WWI Trench War Art - 100 Year Old Brass Bullet Lighter Restoration
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- Опубліковано 9 вер 2024
- This video is of a WWI trench art brass bullet lighter.
Trench art was what soldiers made while waiting to fight. The earliest reference to a lighter that looks like this is 1909. They were made in Canada, France and other countries up until the 1940s. A soldier would order them or be sent one from a loved one and would decorate it themselves. This one has a very fine flower pattern on the lighter and the cap.
Starting with the Crimean War, up through WWI and WWII, there was a superstition about 3 to a match - where if three cigarettes were lit on the same match one, or the third, soldier would be shot. This prompted many soldiers to write home to loved ones asking for lighters of their own. The lighters would also be more resilient to water and mud.
Enjoy the video and please like, share and subscribe!
WWI Footage recorded between 1914-1918 and is in the Public Domain Mark 1.0.
Want to message me? Email me - stevensfix@xxxxx.com (replace the x's with gmail)
It’s nice to see these old treasures restored and brought back to life. Most trench art was made by soldiers either in prison camps, or while recuperating. A great deal more was made post war when soldiers returned home, were without jobs and sold them as souvenirs, or to give to fellow soldiers. Of course, the disabled soldiers made the most post war trench art. There was negligible support for soldiers post war and it was more of a governmental disgrace then, than it is now. As for trench lighters, most of these were matches, but plenty of soldiers made little tubes from shell brass with a cap that fitted over the top to seal it. The bottom part was filled with wax with a boot lace sunk into it. These produced just enough shaded flame to light a gasper without getting shot through the head, or to light your way in an underground dugout, or read a map. The “flamethrower” you have there was of the type put together post war to sell, but is nonetheless a valuable relic from the day.
Thanks so much for all of this information. People like you make the internet a wonderful place.
I knew the flower decoration and machining were intricate to be made on the battlefield.
Q
After 8 minutes of me yelling "Use Brasso!!!", you finally brought it out! Good job brother, waiting for the next one!
Hi Felton! Thanks for your comment. The problem is, you're very far away from me. Even the light from the sun takes 8 minutes 20 seconds to get to the earth so yelling 'Brasso!' took a while to get to me. I'm glad I heard you though, I really like the results and I'm glad you do too. Cheers! :)
My thoughts exactly!!!!!!!!!
To be honest I like the look of the older version but it’s very cool to see you got it to work
Ahhh when you removed the patina i shed a tear... still cool though
Hi green street! Thank you for your comment. I was partial to the patina too. However, I wanted to make this look like how it would have been in the hands of the soldier who made it. That fresh bullet that he put lighter parts into had no patina. Cheers! :)
This one definitely enters to my top of the sickest, badass and neatest lighters of all time.
Next time, do a repair video for you neighbours washing machine
Hey Yoran! I almost lost my coffee over that comment! Thanks for that and thanks for stopping by. Cheers! :)
The duration of the video was correct. It was very nice to watch. Including historical information about the object was excellent and rarely done in other restore channels. This particular object has a special character. It is impossible not to imagine what was going through the mind of the soldier who built it inside one of those terrible trenches that were used in the first world war. Congratulations on your work and choosing an object.
Thanks Osório. I treasure these kind of comments. It really lets me know that I am working in the right direction with my channel and it is appealing to people. Cheers!
Cool old lighter. Great work restoring it!
my friend was going through her grandmothers hope chest yesterday and found this exact bullet lighter. she didnt know what it was until I helped her figure it out. thanks for the video
That was really enjoying to watch it all put together & working properly. Thanks for sharing 👍🏻
That knife needs much love, man. Great work on the trench art lighter!
Тоже часть такой зажигалки была, ваша класс!
The next time you do a project involving tarnished metal, use Bar Keepers Friend in the powdered form...you’ll wonder how you got along all these years without it. Awesome job, btw.
Definitely do the knife next.
Hi Frederic Lynes! Thank you for this suggestion! I will put it on my shopping list. Cheers! :)
After the Brasso, I was thinking: "Use a Blitz-Cloth, something used by jewelers to brighten the metal." We used our Blitz Cloth on brass for our Army uniform in the 1970s.
Hi dennis caisse! Thank you for this comment. Thank you more than you will ever know. I've been wondering what those things have been called for years! I remember by grandfather using it on some of the brass on his WWII uniform. Thanks again. Now I just need to find where to buy some. Cheers! :)
@@StevensFix We used our Blitz Cloths to touch up our brass for inspections when I was an infantry soldier in the 1970s. . I also used this cloth when I was in college, studying ROTC and standing weekly inspections. The Blitz Cloth is a smooth, dry cloth that will enrich the shine of any metal. Cheers!
