Restoring a Rare 1950s Japanese Lighter

Hello, everyone ✌️
Today on my channel, I’m restoring a rare Japanese lighter from 1950 in the shape of a fireplace bellows. This lighter came into my hands from a friend, who had it lying around in her garage for a long time. After learning about my passion for restoration, she asked me to restore it so she could place it on a prominent spot on her mantel. She remembers this lighter from her childhood when her grandfather used it to light his cigarettes.

The restoration wasn’t easy, as the lighter has many parts and areas of corrosion, including through rust. After disassembling and cleaning it, I began the process of sanding and polishing, and sent the smaller parts to be cleaned in acetic acid. It was important to preserve the leather insert, so I washed it and painted it with leather paint. After all the repairs, I coated the parts with a protective layer of copper and then a shiny nickel coating.

Some parts of the lighter were missing, but I was able to find a solution to restore it to perfect condition!

Thanks for watching my channel! 🫶
Let me know in the comments if you'd put this lighter on your mantel.
Please rate my restoration from 1 to 10👍, and don’t forget to subscribe — many more interesting and beautiful restorations are coming soon! ❤️

I recommend checking out my video on restoring a lighter from the Vietnam War era.
   • It Survived the Vietnam War – Now I’m Brin...  

#restoration #asmr #lighter