Alright, let me tell you about this little thing I put together the other day, a sort of 'lighter water gun'. It wasn't some big plan, just messing around really.

Getting Started

So, I had this old empty plastic lighter lying around, you know, the cheap see-through kind. The ones that just run out and you toss 'em. I looked at it and thought, huh, wonder if I could make this squirt water instead of fire. Seemed like a silly idea, but I had some time to kill.

First thing, safety first, even with an empty one. I made extra sure there was absolutely no gas left. Pushed the little valve thingy down a bunch of times in a well-aired spot. Didn't want any surprises.

Taking it Apart and Figuring Things Out

Okay, so getting it open was the next step. These things are usually just snapped together. I used a small flathead screwdriver, the kind you use for tiny screws, and carefully pried the metal top part off. It popped off easier than I thought. Then I pulled out the flint wheel and the little spring underneath it. Didn't need those anymore.

The main part was the plastic body and the lever you push down. Inside, there's usually a little nozzle where the gas comes out. My idea was simple: fill the body with water and somehow make the lever push the water out that nozzle.

I had to clear out some bits inside the main body. There was a little tube and some filter thing, I think. Just pulled those out gently with tweezers. Now I had a mostly empty plastic shell.

Making it Squirt (Sort Of)

Here's where it got a bit tricky. I needed to seal the bottom where the gas refill valve usually is (though this cheap one didn't have a refill valve, just a plug). I used a tiny bit of hot glue to seal that hole up tight. Waited for it to cool down completely.

Then, the filling part. This was fiddly. I used a syringe with a fine needle to slowly fill the plastic body with water through the top opening where the nozzle mechanism used to connect. Didn't fill it completely, left a little air gap.

Now, putting the top lever mechanism back. I didn't put the metal shield back on yet. I noticed that when I pushed the lever down, it kinda pressed on the top of the water reservoir I'd made. My hope was this pressure would force a bit of water out the original gas nozzle hole.

First tests were... leaky. Water dribbled out from where the lever mechanism met the body. Wasn't a good seal. So, I took it apart again, dried it off, and used a tiny bit more hot glue around the top edge where the parts met, trying not to block the lever movement or the nozzle hole. This took a couple of tries.

• Pry open lighter carefully.
• Remove flint, spring, and internal gas parts.
• Seal the bottom hole (hot glue worked okay).
• Fill the body partly with water (used a syringe).
• Re-attach the lever mechanism.
• Seal the top connection better (more hot glue, carefully applied).

The Result

After the glue set, I tried again. Pushed the lever. Success! Well, sort of. A tiny little stream of water squirted out, maybe travelled a foot or two? It wasn't exactly a super soaker, more like a weak dribble gun. But hey, it worked!

It looked just like a regular lighter, but push the button and pfft - a tiny bit of water. Pretty useless, honestly, but it was a fun little experiment turning trash into... well, slightly more interesting trash?

It still leaks a tiny bit if I shake it too much, and the 'range' is pathetic. But I managed to make a lighter squirt water using mostly its original parts. Spent maybe half an hour on it. Not gonna lie, it was kinda satisfying seeing that little squirt after fiddling with it.