Hey all!
Well, here it is. My third, and maybe final, restoration.
I set myself a goal. I was going to restore three helmet shells. One each of the three main German combat helmets of World War II. The M35, M40, and M42.
So here is my M35, with pics of before and after, as well as shots of all three together.
The M35 was problematic. On the one hand it was an original. Shell, liner, paint, split-pins, grommets, and soldier's name all present.
On the other hand, the shell dome was starting to rust badly, the leather on the liner was almost entirely gone, the liner bands were corroded and rusty, and the soldier's name was barely discernable.
Should I go with the purists and leave it alone, to rot? Or should I try to save it?
In the end I went with what I like to do: restore. In fact, that's why I picked a borderline case. If it had been in better condition, I couldn't have justified touching it. Under the circumstances, I could justify restoring it, to save it.
So, here is an M35 helmet, with original liner bands, split-pins, grommets, and soldier's name, including some of the original apple-gray paint, and the field-painted gray, that had been painted over the soldier's name.
By the way, in case you can't read it, the soldier's name is Bode. Unteroffizier Bode.
Of course the paint, decals, chinstrap, and liner leather are repo. So the helmet looks like it did when it was first issued.
Some of you will scoff, but consider this: Recently, I traveled to the battlefield at Yorktown. There is a house there where the British surrender was negotiated by emissaries from both sides. When I asked the park ranger there how much of the house was original, she said, "About 50%."
Would it have been better to let the house rot? Or was it a good thing to restore it?
You tell me.
Jim
http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...hp?albumid=110
Well, here it is. My third, and maybe final, restoration.
I set myself a goal. I was going to restore three helmet shells. One each of the three main German combat helmets of World War II. The M35, M40, and M42.
So here is my M35, with pics of before and after, as well as shots of all three together.
The M35 was problematic. On the one hand it was an original. Shell, liner, paint, split-pins, grommets, and soldier's name all present.
On the other hand, the shell dome was starting to rust badly, the leather on the liner was almost entirely gone, the liner bands were corroded and rusty, and the soldier's name was barely discernable.
Should I go with the purists and leave it alone, to rot? Or should I try to save it?
In the end I went with what I like to do: restore. In fact, that's why I picked a borderline case. If it had been in better condition, I couldn't have justified touching it. Under the circumstances, I could justify restoring it, to save it.
So, here is an M35 helmet, with original liner bands, split-pins, grommets, and soldier's name, including some of the original apple-gray paint, and the field-painted gray, that had been painted over the soldier's name.
By the way, in case you can't read it, the soldier's name is Bode. Unteroffizier Bode.
Of course the paint, decals, chinstrap, and liner leather are repo. So the helmet looks like it did when it was first issued.
Some of you will scoff, but consider this: Recently, I traveled to the battlefield at Yorktown. There is a house there where the British surrender was negotiated by emissaries from both sides. When I asked the park ranger there how much of the house was original, she said, "About 50%."
Would it have been better to let the house rot? Or was it a good thing to restore it?
You tell me.
Jim
http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...hp?albumid=110
Regards Johnno.
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