Grey paint - good or bad

[Robert]

Evidently you can cover new parts with paint to make them look old on M15 or felt helmets. How do you look at grey paint?

Is it OK if the paint covers both the spike base and the dome studs in one layer (or at least the paint is "connected" at single spots)? It seems that these parts were painted separately and then assembled.

How about brass chin strap posts with grey paint on them (but only outside, inside remains brass)? I found only one picture of an original with what seems to be a painted brass post, its on Colonal J´s page: http://www.pickelhauben.net/articles/images/ersatz/ohlenlederprictor.jpg

Are there original parts made of (nickel-?) plated iron that remains shiny when the paint flakes off?

A last one: normally the visors are coated with a quite thick layer of lacquer just as the helmet shell itself. But a leather visor on a felt helmet: can this have a "thinner" surface, i.e. a painted black leather surface but without the thick lacquer layer?

 

[joerookery]

Robert

There seem to be few absolutes. Many members here have more experience than I on paint. I have seen a series of mix and match jobs, paint jobs, darkening jobs, and we have a sticky on metallurgy wappen that has some very good explanations in it.

Are there original parts made of (nickel-?) plated iron that remains shiny when the paint flakes off?

not so sure on the issue side. However on the private purchase side, the answer is yes. There are some parts that are actually shiny steel. These are magnetic.

But a leather visor on a felt helmet: can this have a "thinner" surface,

not all of these were actually leather. Some were pressed paper and cardboard kind of stuff. This seems to be true of both issue and private purchase types.

 

[Robert]

Joe,
thanks for the advice.

Another issue that I saw recently is a back spine that ends about 1/2" or 13mm short of the spike base and without the flat tang that fits under the base. Might be a part that was too short, so the maker cut off the tang and painted it over. But was this ever, ever done on originals?

Robert

 

[joerookery]

Not that I know of but MANY repros have a gap.

A large space between the helmet base and the vent device is another tell tale. Here are some originals and the one in the middle is a reproduction....too far away from the base.