DR 23 Officer Helmet With Bravery Star

Nicely said Brian! His passing leaves a crater in the hobby, for sure. I'll add that one of the things I always appreciated about him, and that I miss the most, was his genuine enthusiasm for other collectors' finds as well - he was a great cheerleader for anyone that shared his passion.
 
Some photos showing todays progress:
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Pinned for the restitch. When I began doing this years ago, I used to start pining from the tip of the visor and counting stitch holes work my way across. However, now after years of experience, I simply line up the lines made by the spine in both shell and visor and put in two pins. This secures the visor in the correct position...count holes left and right from these 2 and place your pins. Last you secure the tip of the visor to stop it from flopping around. Note also that all the spines on a cruciform base helmet have a "V" notch cut in them. This allows the star screw post or domed split brad to pass through into the shell.
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I had some sun here today so I got to work. This pic is a bit fuzzy but you can see that the first pass fills in every other stitch hole and this stitch line is going to be perfect when complete. Initially, you must make sure that you have lined up all the holes accurately! Having done this, your job is relatively easy especially as in this case when the helmet is in great condition.
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The first pass is finished and no more pins to prick the hands. Leaving the spine on worked but the scales had to be removed as the thread kept catching on them. We can see the 2 prongs which secure the end on the spine plus the fact that the last domed brad is simply soldered to the inside of the spine. Last, we have a clear shot of the "spine lines" which help us line up the stitch holes. These are present on every pickelhaube that I have ever worked on. I should be able to finish this visor tomorrow.
 
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