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A 'companion piece' to my thread here:

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=91773

I've just acquired a semi-relic size 64 M42 shell. Some pre-cleaning pictures...



It's very similar to how the M40 helmet (allegedly from Demjansk) looked when I got it, including the lead plugs in the holes - presumably to hold some sort of liquid. I also recall the dealer said that the crack was caused by water getting inside the crown and expanding when it freezes into ice.

I've since removed the plugs, given it a wire brush and wash and now it's sitting in dilute citric acid. The first thing I'll do when it's back to bare metal is repair the crack and holes with metal epoxy. If no paint traces turn up to suggest otherwise, I shall restore it as a late war no-decal Heer helmet in textured feldgrau.

And why take so much trouble over an unremarkable rusty helmet..? Because it's there.

_________________
Safe in the womb
Of an everlasting night
You find the darkness can
Give the brightest light.
Safe in your place deep in the earth
That's when they'll know what you were really worth.

Its a good starting point to restore it.

_________________
Manufacturer of repro US helmets and restored front seams.

Thanks. Yes, that's why I went for it. It's not bent out of shape and the only structural damage is the crack, which I can repair and conceal with metal epoxy. The rust is cosmetic - the metal underneath is still solid.

_________________
Safe in the womb
Of an everlasting night
You find the darkness can
Give the brightest light.
Safe in your place deep in the earth
That's when they'll know what you were really worth.

Further progress. Most of the rust has gone and I have filled in and smoothed off the crack and holes with metal epoxy. I decided not to make work for myself and get the metal totally clean as it'll all be sealed under lots of paint. I will give it a coat of rust inhibitor pre-painting though.

_________________
Safe in the womb
Of an everlasting night
You find the darkness can
Give the brightest light.
Safe in your place deep in the earth
That's when they'll know what you were really worth.

Update: I've been slowly working on this on and off (too many other restoration projects...) but I finally got the surface reasonably level. Here's some pre-final painting pics.

_________________
Safe in the womb
Of an everlasting night
You find the darkness can
Give the brightest light.
Safe in your place deep in the earth
That's when they'll know what you were really worth.

Finished! I've tried to replicate the angles of the 'before' pics above.

One of the things I'm most pleased with is getting a fairly even coating of aluminium oxide powder. (compared to my previous effort) My secret weapon was a paint tester pot with some small holes drilled in the top.

As you can see, there's what appears to be a small impact dent on the brow - going from the inside outwards. There are a couple of other similar dents I haven't shown. Idle theorising... perhaps it was near to something like a grenade detonation whilst lying upside down on the ground?

_________________
Safe in the womb
Of an everlasting night
You find the darkness can
Give the brightest light.
Safe in your place deep in the earth
That's when they'll know what you were really worth.

Well almost finished... I've since decided to add a little more paint to the exterior to help 'anchor' the aluminium oxide granules as they're not stuck on as firmly as I'd like. This is the drawback of sprinkling it on top of wet paint. In the factory the powder would have been mixed in the paint and added with an industrial sprayer. Nearly there though.

_________________
Safe in the womb
Of an everlasting night
You find the darkness can
Give the brightest light.
Safe in your place deep in the earth
That's when they'll know what you were really worth.

It looks good allready.

_________________
Manufacturer of repro US helmets and restored front seams.

Great restoration work Mark.

_________________
My most powerful weapon, my TV remote-control