Dragoner Regt 16 Restoration

Sorry about that :) I believe I have mentioned this before but of course, many posts of mine have lost their pictures. On this stitch, my thread, which was finer than what is used on OR's, did break near the end of the second pass but I still had enough thread between the break and the stitches to finish the job. I can not stress too highly, the absolute necessity of making sure that your holes in visor and shell are lined up and pinned into position. Fail in this and you are into a frustrating angry world of hurt!! :x Because of the ultra fine stitching here I had to use regular sewing needles to pin the visor in place as my usual T quilter pins were too thick. Here is a pic of the finished stitch line but you can also see, how you can maneuver the helmet so you can use sunlight to light up the stitch holes.

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Good to hear that you started on an M15.
 
What a massive workload and wonderful result =D> :)
May I ask what kind of Tools do you use? Do you have a special Tool to make the small drillings through the hard Leather? Or is it possible to stich the complete Material with a Needle?
Thank you again for these very instructive Posts, which I really enjoy :bravo:
 
As requested by Sandy:
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From left to right:
Sharp nosed tweezers, which are used to pluck the old thread out of the stitch holes.
Hand vise and drill bit which are used to clean out the old thread.
Curved needle nosed pliers which are used to pull the needle through when stitching....when you can't do it by hand.
Rubber finger which is placed on your second finger and helps to grip the needle when pulling it through the leather. It also protects you from getting stabbed by the needle, sort of like a rubber thimble.
Beeswax and stitch needle.
The hand vise is available at hobby stores or on the net. Beeswax...Walmart. The rubber finger is available in office supply stores like Staples.

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The small bits for the hand vise, various sizes and available at hobby stores and the internet.
One last thing...the pliers are smooth, they do not have any grip lines cut into them. This prevents them from marking/lacerating metal fittings when used in that way
Great to hear also, that members enjoy these restoration posts and I am glad that in a small way, they have inspired people to try things on their own. :thumb up:
 
In working on this helmet, I have discovered that there is a last name and a first name written in pencil on the underside of the rear visor. These are on both sides of the spine. The last name "Schulze" is written (cursive) on the left and "Luke" on the right. The first name "Luke" is a bit of a guess on my part as the top of the "k" is not clear and the loop on the "e" is very small. it might be a "c". I do not know whether the name" Luke" is used in Germany or how it is spelled. It is used in English but rarely. Any help in getting an identification would be welcomed. The helme came with both large size Prussian and Reichs kokarden (OR's), The wappen is OR's, the helmet is private purchase with officer liner and spike but no stars. My feeling about this helme, is that it was an "economy" piece originally...no red or green lining on the visors. There are 2 sets of wappen holes and 2 double holes in the top for the cruciform spike base. All holes have been cleanly machine punched, so I believe them to be "period done". The helme could have been repurposed or refitted to fit the needs of Herr Schulze at a lesser cost to him. In my experience, the Germans unlike collectors, did not care about extra holes providing they were hidden by a wappen or spike base.
 
Do you have a picture of it, please?
In Germany „Lukas“ is mainly used. „Luke“ may be used nearby the Netherlands or Belgium or in England, so it may be also possible.
But maybe it is written in old german handwriting. I just saw a postcard with a mixed handwriting of Latain and Kanzlei-Script.
 
At one point I owned three helmets with the same name (both first and last) written in them, two were M'15 spikes and the third was a M'15 Tschapka. The name being very French I doubted that it was name of a soldier. I believe that the name belonged to either an early collector or a costumer. I got them as part of a collection I purchased.
 
Thank you to all for your comments. Bruno, the spike was missing when the helmet was purchased but the owner has bought an original from a collector in Germany. I have asked him to post a picture once that new spike has been put back on.
 
Ok Bruno...sometimes I can be too serious and think too much. :) At least, this is what I have been told many times during my life.
 
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