Hi, Many thanks for letting me in... I have just brought my 1st Tilley Lamp a BR model and its marked 160 XA on the bottom..... All I know is I need to do a full service on is as when i pump it up all the joints seem to weep.... I just need to find a "Kit" Looking forward to chatting with you all... 73 Andy
Welcome aboard! That is a date code which stands for January 1960 and this link shows the washer kit which you will need. Photographs will help us to assist you. Tilley Washer Kit - The Fettlebox
Hi Andy and welcome. I got my first Tilley last autumn and caught the bug, now pushing towards thirty lamps... Get on to Fettlebox for your seals, there's plenty of help and advice here and some good tutorials on servicing. There's no real drama doing the service and I'm sure you'll enjoy the experience! You'll be surprised how and where you find both lamps and parts once you start looking, hope you've got a big shed! Good luck with your first lamp and do upload a photo or three. Best wishes, Stevie
I forgot to add, don't hesitate in asking any questions. They're a good bunch her and very supportive of us newbies.
I have the one on the left.... the pump on the other one was broken but the chap says he has a replacement so when he finds it ill pick that one up too :-) Would the service kits be the same for both, I may order 2 just in case lol I did a bit of reading on the BR lamp and thanks for the date info, but what is the XA at the end for (160 XA)? The lamp needs a paint, should i try to match the original colour or are these lamps 10 a penny and its not worth the expense of colour matching paint etc? I must admit I'm a little worried this may turn into an obsession, but i can see it happening lol I sent fettle box a e-mail last night asking for a full kit with mantles and idiot guide so could be having fun at the weekend :-) Thanks for all the input and advice,,, Andy
Welcome @Andy-H. As stated by BigStevie, they’re a great bunch on this forum and always happy to help with their knowledge and experience. Yes, I sure hope you got a big shed ..... Cheers Pete
It's the same service kit for both lanterns. So far, no information has turned up which states exactly what the letters after the date code mean, but it may be for the production run. The pump on your BR., lantern is a later replacement and the link below shows a fine example of that lantern with the original style of pump and BR., lanterns are not that common, so in my opinion, a new paint job would be worth doing. When you are restoring the lantern, it's best to clean out the tank thoroughly and the fuel feed tube is soldered to the tank and that tube is located under the control cock, muck builds up in the fuel feed tube so it's best to clean it with a wire, I use tying wire for that task, I carefully shove the wire down the tube until the wire touches the bottom of the tank and I repeat that action a few times until the tube feels clear. 1960 TILLEY BR no preheater
Quick Update.... Just had a call, the the pump for the other Tilley has been found so ill be collecting that tomorrow (anyone able to tell what one it is from the photo, its the one on the right) I have ordered the service kit, well 2 just in case :-) Just hope they will get here by the weekend :-) could be a fun weekend :-)
ok so nothing sought after or hard to come by? Saying that the paint doesn't look too bad in this one???
The X-246-B lanterns are very common and the build quality is not as good as it was with the older Tilleys, but they can be made to function, be careful not to over pressurise the X-246-B lantern, because the tank's base plate will distend if you do. In my opinion, a good clean up and a full service is plenty for that lantern. PS., Because your BR., lantern is a later one, be careful not to over pressurise it also, during the last few months of 1956 Tilley changed the way that the base plate was soldered into the lantern tanks and that made them prone to distending if they were over pressurised and the link below shows a post which has relevant information. Tilley tanks
