Possible early BGS M42 helmet?

[TwoHeadedEagle]

I have what I believe to be a rare M42 BGS helmet. When I came across it, it appeared to simply be an M42 WW2 reproduction helmet, but upon further inspection I discovered what appears to be an authentic chin strap and headliner. After a little bit of research it was determined that this helmet might be a rare example of an early BGS helmet, made from perhaps a reconstituted or surplus M42 lid from WW2. Though I am by no means an expert, this is just what others have suggested and what mild reading into the subject had led me to believe.

Judging from these attached photos can anyone else confirm these suspicions? If this helmet is indeed what I believe it to be; I'd like to restore it to the original BGS color and remove the fake TR era decals. Is there a place where I can buy paint that's close to being era authentic? I also have questions about removing the paint that's on the shell currently; would paint stripper be fine so long as the liner and chin strap are removed? I also would like to know how to remove the liner and chin strap without damaging anything.

Sorry for so many questions, thank you in advance.

Images available in gallery here: http://imgur.com/a/61nQ7

[Collectinsteve]

I'm pretty sure that surplus shells were used by BGS and Polizei units into the mid 1950s. But I'm no helmet expert!

As for restoration tips, I think you should direct them over to the Third Reich side of this Forum. Those guys face challenges like this on a regular basis. For me, personally, if a genuine piece of history (i.e. not a commercial knock off) has been obviously perverted into a faked item I say do your best and it will no doubt be better than what you started with. The value has already taken a hit because of what's been done to it, so there's nothing really to lose. Worst case you wind up with a better looking helmet that's worth about the same to a collector. Best case you'll have improved the value.

Steve

[myddrcaps]

To remove the liner, unscrew here

[IMG]
DSC02545 by GeorgeWellens, on Flickr[/IMG]


Is the out side of the shell textured? or smooth? I have a M40 EF 66 helmet that was reused by the BGS, it has a 'sandy' texture.

If you do try to remove the paint, try not to remove the BGS paint that's underneath, if you repaint it you are right back where you started - you'll have a striped shell that is pretending to be original by wearing a fake coat of paint.

[Gordon Craig]

TwoHeadedEagle,

All good advise so far. There was a similar thread a few months ago where my suggestions were not the same as others. That was with regard to removing fake TR decals from a BW helmet. For the cost of one of these helmets I suggested the owner leave the helmet alone, sell it and buy a true BW helmet. I believe the owner of the helmet decided to go ahead and try and remove the decals but never reported on his success or lack there of. I hope that whatever you decided to do you will revive this thread at a later date and advise us of how you proceeded and what the results were obtained from the method/s used.
I have tried to remove paint from repainted helmets in the past with poor results.
Your helmet appears to have some rust pitting before it was repainted. This will make life more difficult for you due to the rough surface. I do not know of any paint remover that is commercially available that will not have some adverse affect on the original paint. Providing there is any left. It would appear that the liner was removed before the helmet was repainted. This would be a good place to start. Removing the liner is difficult without the special tool used to install it in the first place. This tool is similar to the one used on the bolts of a TR para helmet but of a different size. Once the liner has been removed you can experiment with different paint removers on the interior of the helmet before trying them on the exterior. Good luck with this process. As I mentioned before, I have never had any success trying this method.
As for removing the decals, I would suggest using the method collectors of old cars use. Get a hair drier and starting with a low setting heat the decals. If the decals don't loosen with this setting slowly increase the heat and see what happens for each setting. I do not know what material was used in making the decals on your helmet but they are obviously modern so perhaps they are made of a similar material to the decals put on cars by car dealers and the hair dryer method might prove successful.

Regards,

Gordon