One of the principal reasons that people choose to buy Zippo lighters is because of their reusability and their long service life
. These lighters are very simple devices whose refillable components consist principally of three parts: the wick, the reservoir and the flint. The flint is located underneath the flint wheel where it is held in place by the tension of the spring, attached to a screw, which is screwed into the bottom of the reservoir.
Take the lighter insert out of the case and turn it upside down. On the bottom of the lighter one will see a felt covering with a hole in the middle and a screw off to the side. The screw is loosened to open up the tube in which the flints are held. This screw should be loose enough to remove by simply using one's hands. Over tightening these devices is not good for the lighter and makes replacement difficult.
Loosening the screw, the user will see that it is attached to a long spring with a solid fitting on the end. This fitting is oftentimes mistaken for a flint but it is made of steel. This apparatus can be set aside and the insert turned right side up. Sometimes a bit of flint will get stuck in the lighter and tapping it on the table a few times or moving the wheel back and forth should dislodge it and free up the tube.
The flints are simply loaded into the channel underneath the wheel from the access hole on the bottom. There are several different types of flints available and their sizes, being more or less standardized, should fit the vast majority of lighters. Once the flint has been dropped into the port, the screw is simply placed back in and the lighter is ready to use. Remember not to tighten the screw too much as it may damage the spring.
Tighten the screw but only finger-tight. The screw has a notch for a screwdriver but there's no reason that the screw has to be tightened beyond what one's fingers can accomplish. It will make it easier to remove the screw when the lighter needs the flints changed once more. Most often, when the flint becomes worn down, it will be perceptible by the wheel either becoming stuck or by the flint noticeably rocking back and forth beneath the wheel.