Editing Lighter (section)

==Operation==
[[File:FRAD022 - " Artisanat de tranchée ", item 4.jpg|thumb|A [[trench art]] lighter from the [[Battle of Verdun]] (1916)]]
Earlier lighters mostly burned "lighter fluid", naphtha, saturating a cloth [[candle wick|wick]] and fibre packing to absorb the fluid and prevent it from leaking. The wick is covered by an enclosed top to prevent the [[volatility (chemistry)|volatile]] liquid from evaporating, which is opened to operate the lighter, and extinguishes the flame when closed after use.{{cn|date=October 2024}}

Later lighters use liquefied butane gas as fuel, with a valved orifice that allows gas to escape at a controlled rate when the lighter is used.{{cn|date=February 2020}}

[[File:Lighter diagram.PNG|thumb|upright|left|Schematic diagram of a lighter's inside workings]]
Older lighters were usually ignited by a spark created by striking metal against a [[Ferrocerium|lighter flint]]. Later, [[piezo ignition]] was introduced; a [[piezoelectricity|piezoelectric]] crystal is compressed on pressing a button, generating an [[electric spark]]. In naphtha lighters, the liquid is sufficiently volatile, and flammable vapour is present as soon as the top of the lighter is opened. Butane lighters combine the striking action with the opening of the valve to release gas. The spark ignites the flammable gas, causing a flame to come out of the lighter that continues until either the top is closed (naphtha type) or the valve is released (butane type).{{citation needed|date=January 2013}}

A metal enclosure with air holes, designed to allow mixing of fuel and air while making the lighter less sensitive to wind, usually surrounds the flame. The gas jet in butane lighters mixes air and gas using [[Bernoulli's principle]], requiring air holes in that are much smaller and further from the flame.{{citation needed|date=January 2013}}

Specialized "windproof" butane lighters are manufactured for demanding conditions, such as shipboard, high altitude, and wet climates. Some dedicated models double as synthetic rope cutters. Such lighters are often far hotter than normal lighters (those that use a "soft flame") and can burn in excess of {{convert|1100|C}}. The windproof capabilities are not achieved from higher-pressure fuel; windproof lighters use the same fuel (butane) as standard lighters, so develop the same vapour pressure. Instead, windproof lighters [[Bunsen Burner#Operation|mix the fuel with air]] and pass the butane–air mixture through a catalytic coil. An electric spark starts the initial flame, and soon the coil is hot enough to cause the fuel–air mixture to burn on contact.{{citation needed|date=January 2013}}