Not too long! If you have a patience to do it,I have patience to watch it! Nice work.
Good job!!! Just a few words of advice:
1) that's WAAAAAY too much compound. Much lighter, my friend :)
2) there's this stuff called "Barkeeper's Friend", and it comes in both a powder and a liquid. Get yourself some, it's GREAT for cleaning and polishing metal
3) if you ever want to shine up a piece of military kit in the traditional way, here are the two most common options:
3a) NeverDull... NeverDull and elbow grease, and LOTS of the latter.
3b) "Bug Juice"; this is a premixed drink similar to KoolAid that's very sour, and can be found on the mess decks of pretty much every Navy ship EVER. We STILL use it to clean decks, and it's one of the best things out there for removing corrosion from and polishing brass and bronze... Probably because of all the citric and ascorbic acid in it 🤣
Ok I died when I saw you grab the huge knife for the tiny Zippo pack.
Do the knife!
Also, I found the "John!", do I win a prize? The lighter perhaps?
Thanks Telly. You saw the John! You must have been watching intently! It was on screen for 0.5 seconds. I hope everyone who sees the John likes this comment. If it reaches 500 likes, I'll give you the lighter :)
Who is John?
@@StevensFix I'm not going to like the video if somebody else gets a prize😂😂 if we like the video we all expect a prize quid pro quo🤣🤣🤣 Oooooops maybe not the best choice of words🤣🤣🤣🤣
I can assure you that there was no quid pro quo. 😆
Did you claim you lighter
I do not think it was too long, as it seemed to show all the necessary steps involved. It showed all the process and chemicals used, including failures which we all experience. I say good job!
Thanks for the feedback Larry! I'm trying to figure out the sweet spot on these videos. The average viewer will watch for about 12-13 minutes so that is what I was aiming for here. If it was just me watching it, I would have made it 4 hours long lol! Cheers :)
Awesome!! Pretty nice restoration! greetings from Brazil 🇧🇷
Greetings Michel from Brazil! Thanks for the great feedback :)
Great job, and no none of it was too long.
The manliest lighter ever!
I have been excited to see this since you showed me the pictures. I had a trench lighter years ago and I loved it. It was a very sad day when it disappeared. An excellent restoration. I can't wait to see the next one.
Thanks for the comment and the love :) Now if I could just figure out who you are...
Oh wait, I figured it out 👍
Great video! It would be awesome to have before and after clips at the end. Keep up the good work!
Hi Boricuacv! Thank you for your comment. You are very right! It did need that. Unfortunately with this video I was so excited to start the restoration after I opened the envelope with the lighter that I didn't take very much 'before' footage. Cheers! :)
The rust remover didn’t work because brass doesn’t rust
Hi Jake Woodger! Thank you for your comment! I did to the rust remover first because there were elements that weren't brass that needed to be de-rusted. Basically any part that wasn't the outside shell (wheel, post, spring). Also, there were some rust spots on the lighter itself that I think it got from laying on an item that was rusty. I had hoped it might remove some of the brass tarnish, but, as I found out, it's not a tarnish remover. Cheers! :)
Que hermoso encendedor, me gustó mucho como lo furon restaurando y arreglando poco a poco..!! Me entretuve mucho viendo este muy bueno e interesante documental..!! Excelente video.!! Saludos
Una restauración muy regularcita..... ///Colombia /14 /septiembre /2020.
¡Hey gracias! Me alegro de que te haya gustado este. ¡Salud!
This video sounds relaxing when you restore the world war 1 lighter as new.
We loved this one. Sadie is now asking for a real metal detector for Christmas so we try to find cool stuff near our house. She also said to remind you that you were going to give her a shout out and we didn't see one. lol. She said - it's okay, he can do one in his next video....tomorrow. Haha.
Hi Lauren (and Sadie!)! I did have a shoutout in this video but the whole 10 minute clip was out of focus so I had to cut it. I'll get you next time. If you want a metal detector, I'd recommend a Garrett Ace 200i. They have them on Amazon. Great intro detector and 'affordable'. Still more expensive than Canadian Tire or Toys R Us, but they sell toys, not real metal detectors. One nice gold ring and it's paid for. I'll give Sadie and Carson a crash course one day. Cheers! :)
Another awesome video. Love the huge knife gag too. Hope to see more content soon :)
Thanks Kavisha! Always working on new content. Hit that bell to get alerts! Cheers.
awh man thank you for this recently came across one and your video is perfect and soon enough ill be rocking my bad boi thanks to you
Blows up at the end
Hi M Lo! Thank you for your comment! Now THAT would have made for a viral video. Cheers!
