Info / Plans wanted : Oil Lighters

[Jors]

Hi,
I saw a home-milled fuel flint lighter on eBay yesterday.
It was a formal lighter and looked much like a formal Dunhill lighter, except the finish was smooth and it works with fuel rather than butane.
Since I am rather obsessed with lighters I think making a couple will be some good projects.

I am therefore looking for plans or sites with plans or ideas.

I am also looking for info on making a diamond grid like knurling, but for a flat surface (sides of the lighter).

[tylernt]

Hi,
I saw a home-milled fuel flint lighter on eBay yesterday.
...
I am therefore looking for plans or sites with plans or ideas.

You should be able to find pictures of a "peanut lighter" online. These are turned on a lathe, but use the same principle. Some wadding inside the body holds liquid lighter fuel with a wick sticking out the top. A vertical shaft holds a flint and a spring to keep the flint in contact with the striker wheel.

I am also looking for info on making a diamond grid like knurling, but for a flat surface (sides of the lighter).

This can be accomplished with your mill but it's not very nice to your spindle bearings or your table leadscrews. Make a knurl wheel holder from some round bar of appropriate diameter. Mill a wide slot in one end for the knurl wheel and cross-drill for an axle (a grade 8 bolt with an unthreaded section near the head works fine for an axle). You should end up with something that looks like a single wheel bump knurler for a lathe.

Now put the tool in your spindle using any convenient means, crank the knee up (or the quill down) in hard contact with your work (don't turn the mill on!!), then crank X or Y to impress some slanted lines. Don't try to raise a full knurl in one pass, start light and feed in a few times. Mount the opposite knurl (the one with the slants going the other way) and go over the same area again to turn the slants into diamonds.

Should work for Al and brass. Stainless... probably not so much.

Disclaimer: I read this procedure somewhere else, have not tried it myself. Dunno if it will damage your mill.