So who knew that tilleys were addictive. I've just bought an R1 (probs for too much) apart from being dirty its seems in really good shape. I have a couple of questions hope some one can help, The brass burner is very coked up, can these be cleaned and if so how? The pump has lettering and i think it's brass but its been painted with gold paint, is that standard? Thanks for any help Nick
@Nick Swann Photos would help. But, by burner do you mean the heavy brass burner that sits on the vapouriser? Or the mantle that sits on the burner? If it’s the latter, and it’s not made of metal mesh, it is most probably asbestos and can’t be cleaned and needs to be carefully dealt with and properly disposed of. Then, if it’s the burner itself, depending how old the burner is, it can come apart in varying degrees for cleaning. Some Tilley pumps were painted gold to match the gold tank. Cheers Tony
@Tony Press i know the wire mesh as the mantel that's getting replaced so the burner on top have added a picture.
That should be relatively easy: After you take off the mantle and unscrew the spigot, give it a good blast with carburettor cleaner, poke wire or pipe cleaners through all the orifices, flush it in water, then give it a soak in 5% citric acid or vinegar for 10 mins, rinse in water, clean with a cloth and see if it needs another citric acid bath. Your pump is original paint, too, by the looks of that set up. Cheers Tony
Hi Nick ! .. Welcome to CPL! Yes those burners can be cleaned up and there are some replaceable parts which are still available. That was the last/later shape of burner made for the R1 and was mainly tamper-proof but do as Tony said and it will look a lot better and save a lot of elbow grease! There is a renewable part which the mantle spigot screws into...a threaded disc with small holes ... If you put a search on ebay for 'Tilley Burner Grid' there's a place not far from me that has some for a reasonable sum? Or you can buy a whole kit, except that you may not need everything? Your heater does look to be in good condition so a good find! Good luck with the quest for fire
@Tony Press the paint is worn off on places was thinking strip it and polish the brass, any reason not to?
Do you mean the pump, or the whole tank? Your choice, really. I strip pumps back to brass if the paint is bad. If it’s a rare item, I will either leave as is or repaint. Tony
Welcome to the forum from Bradford, in my opinion polishing the pump is fine I do it regularly, others may disagree, but it’s really personal choice.
Hi and welcome from the Scottish Highlands. Finish is a personal thing, as the R1 is a common Tilley, you don’t need to feel guilty about polishing it up. For me, I like original, a good clean and a service and ready to go. Look forward to seeing it doing its job! Happy fettling, Stevie
It all looks perfectly fine to me as it is. Have you checked the seals and vapouriser, changed them if necessary and got it running? I'd use warm soapy water to clean the tank and that's it. There's no point in shining the burner because it'll just go dirty the first time you light it. The mantle looks OK from here and I'd change it only if it was holed (there are meant to be two small ones underneath it). If the reflector's scruffy, use metal polish to clean it...
The fount or tank looks in great condition I would leave it alone. Before and after, just polish and she will look great, but it's up to you.