I loved the old look of it, it have history and age. I don’t like restoring antique and making them shiny … with respect
One thing you might try for polishing the metal without abrasives would be hot water and aluminum foil in a non metalic container with some baking soda.
Hi Paul! Thanks for the suggestion. I've done that before with silver but I've never thought to try it with brass. Cheers! :)
I just watched my first video of when you restored the old hammer and subd by the way , but the comment I left was that using a hammer like that is like talking to a WW l or WW ll veteran and this is the 2nd video I chose to watch and its about this ! Man if these old pieces of history could talk , I could only imagine ... Nice work brother :)
Hi Ron77A! Thank you for your comment on this video and the other one. Also, super thanks for the sub. It means a lot to me. I'm glad you see these restorations the way that I do. Some people think that I am destroying historical items, I feel like I am letting them speak again. Cheers! :)
I really like this lighter... in our country no like this lighter sell or produce or made so this is very good lighter you made...👍
Estou adorando os vídeos. A edição está fantástica. Parabéns
Abraço do Brasil 🇧🇷
You are a true artist !
The only thing to improve is that I think you should change your gloves to a more cheerful color.
Like your work and your video
Yea man. Get that knife going!
Pretty nice restoration!...
Hi Darck! Thanks for the comment. I really appreciate it. Cheers!
I like it
So cool im now on the hunt for one similar
Hi again! These come up for sale once in a while for a decent price on ebay. You can probably get one for under $20 plus shipping if you keep an eye out. Cheers! :)
Buy a media ( Like corn cob or walnut shells) tumbler like for reloaders brass for projects like this much better and faster plus it takes away less material just shines it up
Hi mate to clean brass and copper up like the new use 1/3 white vinegar1/3 salt 1/3 flour and leave raped up in some plastic wrap for 24 hours but if you want some petina left on do not use
Hi reddragon stacking! Thank you for your comment! I appreciate the tip. I may try that next time. I have a few other items that are brass that need restoring. Cheers! :)
That's not a knife, THATS A KNIFE 🤣🔪
Hi joseph morgan! Thank you for your comment! You should see me butter toast with it! Cheers :)
The rust remover probably didn’t work because most of that lighter is brass and brass doesn’t rust technically, it’s copper oxide that’s discoloring the brass which is actually a good thing, once there is an initial patina it keeps it from further oxidation. Rust remover is most likely (although I’m not sure) for iron oxidation, also known as common rust, you can’t remove rust from brass because there isn’t any, hence the reason none of the chemical methods worked....I think, Should have started with the Brasso or bar keepers friend, or if you had added salt and flour to that vinegar, creating a paste, apply to the brass, leave it on for like 15 minutes then wipe it off that would get rid of the tarnish, unless the innards of the lighter are regular metal, although it would make more sense that it was aluminum or more brass. Anyways, the good thing about Brass is the eventual patina, a lot of people don’t even want to wait for a natural patina and will do a forced patina. It’s why Brass is such a great metal for things like lighters, they don’t rust and the patina actually protects the brass....removing the need to coat it with anything....whoops
Hi again! Another great comment! I hope you check out my Axe video so you can comment there too. As for the rust remover, there was one side of the lighter that had a strip of rust on it (like it was in a wet metal tool box or something) that I wanted to get off. also, the spring and wheel supports were also rusted. I had read somewhere that hot vinegar worked on brass. They lied. Next time I'll make that paste that you suggested. I had another post from an old ex-army person and they said they made that same paste to clean their army buttons and accessories (also made of brass). Cheers! :)
I kinda liked the old patina & look..
Hi Tarman The Champion! Thank you for your comment. I do agree that the original patina had something special about it. The new finish, however, jumps at you from across the room! Cheers! :)
I've just found one of these in a field in Scotland. Thought it might be a explosive at first.
Hi Pictland Pickers! Thank you for your comment! That's awesome - let me know if you find any crusty relic you want to see me restore on this channel. Cheers!
Invest in NEVR-DULL for brass and copper! Used that in the US Navy for all the brass... and there was a lot! You could skipped the steel wool, polishing, and the brasso step with just that one thing.
