Ditmar 503 brass Petrol,300HK Manufactured in December 1937 in Vienna/Austria.Even before the ban on the use of nickel in 1941,there were Ditmar pressure lamps in polished brass. The two hood parts and the mica glass were missing on this Ditmar 503.I borrowed the parts from a nickel-plated Ditmar 503 for the photo shoot and test run. The cleaning needle had broken off,so I soldered a Coleman part on with silver solder.The two springs for the pump valve and the lifting mechanism for the cleaning needle were broken and I replaced them with new springs.The positiv shut-off valve is worn on the sealing cone and does not close 100%.A previous owner painted the innercase and the carrying frame black.
Very nice lantern and restoration. I wonder if the pump has the 'snorkel' tube like those found on the Coleman or not?
The tanks of the petrol/gasoline Ditmars are identical to the paraffin/kerosene versions. So there is no tube protruding from the pump valve into the tank. The only European lanterns with this feature that I know of are some of the Standard models (and perhaps related models such as Zimmermann, Continentale etc., but I don't know those). The main differences are the positive fuel shut-off valve in the lower part of the generator and the lack of a vent screw in the filler cap (apart from the design of the vaporizer/generator and air intake, of course).
As you can see,the black paint didn't hold up to the heat.the old petrol lamp has probably been used for decoration for many years without any function.
The Ditmar 503 in polished brass ( on the middle ) is now complete.All three Ditmar 503 are ready for use.( gasoline or petrol ) Years : 1934, 1937, 1933
