sandblasting a helmet

[all1knew]

Hello all,

Please see this thread and you will understand why I would like to:

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...ad.php?t=93384

Now, I know it isn't worth my money to restore the helmet with original parts (rivets, liner, chinstrap) but I think if I sandblasted the black Czek paint off and put original parts in it that the helmet would look just awesome.

Does anyone know what a helmet looks like with no paint on it after some time?

Please let me know what you think either way. Thank you.

William Kramer

[Paul G]

William,
Sandblasting the paint wont hurt the metal. It will put a little texture to the metal, but if you paint it, it won't show at all. I wouldn't suggest leaving the helmet bare metal. It will only rust and cause more problems in the future, like deep pitting to the metal. If you want a rusty helmet , buy a relic one. They are cheap and plentiful. Since this was a gift from your grandfather, you should try to protect it. Just my opinion. You could restore it for a pretty reasonable amount. I think someone just offered you a free chinstrap for it. If you sandblast it and send it to me, I will paint it for you for FREE with the correct Feldgrau color. I can even help you round up the rest of the stuff for the restoration.

PG-

[all1knew]

Paul,

Well my whole idea was, sandblast the helmet at my brother's shop after I pull out the old Czech liner but I would leave the metal ring. I would then put the liner and chinstrap on and cover it up with a helmet cover (I'll buy one down the road when I can afford it) That way it will be 100% original again.

How bad do you think the metal will be just bare? Will there be lots of pittting, ect? You still believe I should have it painted?

I am not that big on reproduction stuff and that is why the liner, paint, rivets, and chinstrap are driving me crazy knowing they are on an original lid.

William Kramer

[Paul G]

Hi William-
Well, you are kind of like me, in the sense that things that are not original, or mixed tend to bother me. But you have to take a new approach when dealing with your helmet. Problem is, only the Helmet shell and Liner ring are "original". Not even the shell so to speak, but only the metal it is made from. From the view of the German helmet collector, it will never be 100% original again. Even if you have a bare metal shell, it is not 100% original, as it has been altered. Even if you take all the paint off it, and cover it with a cover, it will still not be 100%. Considering the fact that an original cover could run into the thousands of dollars, would you want to place it on top of a bare metal shell which can transfer rust staining to the cover? Probably not, so that leaves a repo cover. If your going to have a repo cover, why not repo paint? It just seems best to me, to preserve what you have, since it was given to you by your grandfather. Make sure to remove the liner band before you sandblast it. You dont want to remove any of the Zinc coating on the liner band. The shell will get rusty. How much depends on how its stored. It can eventualy get deeply pitted if its not stored correctly. If repo stuff drives you crazy, you may be able to piece together some original parts for it if you have patience and money. But remember, a helmet assembled from all original parts, is still a parts helmet, and will never be considered 100% original. I think, with what you have, you should build it into a representation of something you've always wanted, but cannot afford. Maybe your Grandpa would have wanted it that way. Just my opinion.

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi William, I would not do anything to the helmet all at.

What you have is a peice of history. That helmet saw use in WW2 with the German forces then ended the war in Czechoslovakia. From there it was changed to give it a new lease of life. That is the story of that helmet. Once you begin to mess with it you end up with a "nothing" item. God knows there is enought messed with militaria around without adding to the junk pile. Plus the item was a gift and I think it would be a disrepect in a way to change it. These are just my thoughts on the subject

I know that you badly want an original German helmet. I am sure that you will find one at the right price someday.

Cheers, Ade.

[all1knew]

Ade,

Yes, I can understand that, but this helmet was bought off eBay.com a long time ago and the liner was messed with to make it look original and that part of history was already ruined by punching holes into it.

Perhaps I will just put an authentic chin strap on it and look for a helmet cover. Anyone know of an original Wehrmacht (not SS) helmet cover that isn't too expensive?

Bill