How to Custom Engrave a Zippo Lighter at Home

Hello everybody! today i will be showing you how to engrave a Zippo (or similar) lighter with someones name at home. you can buy a Zippo for as little as 10 bucks online so i suggest you take a good look in head shops, smoke shops, or online for non expensive Zippos. for a woman i suggest getting a slim because that is what they were originally designed for (although men might like them too.) but some people like a big flame that only the original ones have to them! remember to go slow, and take your time so that you don't screw things up permanently.

Materials required:

A Zippo  (no duh)
an electric engraver (they sell them at harbor freight for like 10 bucks)
a sharpie pen
a paper towel
lighter fluid


IMPORTANT: do not drink too much coffee or caffeinated beverages before starting this, your hands will be shaking too much and it won't turn out as neat.

Write the name of the recipient on the lighter as neat as you can with the sharpie pen.  you may have to repeat it several times if you want it to turn out good.

now take your engraver tool. put the Zippo on a level, well lit surface to make work easier!
make sure to engrave in the middle of the writing so it will turn out as expected. don't apply too much pressure or too little. if you have reached the brass underneath then you know that you have done it correctly. do not go too deep or it will look bad. trust me.

apply a few drops of lighter fluid to the engraved part to remove the ink. use the paper towel to wipe off the fuel and ink.

now you are done! you now have created a totally unique and useful gift that someone will cherish for years! as a bonus you can fuel that sucker up so when you give it to them it lights right out of the case! and that is very cool! thank you for checking out my first instructable! i hope you liked it! feel free to ask questions and i will do my very best to answer them!