How to Remove a Safety Band from a Bic Lighter

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Bic, and most lighter manufacturers, installed child-proofing devices on their products in the 1990s. If you have arthritis or other injuries preventing you from lighting one (and do not have children around), have someone try this for you.[1]

Things You Should Know

  • Insert a fork prong or other sturdy object, like a thin screwdriver, into the flame hole. Leverage the band up and out of place.
  • If needed, use your object to bend the metal flaps that hold the band outward (just make sure to bend them back once it’s removed).
  • Alternatively, put the tip of a pocket knife between the band and the wheel. Pry upward to free the band.
  1. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Remove a Safety Band from a Bic Lighter
    With the red lever facing away from you, position a narrow but sturdy object such as a key into the flame hole of the lighter.[2]
  2. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Remove a Safety Band from a Bic Lighter
    Use the near rim as a leverage point to push the band up in order to bend the two metal flaps holding the band in place upwards. Occasionally, the safety band may spring off, so go slow and protect your eyes and those of others.
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  3. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Remove a Safety Band from a Bic Lighter
    Pulling it too hard could result in loosening the wheel.[3]
  4. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Remove a Safety Band from a Bic Lighter
    [4]
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Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Fork method

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There's also a somewhat simpler solution to the problem that may be just as reliable as the one above (though it can depend on your lighter brand which works best for you):

  1. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Remove a Safety Band from a Bic Lighter
    Simply take a fork and insert one of the side prongs into the top of the lighter between the 2 wheels, and simply force it up. (You may have to use a thinner item, such as a small screwdriver, or a thicker paperclip; depends on the brand, again. For a Bic, a fork should work pretty well.) This forces the safety out from the prongs which hold it in -- although it should be mentioned, for the sake of safety, that sometimes it pops out fully and can hit you in the eye. (Use safety glasses, I guess?)[5]
  2. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Remove a Safety Band from a Bic Lighter
    This often saves you from having to re-adjust the prongs, which can often nick your thumb, even after they've been flattened. If the prongs actually came undone, just push them back in with a hard flat object, such as the butt end of the screwdriver. You can even just press them against the edge of the table.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Pocket knife method

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The pocket knife method may be the easiest of all. Check this out:

  1. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Remove a Safety Band from a Bic Lighter
    [6]
  2. How.com.vn English: Watermark How.com.vn to Remove a Safety Band from a Bic Lighter
    the band usually flies right off. Pointing the lighter downwards is a very good idea. Usually this method leaves the prongs intact; you won't have to bend them back down if this is done properly. Might take a try or two, but this should keep you honest enough of a cool guy/girl.[7]
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      Tips

      Do not be alarmed if there are more sparks than usual, this process knocks some of the flint loose causing some extra sparking, this is usually harmless.

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      About This Article

      Tested by:
      How.com.vn Video Team
      How.com.vn is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 24 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 857,336 times.
      98 votes - 77%
      Co-authors: 24
      Updated: October 25, 2022
      Views: 857,336
      Categories: Lighters
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 857,336 times.

      Reader Success Stories

      • How.com.vn English: Rusty Brass

        Rusty Brass

        May 28, 2021

        "Pretty helpful! The only real issues I had were that the band required a lot more wiggling than this indicates and..." more
      Share your story

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