Baden Private Purchase

b.loree

b.loree

Administrator
Staff member
I bought this piece from a forum member at this years SOS. Problems: both visors need restitch, top of helmet is depressed due to weight of spike. The initial photos:
IMG_1127-M.jpg

Custom purchase visor trim.
IMG_1122-M.jpg

We have an officer wappen here which supports the private purchase description.
IMG_1128-M.jpg

The liner is in excellent condition and is the old style square tongue officer style. This liner was used 1842-1880( Larcade vol. 1 pg.30) prior to the introduction of the more modern calf skin sweatband/silk commonly seen in private purchase.
IMG_1130-M.jpg

The spike top which did originally unscrew, has been soldered shut. The spike itself is heavy which comes as no surprise considering the age of this piece. Even if made in 1880, this helmet is 140 years old! :eek: !!
IMG_1131-M.jpg

The rear spine is OR's in shape but as an older piece, has no slider/vent. The shiny split brad is a replacement, all other brads are the screw post and nut type. You can also see how sunken the shell is. Last, the notched spike base also indicates a custom helme.
IMG_1132-M.jpg

This is an easy fix! :)
 
How to fix a sunken shell top:
IMG_1248-M.jpg

Fold a section of paper towel into a square the approx size of the depressed area, wet with lukewarm H2O.

Place wet towel into shell over the depressed area.

Allow this to sit/soak for approx 1 hour....until top is supple.

Place helmet on a small head form covered in plastic. Styrofoam head form must be covered to prevent sticking to leather shell. Head form must be smaller than shell so that shell can be pulled down over it. The top of the form is used to push up the sunken area. Secure a long elastic from post to post. The resulting pressure pushes the sunken shell back into proper position.

Allow shell to sit and dry for about 2 hours then remove elastic. If the top stays in position proceed to next step, if not put helmet back on form and put elastic back into place, keep drying.

Once top remains in position but is still damp to the touch, put the spike and support disc back on. In this case, I used the original screw post brads and an officer star to secure the spike. Split brads could be used though. Why put the spike/disc back on?? :? These spikes have sat on the shell for 100+ years and have bent/molded to the shell top. If you let the shell dry, your spike base will not fit the top anymore. :(

Secure the spike base and disc to the top of the shell, place helmet back on the head form or a tall coffee/juice type can. You want to provide support for the wetted area while the helmet dries completely. Using a can provides more air flow. Let stand for 2 days.
IMG_1249-M.jpg

Risks!! There is always risk in wetting 100 year old leather...if the shellac is cracked in the sunken area you can probably expect it to flake off! :( Then you are looking at replacing finish. :x In my experience, older helmets like this one have more tar in their shellac and therefore are more flexible than the more modern helmets of 1890's M15's. I guess, it really depends on the condition of each helmet.
IMG_1259-M.jpg

Drying....I love it when a plan comes together! :thumb up:
IMG_1263-M.jpg

The all purpose coffee can, first introduced to me by my good friend Tony Schnurr many decades ago. He paints his and uses them as helmet supports. I am too lazy to paint but use them to support my helmets as well! Tony also deserves all credit/blame for getting me into restorations in the first place! :thumb up: Thanks T!
 
Brian:

Very helpful and timely.

'I have a M15 Baden OR's with the same problem and have been toying with finally having a go at fixing the sunken helmet top.

Thanks for posting.
 
Glad to be of service Steve, just take it easy and be careful. Whenever I take off a spike base, I always take a pencil and put an "F" for front on the (under side) hole facing the wappen. This allows me to make sure that I have the base aligned properly as it has been for 100+ years. Take some photos of your helmet Steve and show us how things go for you. :thumb up:
 
Brian:

I worked up the motivation to try your process. It worked just fine. I did take a picture of the "Before" and will post it and the "After" as soon as I take care of a few other distractions.
 
Great news Steve! I am really glad that this process worked out for you. :thumb up: I look forward to seeing your pictures.
 
Pictures aren't as dramatic as I'd hoped for. I took the "Before" photo as an after thought once I'd started the process so the spike had already been removed.

The spike had a definite forward tilt to it as a result of the sunken part of the crown being most pronounced at the front.

The "After picture is the end result. While there is still a minor sunken aspect the spike is now sitting straight. So, I deem it a success!

I was a bit worried as the helmet had dried out quite a bit and the wet paper towel was in place for an hour and a half before the indentation could be pressed out. I was expecting to find that the shellac had flaked away but it didn't fortunately.

Thanks for posting the process Brian. It does work.
 

Attachments

  • DSC_1311 Re- Sized.jpg
    DSC_1311 Re- Sized.jpg
    190.3 KB · Views: 1,716
  • DSC_1310 Re-Sized.jpg
    DSC_1310 Re-Sized.jpg
    204.9 KB · Views: 1,716
:D I am not that gifted like Brian. I think I will get another shell to stand by as I know I will damage the helmet more than restoring it
 
Very nicely done, congratulations; you’ve restored the helmet without taking away the patina and its original look
 
Very good Steve, well done! Naturally, there will be different wetting and drying times. In my experience, the weight/thickness of leather used on private purchase helmets was less than govt issue thus making them lighter. Consequently, my Baden which was PrivP took less time to become supple. Helmet weight, seems to naturally have been an issue with private purchase. I have worked on 2 officer helmets marked "Feder Lichte" by their manufacturers. The wappen on these were very thin stampings as well as the chin scales, spine etc. Eric, thank you for selling the Baden to me at the SOS, it is going to stay in my collection. :)
 
This is an enlisted ranks Depot issued helmet.

There are Issue stamps on the rear visor but they are very hard to make out.

I believe the markings are IR 18 ( Prussian 18th Infantry), 1915. So, definitely not a Private Purchase item.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top