Would love to see a knife restoration, not that knife, but a bigger, rustier one! :P
HI Charlie! Thanks for your comment! I appreciate it. I'll be on the lookout for a sword to restore, just for you. Cheers! :)
Nice restoration. I don't think evapo rust works on brass. Or vinegar as its tarnished brass. Also been buffing on a wheel for 28 yrs now. Doing large restorations and learnt alot from using a buffing machine just some good advice try not to overload with the compound. needs no more than 4 sec of compound and you will find it will give better results. And a higher shine. Overloading with compound doesn't really.helps and also will bind up with to much compound and the wheel will go black. Also if you get a wire brush you can clean your wheel at your 7 o'clock holding the wire brush with 2 hands But it turned out great. Maybe you should give your niebour washing machine a gag order. Enjoyed you restoration and a big hi across the pond uk
Hi Mark. This is a great feedback. You have so much useful information for me here. I have a document that I copy over a select few comments to with tips to help me improve and this one is going there in full. Cheers! :)
👍👍👍
Thanks for the love :)
You can use brass or copper using vinegar+salf for copper, tamarind paste+salt ( to scrub ) OR cut a lemon in to half, put some salt on it and scrub. You can see the results.
Btw, to protect the shining long time, apply some oil and wipe with a cloth .
If we start scrubbing with metal brush, slowly the material becomes thinner and thinner. A Tip from an Indian.
Hi Nath S R! Thank you for this great tip! I have another brass project coming up so I will try this. Do you recommend a particular type of oil to be used? Cheers! :)
@@StevensFix You can use any oil from kitchen or baby vaseline
Ketchup for brass
Hi Eric Dennis! Thank you for your comment! I didn't know about ketchup for brass - I've used it before on copper but not brass. I'll try that the next time a brass item passes by my bench. Cheers!
woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow
Hi Jarmo Sal! Thank you for your comment! I'm glad you liked it! Cheers! :)
next time try electrolisys to get rid of the rust
Very nice🙂
Hey thanks for the comment. I really appreciate it 😀
@@StevensFix
You are welcome, thank you for sharing.
Never cut TOWARD yourself. Boy Scout rule #1.
Hi Jack's Man Cave! Thank you for your comment! You're totally right about how to cut - but it looked better on video doing it that way with the big knife! I also looked it up and Boy Scout rule number 1 is actually 'Always leave the campground cleaner than you found it'. Cheers! :)
I just bought one exactly like this, marked "Kaschie" for $8. It is mssing the little spring to push the flint up. Any idea where I might find a replacement? Great video! Thank you!
hey, very nice vid, i ordered me one of these to a couple of weeks ago to restore, its a little different, but same spirit, the flint-wheel thing has to be soldered on the lighter, is yours fine by just sticking it in?
How do those soldiers machine the thread etc tho.. do they have some sort of workshop??
Maybe you can repair your neighbor's loud washing machine.
Hi K K! Thanks for the comment! It's a new washing machine! They just don't know how to load it properly so it's always unbalanced. Cheers! :)
I wonder what they have had used as combustible. There wasn't lighter fluid back in that time.
Parabéns pelo canal. Continue a produzir bons videos.
Obrigado Gustavo. Eu farei exatamente isto! Para você e para todas as outras pessoas maravilhosas que estão clicando nos vídeos e deixando ótimos comentários. :)
@@StevensFix I am honored with your answer
lol the bubbly noises
Toothpaste works just as good or better
I wish I could mute my neighbors. The one next door is an a-hole who thinks 2am is the right time to scream at his kids and wife. And one over the fence thinks 7am is the perfect time to open a motorcycle fix it shop. Sad part I move out of my last apt because of this VERY thing.
Hi THE PINK FLAMINGO STRIKES AGAIN!!! Thank you for your comment! It's unfortunate that you have such loud neighbors. May I suggest getting a good pair of noise canceling headphone, kicking back and drifting into my latest axe restoration video? Cheers! ua-cam.com/video/EtRCSbCu8VM/v-deo.html&t=
Howdy from a little town in Texas called Big Spring. Ive heard that regular kitchen Ketchup also works on brass.
But you never know huh? Well i hope to see more videos of you restoring things. Peace
Hi Andy from Big Spring! Thanks for stopping by! You're very right that ketchup works - however, it's the vinegar and salt in the ketchup which is doing the work. It's a lot easier (cheaper!) to then soak it directly in those two ingredients than to fill a mason jar with ketchup. Thanks for the comment! Cheers! :)
@@StevensFix Hahaha...I think ill just stick with Brasso.
I do however use vinegar to remove rust when i restore rusty tools. I hope we can trade ideas i love restoring things. Ive restored old cars and tools too
Everyone: If you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all.
