helmet cleaning.

[Jean-Loup]

Hi.
What is everyones opinion about cleaning the outside of a german helmet with soap, warm watter, and a toothbrush. I have seen this treatment do miracles on some objects. Do you think the soap could do any damage to the decal, etc... I am talking about finding a solid, but very dirty basement style helmet, not a one off those helmets where the decal is falling off by itself.

JL

[Perry Floyd]

Just speaking on what I would do,
I would leave it alone and would not clean anything except wiping off recent dust on the outside with a dry soft cloth. Nothing more..

[ccmax]

I agree with Perry, I only remove insect nests and spider webs.

[JuanS]

What do you do if the helmet is getting some outside rust?.

I have a M-40 helmet in which the areas devoided of pait ( scatches) are getting rust. The shell is still solid.

Juan

[ccmax]

If it is only surface rust, I clean it with a soft dry brush. In the instances when the rust has begun to affect the metal structure, the helmet is usually damaged to the point of no longer being considered collectable.

[ccmax]

Also, it is a good thing to get a dehumidifier in the room where you keep your militaria & books. This will help with the prevention of rust development in scratched areas.

[Jean-Loup]

I am a very firm "dont do anything to it" type. But I know when I found my german helmet in the woodwork, it was really extrmely dirty, with a mix of rust, mud and thick dust. Just cleaning it with a cloth leaves quite a bit of dirt.
The other day I cleaned the outside an Adrian with a bit of soap. It did make it look quite a bit better, without doing any damage whatsoever....
JL

[ccmax]

I collect WWII helmets in general and not only German ones. Once in a while, I get US WWII M1 helmets straight out of Army depots (Brazilians wore the M1 helmet in WWII).

At the war's end, they were covered with cosmoline (weapons grease). If there are unit or field markings beneath the grease, I will remove it. This is one of the few instances where I think it's worth to mess with old helmets. But then I know exactly when and how the "alien substance" was placed on the helmet.

I think it all comes down to a matter of taste. There are those who prefer clean helmets - but when you find something that's never been a collection, it is a though call to determine to what point you will alter the originality of the helmet by cleaning it. Clay for example, could be there since when the vets grandson wore it to play or it can be from the soldier's foxhole. Who knows.

Also people have different levels of skills. Some are able to clean a helmet without damaging it. These are a minority. I'm for a light dusting off only.

[Rich G]

Just wondering... do you protect your helmets against bugs? Do spiders cause damage to the leather and cloth of the liners?

I'm thinking of putting my helmets on some shelves and I just wanted to know if I should take any particular percautions.

Rich

[Perry Floyd]

I actually like dead bug shells in between my liner and shell, no kidding. I really do like them that untouched...
I have a chickenwire that was pulled out of the woodwork and it was loaded with them, to me all the better...
I can tell the condition through all this...

[Rich G]

so you don't worry about leather or felt damage???


I have some with grains of wheat between the liner and most (if not all) have some degree of spiders webs and dead bugs. I'm just worried about a spider deciding to make a home tucked up in there and feasting!

[Perry Floyd]

Nope, dead bugs damage nothing...
Now I don't let live bugs make a home there
You shouldn't have much of a problem keeping them in a safe enviroment indoors

[Ty Smith]

Dead bugs

Are you serious Perry? - that's disgusting

[Jean-Loup]

I also love to leave the inside of my helmets as such. I have an adrian helmet with a dead spider in it. Just love it!!!
I remember when I got my german helmet out of the barn, there were pieces of junk (stones, etc) inside the liner. I undid the string, and emptied the liner... If I found the same helmet today, untying the original knot in the string would be out of the question, and I would leave the junk inside. I stile regret undoing that authentic german made 55 year old knot... snif snif...

JL

[Den]

Is only clean my helmets with a dry soft cloth too. But if I notice that a dead spider is lying in my helmet somewhere, I would try to get rid of it But for the rest I leave averything where it is too. Gives a helmet character (or how do you say that )

But I have another question; What to do when a liner is becoming dry after a couple of years? If it's almost falling apart? Maybe a silly question
Do you leave it as it is?

Kind Regards,
Dennis