Lighter
A lighter is a portable device which uses mechanical or electrical means to create a controlled flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of flammable items, such as cigarettes, butane gas, fireworks, candles, or campfires.
In 1662 the Turkish traveller Evliya Çelebi visited Vienna as a member of an Ottoman diplomatic mission and admired the lighters being manufactured there: "Enclosed in a kind of tiny box are tinder, a steel, sulphur and resinous wood.
When scratched, it produces a large spark which is responsible for lighting the fuel of many lighters, and is suitably inexpensive for use in disposable items.
[citation needed] Using Carl Auer von Welsbach's flint, companies like Ronson were able to develop practical and easy to use lighters.
[citation needed] Around the end of the 20th century most of the world's lighters were produced in France, the United States, China, and Thailand.
The wick is covered by an enclosed top to prevent the volatile liquid from evaporating, which is opened to operate the lighter, and extinguishes the flame when closed after use.
[citation needed] Specialized "windproof" butane lighters are manufactured for demanding conditions such as shipboard, high altitude, and wet climates.
[citation needed] Arc lighters use a spark to create a plasma conduit between electrodes, which is then maintained by a lower voltage.
While the glowing match does not generally supply enough energy to start a fire without further kindling, it is fully sufficient to light a cigarette.
[citation needed] The fuel-saturated striker/wick assembly is unscrewed to remove, and scratched against a flint on the side of the case to create a spark.
[9] Catalytic lighters use methanol or methylated spirits as fuel and a thin platinum wire which heats up in the presence of flammable vapours and produces a flame.
[10] A solar lighter is a pocket-sized stainless steel parabolic mirror, shaped to concentrate sunlight on a small prong holding combustible material at the focal point.
A revival of an old gadget marketed as a cigarette lighter by RadioShack in the 1980s, it is a useful hiking and camping accessory as its functioning is not affected by having been soaked by rain or falling in rivers or the sea.
The standard also specifies other safety features, such as the lighter's maximum flame height and its resistance to elevated temperatures, dropping, and damages from continuous burning.
[citation needed] The European standard EN 13869:2002 establishes child-resistance specifications and defines as novelty lighters those that resemble another object commonly recognized as appealing to children younger than 51 months, or those that have entertaining audio or animated effects.
