I've been looking for a 581 and finally managed to get one. Unlike the 583 and 523 that I had previously owned, this 581 had an opening on the left side for accessing the pre-heating plate. Also, for some reason, it had no lid. There was no hole for the lid to rotate around, so it looked like it was the type without a lid. I decided to add a lid to stop bugs getting in. However, I didn't want to modify the main body of the lantern, so I made a lid that used the opening in the collar. A piece of brass is soldered to the end of the seesaw, so it closes automatically when you let go. Immediately after the repair, the light would turn on but it didn't shine brightly. I was finally able to solve the problem thanks to the advice from the CPL team. Thank you. Ditmar 581 Flames with or without a hood There was a mysterious number carved into the underside of the tank. I thought it would be disrespectful to the previous owner to just cover it up with solder without knowing why, so I looked it up online. I found an explanation on a great website. DITMAR 531 I learned that it was a control number used by the seller to guarantee the lantern. So I decided not to cover it up with solder and just enjoy the history. Thank you.
Hello @Camp numao , Congratulations to your new acquisition! Josef Heisler in Vienna seems to have marked all of the lanterns he sold in that way. I have several of them and some also have the small batch soldered on. Nice that you have found the website of Roland Dworschak (RoGü), I know him well and we see each other a few times a year at gatherings. The variant that you have is one of at least 4 of this type I know of. The oldest ones seem to have no "581" stamping and no lid at all, so a cylinder with a hole is required to light them. Some of them also have a pump knob that is formed convex instead of concave, and a slotted screw instead of the hex screw at the globe cage. There was also a version with a rounded top cap, and after war they had a Bakelite handwheel instead of the fibre one.
A nice example, congratulations Is there a date stamp on the bottom of the fount like this (September 1937)?
Another small Ditmar in your collection @Camp numao It seems that you really like these Wonder which one will be next: 593, 585, 571? Congratulations and good luck, Piotrek
@JEFF JOHNSON Thank you. I now have one more little grandpa lantern. @Martin K. Thank you for all your help in repairing this lantern. It's in great condition now. I'm surprised that you know Mr.Roland. I wrote to him on the message board on his website and he replied right away. He's a very kind person, just like you. Please tell him thank you when you meet him again. I knew that there were some changes to the 581, but I had never heard that there was a version without holes. I learned something new.
@Piotrek Haha, that's true. At first I was looking for the 581. While I was looking, the 583 popped up, then the 523, and finally the 581. Every time one came along my wallet got thinner. I think if I bought another one I'd probably be left with just the bones.
I would agree to that. The oldest one I have is 03 2 (February 1932). It has no lid, a slotted screw, convex pump knob, and a smaller but thicker fibre handwheel with a small slit instead of a rounded recess.
@ROBBO55 @Martin K. Thank you for letting me know. There was no marking on the bottom of the 523, but there was a marking on the bottom of the 583. It was stamped 12 41. Does that mean it was made in December 1941? Many of the 583s that other people have also seem to be stamped 12 41, so the 583s may have been made at the same time.
