Baden OR Restoration

b.loree

b.loree

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Staff member
A Baden OR M95 helmet in need of some TLC. Problems: both visors need restitching, both visors and shell need to be put back into proper shape, spine split brad has to be re soldered and there is an obvious split in the shell. The pics:





The helmet shell needs to be blocked back into shape as do the visors. The metal visor trim which has been bent out of shape is pulling everything inwards...collapsing the shell into itself. You can see the bends in the brass trim where it has buckled. The solution here is to take everything off and correct the "shape" problem for all 4 parts.....visors, shell and front trim.

This visor trim has some real problems:


The split in the shell will be dealt with by first gluing a thin piece of leather on the inside of the shell along the crack. Next, finish will be applied to fill in on the outside.
 
Another great challenge !
:thumb up: :thumb up: :thumb up: :thumb up:
Thank you so much for sharing.

Francis
 
Ok, we were mid September in the last post, so this up date will show where we are at this time. First the helmet and visors had to be hydrated and blocked back into proper form:



The hat stretcher is an invaluable tool.

Elastics hold the shell tight to the stretcher.
The top was wet and then blocked back into position as described in the Arty officer restoration. There was a split in the shell as previously seen, a thin piece of leather was dyed to match the interior colour and then glued into place behind the hole. Subsequently, I began the refinish of the hole and 2 other creases in the shell today. Notice....the top of the shell is back and no longer depressed...100 year old leather is surprisingly flexible.


You can see hundreds of cracks in the finish, they are just waiting to flake off and in fact much of the finish on the rear of the shell is gone. To stabilize things, a very thin wash of shellac finish is brushed over these crazed areas in order prevent further loss. In the end, the entire helmet will be polished with a light coat of black shoe polish in order to blend in the refinished areas with the rest of the helmet. There is no other choice that I know of.
 
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