Conservation of a pickelhaube

R

Robert Missinne

New member
pinhelm.JPG


Hello,

I am new on this forum and have a conservation request...

Together with my son I am working on the renovation of a former monastery / orphanage / school in our village (St-Julien, Flanders).
During the works we discovered a pre-war cellar that was partially destroyed during WWI and filled with war rubble after the war.
We are now emptying that basement with the intention of making a new basement in it.

During the war that cellar was used as a shelter. That is why we have made some discoveries. The best find was the pin helmet you see in the photo. The photo shows the helmet after half an hour of softrinsing with water and some toothbrushing to remove the metal parts from the mud (the ball on which the helmet is in the photo is not part of the find ;-)

Is there anyone who can provide me information for the conservation of this pickelhaube?
Since the 'cleaning' I let the helmet under water, waiting for conservation-info, but It seems to me that the helmet is disintegrating...

Thanks for the info!

Robert
 
Welcome to the Forum Robert,

I myself do not know much about preserving this helmet, only about what it is, but I already told you that on our Dutch WW1 forum.
But there are many members with more conservation tips and how to act with this nice find.
I would be very happy finding something like that in a cellar I was excavating, but I do not live in St Julien. Visited the westhoek many times though, so
did walk around your village and others many times.
Good luck with this Reserve Infantry OR,s M95.

Greetings from the Netherlands, Coert. :thumb up:
 
Take it out of the water as soon as you can but leave it on the ball.
Try to find something harder to keep it on .
With the soft ball it will continue to shrink up to a month sofind the biggest head form that you can find.
Sprinkle some baby powder on the inside of the dome and the form because when it shrinks it will shrink tight and be near impossible to get off the form with out destroying it.

Good luck.
 
Another option......styrofoam head form covered with a plastic bag. The bag also prevents the old leather from sticking to the form.
 
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