Chinstrap and net reproduction ?

[WhiteFeather]

Hi everyone,

Perhaps it's not the correct place to this thread, but I don't know where I can ask this request.
I've just bought a nice Type 90 helmet, but the chinstrap is missing and the shell isn't in correct state.
So I search a nice chinstrap and net in repro, but I don't know who sell the best repro for this...
I've heard nakata made the best repro, but where we can find them ?

Thanks.

[NLF]

stewartsmilitaria.com

[WhiteFeather]

Thanks for your reply. I've already visit that website and pictures are not enough big to see the quality of the reproduction.

Here's some pictures of the helmet :











The shell and liner are good to me, star and rivets seems to be good. But the chinstrap is clearly a repro for the green part, and I don't know for the little rear part.
The liner fixation have been enhanced with rings and installation is very old because the rings are oxidized.
What do you think about it ?

More detail, I've bought this helmet for a very very little price

[NLF]

The ones they sell are the best out

[WhiteFeather]

Thanks for the advice.
What do you think about the rear strap ? The width correspond to a late war production, and repro are only early war production.

It'll chock if I put an early chinstrap on a helmet dated 1944 ?

[Nick Komiya]

Here's an original for comparison

[NLF]

Nick's is the correct type the one in your helmet is a repro and they used a brass ring also which you don't see. Your liner has been restitched and I can guess the star is repro, as well as somebody putting a washer behind the pins of the star and a post war repaint.

[Box_Rebellion]

I don't like mixing original and repro parts. I say leave it as it is.

[WhiteFeather]

You're right, but I don't like uncomplete helmet too
I've bought this helmet 30 euros, and I don't want let this awful green chinstrap

Thanks for your answers guys.

[mcmike]

WF: Remove the chinstrap and soak it in a solution of one-third bleach, two-thirds water. Keep an eye on it and remove it every once in awhile to check the color. When it achieves the right "aged" color, rinse it thoroughly in running water and squeeze out the excess. Then stretch it out a bit and hang it up to dry.

No one will confuse this for an original, but it will look a lot better than that "new" green. I have done it several times.

I never found a repro net I liked; they all seemed to be made of very thin string. If you look at pics of authentic nets, they seem to be made of thicker twine. I went to a hobby store and bought a roll of the "right" (to me) thickness, made a loom, and tied my own nets. Very difficult, but worthwhile. Obviously, I have a lot of time on my hands.

I hope this helps.

Mike

[GHolp]

Sadly (? ) there are better repro nets by now. They use thicker string and are closer to originals then the earlier reproductions. Hikishop has those if I remember correctly.

Greetings,
Chris