Refurbishment > WW2 German M42 Helmet Refurbishment
WW2 German M42 Helmet Refurbishment - Luftwaffe:
German WW2 M42 helmet has a replica Luftwaffe eagle, replica chinstrap, refurbished paint scheme and a genuine liner (we think) and is painted in a refurbished Luftwaffe blue/grey scheme. The liner is incredibly dry and brittle so we do not want to interfere with it too much.
17/Apr/2014: Our brief was to strip down the outside, and leave the inside shell. Then the customer will decide what configuration the helmet should be finished in. The inside seems to have brown paint painted over what we think is original paint.
17/Apr/2014: Our brief was to strip down the outside, and leave the inside shell. Then the customer will decide what configuration the helmet should be finished in. The inside seems to have brown paint painted over what we think is original paint.
17/Apr/2014: The outer shell has been stripped. We found a second layer of grey primer type paint under the Luftwaffe blue. We think we can see small pieces or original paint after removing the grey paint. We have conditioned the leather. It will not make it stronger but it will give it flexibility so we can shape the leather into a more natural shaped condition. We are pretty sure this helmet has been made up of parts but still a worthwhile project as the shell is fully sound.
26/May/2014: The helmet is fully complete. The liner has been softened and shaped a bit better, but several more applications of leather care would do it no harm.
The helmet has been given a coat of RAL6006 and then finished in brown, green and tan camo paint scheme to match the inside shell to the outside shell, as the inside had brown paint in places. We then aged up the helmet appropriately to match inside and outside.
All that is needed now is a genuine chinstrap to finish off this great looking Heer helmet. I think its fair to say this helmet now has 'presence'!
The helmet has been given a coat of RAL6006 and then finished in brown, green and tan camo paint scheme to match the inside shell to the outside shell, as the inside had brown paint in places. We then aged up the helmet appropriately to match inside and outside.
All that is needed now is a genuine chinstrap to finish off this great looking Heer helmet. I think its fair to say this helmet now has 'presence'!
Before and After Pictures: