with zippo fluid and a q-tip. so now my knockoff st dupont works again. it's a great day for fire-making,

[icehog3]

Welcome to the Asylum, Trent! :ss

Be sure to introduce yourself in the new Inmate forum.

[Brian D.]

Couple weeks ago a young friend told me he'd inherited a rather old butane lighter with an odd size fill port. He had never seen the ring of adaptors until I fetched him one from my vehicle. (Not every brand of butane includes those now, as many of you know.)

Anyhow, a week later I saw him again, and sure enough one of the supplemental nozzles fit perfectly.

[Lowrider]

Hello! Thanks for the interesting info on Colibri –*I've just inherited one from my great aunt. She died at 92 (still a smoker) and I'd love to get it going again. I've put a pic of it up which I hope you can see. Any clues on what adapter I need for it would be brilliant. I guess any butane gas would be OK. if you can see the pic the ridged screw is where the flint goes, not sure what the red cap is for and I assume the other one is where the gas goes... Anyway, any help very much appreciated:

https://goo.gl/9kgxht

[T.G]

Hello! Thanks for the interesting info on Colibri –*I've just inherited one from my great aunt. She died at 92 (still a smoker) and I'd love to get it going again. I've put a pic of it up which I hope you can see. Any clues on what adapter I need for it would be brilliant. I guess any butane gas would be OK. if you can see the pic the ridged screw is where the flint goes, not sure what the red cap is for and I assume the other one is where the gas goes... Anyway, any help very much appreciated:

https://photos-2.dropbox.com/t/2/AACuMuWhWvf-1kLJWGE-SfCPOTEJvVJLBMR5XMrCTuaTjA/12/83807592/jpeg/32x32/3/1526587200/0/2/Colibri%20lighter.jpg/ENm3oEEYkcorIAcoBw/MqP0F8tVK0GdDJOSZkHo8loDkgiqWuEHr8vkFCxE7Mg?dl=0&size=800x600&size_mode=3

Most larger butane cans come with 6 or 8 adapter nozzles molded into the lid, best to pick up a can and just see which one fits best.

The red cap could be storage for spare flints.

[icehog3]

I would use a quality butane, cheaper ones may give you some issues. I've been using Vector for some time now.

[Lowrider]

Thanks TG and Icehog2 –*I'll give that a whirl.

[mosesbotbol]

I would use a quality butane, cheaper ones may give you some issues. I've been using Vector for some time now.

100% on this. Not a reason in the world to use the cheap stuff...

[fkjjlkjahahahks]

Hello guys, I'm having similar problems with a vintage colibri, so I thought I could ask here. I can't seem to refill it properly, minimum flame height, I empty it of air, once the hissing stops I put the valves together, but then it leaks no matter the adapter (unfortunately i only have plastic ones provided with a can). It seems to kinda work without an adapter, but it leaks sligthly and there is quite some gas blowback afterwards. I tried it a couple of times and once or twice the flame worked for about 30 seconds before fading out. I gathered from this that it's either dirty plumbing or that the tank isn't filling properly and blowing back most of it. Is it possible there is a gasket or something missing from the valve?
https://i.imgur.com/9uyW6Ra.jpg

[AdamJoshua]

Great user name? Most likely the seals inside need to be replaced, you have to contact the manufacturer and see about sending it in for repair, had the same problem with a St. Dupont except they wanted a couple hundred bucks to refurbish it, so I just don't use that light now. ha

[fkjjlkjahahahks]

Ahh that's a shame to hear, especially because there aren't isn't a representative or even an official reseller in my country. I'll try to find a more proper adapter for filling and try it. Maybe i'll even try to repurpose some old gaskets, they might fit. Didn't pay much for it so I might as well play with the insides :)
the name has meaning, thanks

[Havanaaddict]

Silly question but this lighter has a 12V battery have you tried to replace the battery. Also I found another lighter the same as yours but a better picture of the bottom.
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/picture.php?albumid=20&pictureid=9286