i wanted to share my love for the vintage cigarette lighter by letting you in on a few helpful tips on collecting them and repairing them..all my life i have loved the vintage cigarette lighter. thinking of who had owned them before me .where they had been. the  different kinds that there are. my favorite is the dunhill sterling liftarms. i just think they are so nice looking. but i have found through collecting them online that alot of collectors overlook the more comon ones and  the lots of  different kinds. i have found so many great lighters in simple lots . and to over look them is  not always wise.  sometimes the seller dont know how to list them so they dont know a dunhill from a dupont to a ronson or evans. so dont pass those comon  listed lots by if you are just starting a collection.and most of the time you can get a great deal. also dont pass by the one you have been waiting for to fill your collection cause you dont know when or even if you can get another chance at it. dont be affraid to take a chance on it who knows you may just end up a proud owner of the one that got away. now as far as repair of them. first of all i cant tell you how many lighters i get that need some sort of repair and cleaning. i have found that most have fused flints stuck in the fint tube. i have found that if you take a dremell tool to it on low speed it works good but first try to get the right size drill bit and twist it back and forth between your fingers to see if that works first. and dont ever use a drill bit or dremell on curved fint tubes that will destroy your lighter.sometime it it better to go at it from above from. under the flint-wheel. most can be removed  kind of easy.just make sure to not lose any of your parts. and for cleaning ,use a little lighter fluid and a old rag that seems to get all the old flint and grime off really well. just dont use on the more deco ones  because that fluid will eat paint and glues holding the deco part on. so as with any prized item just use care. and for the ones you dont want to attempt . just contact me i will try to help you  .i havent found to many i cant fix . also remember to save all the parts from the ones that cant be repaired. alot of parts can be used to fix the ones who cant be retored. well i hope this little bit of info will help someone. and if you love lighters like i love them  . keep an open mind ask lots of questions and you will learn all you need to know about collecting them and caring for them. enjoy and happy hunting. you may contact me if needed at ebay ID- tusks71 thanks for reading!!!     jacki  B.