1843 Sixth Kurassier Helmets

[Nacuaa]

I only just discovered this fascinating article with photos of the helmet of this unique regiment. Very interesting points about early brass versus tombac construction.

A study on the model 1843 - 6th Kurassier Pickelhaube - News & events - Navigation - Age of Kings Militaria

German and French military antiques of the pre 1918 era

ageofkingsmilitaria.com

 

[CLOVIS 57]

Hello Tony,
Congratulations on this magnificent helmet and on this study.

I do, however, notice a small omission... which is of great importance nonetheless.

Indeed, I noted that this helmet does not have the M43 modification. However, I observe that on brass helmets (to be seen for the "Tombac" helmets from GdC or GKR), the so-called M67 modification (the trim strip between the visor and the neck guard) is already present on the M43s!

Technically I explain this by the greater fragility of tombac or brass compared to the steel plate of the line cuirassiers.
These helmets could be compressed between the very prominent visor and neck guard, and in this case, a crease would form at the visor anchoring point, then a crack would appear, from being folded and then unfolded several times.
Best Regards.

 

[Lars13]

Very nice to have such a detailed history of a collectible, well done Tony.
The explanation of the tombac however is incorrect in my opinion. In the English language tombac typically refers to a reddish copper-coloured alloy, whereas in the German language it typically refers to a golden-coloured alloy. Luckily for us the Prussians also specified this alloy in the "Dienstanweisung für die Bekleidungsämter" from 1897, page 185 (by this time all "yellow" Wappen were made of Tombak):

This is the "golden" range of brass (see e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tombac).
Regards,
Lars

 

[CLOVIS 57]

Hello Lars,

I stick to the color. When it's reddish-pink, it's tombac. When it's golden-yellow, it's brass.

Here is a tombac :




Here is a brass :




But since it is mostly copper with between 10 and 20% zinc, tin, nickel or other silvery metal... depending on the mixture, intermediate shades can occur, making it impossible to distinguish between them.

 

[Lars13]

But since it is mostly copper with between 10 and 20% zinc, tin, nickel or other silvery metal... depending on the mixture, intermediate shades can occur, making it impossible to distinguish between them.

Thanks Clovis,
My point is that when the Prussians specify "Tombak" it doesn't have to be pinkish / reddish, it can also mean the golden colour range.
Regards,
Lars

 

[Nacuaa]

Great discussion. I've been looking at these helmets for many years and have a large digital archive of them. I've always suspected there was something peculiar going on with the color spectrum. I thought it can't just be the lighting in the photography. I've hesitated to invest in these helmets if they looked too much like brass. I've always wondered about this one for example in the West Point collections. It looks like brass to me..... but I presume its tombac. Here Tony shows us that the 1843 6K helmets actually are brass.