Me: some people could screw up a good dream
Me asking antique dealer: "What's the best way to ruin the value of any brass antique?" Antique dealer answers: "Remove the patina."
At the end of the day? It is neither my property, nor is it my project.
Hi Kevin Smith! Thank you for your comment. You are very right, in a lot of cases, a patina is desirable. However, a video where I show a lighter for a few minutes and fade to black would not be entertaining. There needs to be an evolution, and in this case, that was at the sacrifice of the patina. Cheers! :)
Bro next time use sisors or cutterto cut the packets
Hi dhayanand zoo! Thank you for your comment! If I had done that, you would have had nothing to comment about. Cheers! :)
Great job as always!👍👍👍 Just let me know if you want to sell that beautiful old piece. And if you don't wanna sell it I can completely understand why you would want to keep it.😜😜😜
Also next time you're trying to polish up brass or copper or even aluminum. You should get yourself this wonderful product known as Nevr Dull.
So cool 🙂 What was the acetone for and what is the tiny tic tac looking thing you put at the bottom of the lighter?
Great questions! The acetone was to clean off any trace of polishing wax so I could seal the brass in lacquer so it doesn't tarnish. The little tic tack I put in the bottom is an extra flint - every time you use the lighter it grinds down the flint a bit so eventually you run out and need another one. 😀
I'm looking for someone to restore my late uncle's pistol lighter
Hi D. O.! Thank you for your comment! I'm always looking for new projects. Contact me using the info in the description of this video. Cheers! :)
Have you still working in this works
Just to know IAm from .. INDIA 🇮🇳 VIVEK... my English is not good but iam asking only
The video length was fine. If it is so short you can't demonstrate what you're doing, you might as well not make it at all. Good job.
Hi Richard Walker! Thanks for the great comment. I like this length too - I think that you get all the steps but in a tighter package. Cheers! :)
would diesel work to fill the lighter up?
I really enjoyed this,however you need to #tag more descriptors in the video (lighter,trench art,restoration..etc),so as to drive more views to your video...😊
Also,if you keep the same style of taping,I got really strong A.S.M.R. vibes from this,and more videos similar to this would give you an outlet to a very large and growing community..
#ASMR...☺
Boy I'm glad that wasn't my trench lighter.
Hi Chris S! Thank you for your great comment. It really got me thinking - I'm so glad it wasn't mine either. I am so glad that my grandparents fought a war in the trenches and skies of Europe in WWII to be able to give me the freedom to make UA-cam videos and have a warm house and a good family. I'm glad I'm not in the trenches myself somewhere, scared for my life, crafting a lighter out of an old bullet to distract me from the destruction around me. I also honour and respect all those that have and continue to face that reality so that I can be free of oppression. Cheers! :)
@@StevensFix
Nice.🙂
You owe Mrs. Fix some new towels.
Hi deaddadd! I read that comment to her and she laughed. Then she said 'what towels?' so I showed her the video and she got mad at me. Thanks for that! Cheers! :)
@@StevensFix LMAO! Sorry Boss!
Nice work!!! Where can I get that lighter?
It turned out very well, even retained traces of history. I made a similar lighter with 12.7 mm. If interested, you can watch it on my channel.
Hi AnDIY! Thanks for the comment! I appreciate it! I'll certainly check out your channel, I love seeing what other creative people make. Cheers! :)
Should have nickel plated it.
Coming back yet?🙂
All good things come to those who wait :)
@@StevensFix
👍🏻😉👍🏻
@@StevensFix
Yes they do Steven, yes they do.
Take care Man.
Psst - the next video is going to be great.
@@StevensFix
I will be here Bud.
You wiped out over 100 years of patina and aging with brasso and polishing! Don't you see that? You could have made the thing work again but without wiping away all that history of aging. What a shame.
It wasn’t too long
This kind of stuff must remain untouched, it's like restoring a helmet..... You ruin his history because everything has a history back in history.
I really don't think it was trench art. It's just way too intricate
Zippo wasted all that packaging.! SMH..!
Hi John J. Roman! Thank you for your comment! I think if Zippo made the packaging any smaller, it would be hard to sell and keep track of it. Cheers! :)
@@StevensFix Maybe but good job on the restore..!
Its brass...not steel. That's oxidation not rust. Brass cleaner would shine it up like new. Learn a little metallurgy.
😢⚜⚜⚜⚙
你在故意浪費時間！！！！
一点也不。 我正在了解该项目，什么起作用，什么起作用，并且正在带观众一起。 干杯!
Talking: - I went thumbs down, and cancelled the feed, and did not bother watching.