dosty
Member
On the 26 April 2020 Kuirassier forum, I presented an officer helmet needing a serious lobstertail repair. The tail was separated in back, the reinforcing spots on the sides were separated, and the brass retaining pin on the left was broken. During Pandemic winter, I tackled the project.
First, I assembled the various medieval torture devices to hold the parts together, and some brushes and adhesives. My friend Ron M, an advanced collector, suggested that I use JB Weld based on his experience with it. Two types were available. One bonded in 6 minutes. and cured in 8 hours; the other bonded in 60 minutes. and cured in 24 hours, another was a 1-hour quickie bond. He recommended experimenting first. It was a smart move. I found that the 6 minute/8 hour goop set too fast for me to work with. I also learned that the goop is messy. If applied too close to the metal edges it would seep out when the parts were pressed together. Cleaning it would be almost impossible.
Using the 1/24 hour goop, I applied it as far from the edge as I could while ensuring that the metal parts would still meet. Unfortunately, I have no photo of this exciting process since i lacked a third hand. Once the goop was on, I went to the side hole where the broken pin belonged and inserted a screw to keep it lined up. The torture devices were then attached. After 24 hours, I removed them to find a solid bond.
Because the reinforcing spots on the helmet sides were too tight to employ solder, I next put some pre-mixed 1-hour bond version of JB Weld on an X-Acto knife blade and slipped it between the reinforcing spots, then attached pressure devices. (By the way, objects reflected on curved metal appear larger than they really are)
Then I cut a prong from a used cap cockade and placed it inside the pin using the 1-hour bond JB Weld to hold it. After drying, I took the temporary screw from the helmet and put the repaired pin in the hole. I bent back the prongs and they held. Voila – success! The bonds hold like a rock. I hope this posting will be useful as a method for repairing lobstertails.
(By the way, this is a really nice, and easy. way to make a post with photos!)
First, I assembled the various medieval torture devices to hold the parts together, and some brushes and adhesives. My friend Ron M, an advanced collector, suggested that I use JB Weld based on his experience with it. Two types were available. One bonded in 6 minutes. and cured in 8 hours; the other bonded in 60 minutes. and cured in 24 hours, another was a 1-hour quickie bond. He recommended experimenting first. It was a smart move. I found that the 6 minute/8 hour goop set too fast for me to work with. I also learned that the goop is messy. If applied too close to the metal edges it would seep out when the parts were pressed together. Cleaning it would be almost impossible.
Using the 1/24 hour goop, I applied it as far from the edge as I could while ensuring that the metal parts would still meet. Unfortunately, I have no photo of this exciting process since i lacked a third hand. Once the goop was on, I went to the side hole where the broken pin belonged and inserted a screw to keep it lined up. The torture devices were then attached. After 24 hours, I removed them to find a solid bond.
Because the reinforcing spots on the helmet sides were too tight to employ solder, I next put some pre-mixed 1-hour bond version of JB Weld on an X-Acto knife blade and slipped it between the reinforcing spots, then attached pressure devices. (By the way, objects reflected on curved metal appear larger than they really are)
Then I cut a prong from a used cap cockade and placed it inside the pin using the 1-hour bond JB Weld to hold it. After drying, I took the temporary screw from the helmet and put the repaired pin in the hole. I bent back the prongs and they held. Voila – success! The bonds hold like a rock. I hope this posting will be useful as a method for repairing lobstertails.
(By the way, this is a really nice, and easy. way to make a post with photos!)
