Garde Haube

R

richesz28

Member
Just received my first Garde helmet. Mostly complete but very dirty. It has a maker's mark, A. Wunderlich --Berlin, inside the skull but no issue stamps that I can find. It appears that it has been together for a long time. I removed the wappen and it has a beautiful "ghost" behind it. No double-holes, no replaced visors and only the spike support plate inside is missing. I have a support disk and kokarden to complete it.

A couple of observations so far: The wappen is gilt, along with the lack of an issue stamp, may indicate a privately purchased item, perhaps? The spike is non-detachable and if I'm not mistaken it should be detachable for the addition of a trichter. I have a detachable spike but it has a very different patina. Everything else is regulation OR parts. Comments are welcome. See photos below.

There is some paper or cardboard stuck to the front visor and on the rear of the helmet. I'm deciding how much "cleaning" I just perform to bring it back to life. I'm following the Kaiser's Bunker cleaning methods for the shell. Would it be better to clean the metal pieces or would most leave it as is?

Richard







 
For all the helmets in my collection there is not one that i have fully cleened

As for polishing the brass , i am not into that makes it to shiny and new
Now it has a nice patine ,well at least to me it has
Just trying to remove the upper dust ant the cardboard piece and thats it

It has its age dont try to make a helmet out of it that is to new

Jonas
 
I think that you will find some who will tell you to leave it alone, and some will tell you to clean it. It's your helmet, so make it presentable in your eyes. Personally I would not get too intrusive. The method talked about on the Kaiser's Bunker website is excellent. If you want to see what I did in a similar situation read my post called "I Finally Found One" under "latest find".

Good luck, and have fun --- it is a hobby after all.

By the way --- very nice find!!!

John :)
 
Thanks Jonas and John. I don't think I will do anything to the the metal parts as they have a very nice matching patina and I'm pleased with the look. I will lightly clean the shell, try to remove the stuck on cardboard, and carefully buff it to restore some of the luster to it but that's all. I am going to replace the missing spike support and add the original kokarden that I already own. I think these few tasks will preserve it well for the future. I'm very happy with it. It was a lucky find.

Richard
 
Congrats with your nice helmet and I am always in favor of leave as is. I have never cleaned my haubes apart from the occasional dusting.

Regards,

Edwin
 
Hello Richard ;
Great helmet and it looks 100 % to me
as to what I can see .
Looks like it has been together for a long time .

On another note ;
It is great to see a fellow Imperial German who lives in Tenn.
I am in Memphis and don't know of any serious I G collectors in Tenn.
Maybe we can get together some time .

Steve
 
P S
I think it is issue ; not PP
Who knows why the spike does not un-screw
it should by the books
but maybe by the time that helmet was issued
they figured there might not be any more parades

Smyrna ;
Are you life -time Tenn . ?
Was that the home of Sam Davis ?

Steve
 
Hi Steve,

I think you're right. It's all original and been together for decades I'd wager. I spent a couple of hours working on it today. I replaced the missing spike support disk and while the spike was off I wiped it down with a dampened cloth. There was so much dirt I could hardly believe it. I used some soapy water and a soft toothbrush on the spike and wappen. I lightly buffed the shell after removing the cardboard stuck to it and then reassembled everything. I'll get a picture up in a day or two.

I'm not an original Tennessean, but been here for 22 years. Texan by birth. Yes, Smyrna is the location of the Sam Davis home. Neat Civil War site. It's also the place where the recent Blue Angels crash took place. Very sad and only a mile from my house.

It's good to know there's another collector nearby. I've collected IG for about 10 years. Not a lot of that in this area. Love to meet you sometime.

Richard
 
Thanks
Let 's do that sometime .
Do you make the OVMS SOS at Louisville ?
Best show there is

I would take a soft tooth brush
and warm water a small amount ammonia ( sudsy deraignment )
and work on that star
I think it will get all the dirt /grime off and look good
trick taught to me by an old time collector who later
turned out to be a crook
but that lesson was correct

Steve
 
Good suggestion Steve, if you don't want to get into major cleaning on a fitting, then dish soap and a soft toothbrush will remove decades of "crud", especially on a wappen. I have already given the formula for soft cleaning of parts which does include ammonia, on a couple of posts courtesy of my mentor G. Birringer. A man who has helped me on numerous occaisions.
 
I would be very careful using ammonia around brass. There are some tales that say ammonia causes brass to become brittle. This was discovered when washing military brass in ammonia in preparation for reloading and then discovering that the brass would split or come apart when the round was fired. I don't know if ammonia actually causes brass to become brittle, but I do know that it causes brass to tarnish readily if not used correctly. Ammonia can polish or tarnish brass. One procedure that "fakers" use when making brass look old is to put the brass on a block of wood inside a sealed bucket, fill the bucket with ammonia until it's just shy of the top of the wood block (not touching the brass), and let it set for two days. After that the brass looks 200 years old because of the "patina" it has put on it. See below website. Some polishes use ammonia and I would not recommend them either.

http://www.howtoantiquebrass.com/how-to-antique-brass-with-ammonia/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

John :(
 
I used it years ago without a problem.
I was taught this by Paul von Ruehs
he was at the time one of the best
on cleaning helmets.
He did later turn to the " dark side "
But I still have some nice spiked helmets
that I purchased form him .

I think Brian has also used this method .

I was told Parson's sudsy ammonia with warm water
then rinse clean

Steve
 
Steve,

I do go the SOS every year. I found some nice items at this years show. I briefly stopped by the Pickelhaubes.com table but everyone was busy and I was on a time schedule so I didn't get to talk to anyone. Maybe next year we can meet up there.

I appreciate the suggestions on cleaning the Garde star. Even after washing it's still very dull and dark. I'm contemplating what to do with it but for right now I'm leaving it alone. I don't want to clean it too much and have it look way brighter than the rest of the fittings. Right now everything has an even patina and I like the look. Work has me pretty busy but I will get some post cleaning photos soon.

Richard
 
Look us up next .
That PH.com table is a great group
and a lot of fun .
I enjoy the show
even if I don't pick up anything .
After 46 years of collecting of helmets and uniforms
my focus now is on officers cyphered shoulder straps
and I got some really good ones at this years show

Steve
 
This is an excellent helmet and very "original", yes it should have a disc under the spike base and yes the spike should unscrew for the parade trichter but as we know in the world of "hauben" there are no certainties. I also believe, that it is a government issued piece despite no markings. We are caretakers of these pieces of History, I think we all have to realize that and just take care of them as best we can at this point in time. The main thing, is that unlike what has happened in the past, we are not throwing them in the garbage.
 
Here are some post-cleaning photos. The cockades aren't the best but that's what I had on hand. After removing the stuck-on cardboard, I just wiped it down and added the missing parts. I think it looks really good with the deep patina. Brian, I agree that we are the caretakers of these items and that's why I did a little cleaning on it. It seemed negligent to leave all that dust and dirt. I'm surprised the stitching is still tight.









Richard
 
Great job Richard and very nice to have that original chin strap. Your Garde wappen is the same as one I have on a similar helmet in my collection. They have this gilt wash on them over the brass, not as "frosty" as an officer's but better than non Garde line infantry. Again, to me lightly wiping down a haube with water and mild dish soap makes sense especially on the inside where "crud" has gathered. This can include spider nests, spider remains, dust, dried mud, pollen, seeds etc. :)
 
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