It was a beautiful fall day today here in the neighbourhood. An excellent day to add yet another coat of finish to 4 hauben projects. As I have mentioned many times, natural sunlight is the best light for restoration whether it be stitching or refinishing. We see here the Wurtt. Dragoner, the huge Prussian Officer, the Wurtt JR 126 M95 and a Bav. M95 drying in a sheltered spot of sunshine. Both Wurtt helmets and the Bav are just about finished, perhaps one more touch up coat in small areas. The Prussian had a lot of finish damage, so more work is needed. Some Photos:
The Wurtt. Dragoner as it is now...it is hard to photograph these "refinishes" due to the "shellac shine" which should also remind us of how shiney our hauben actually were when new and thus...das uberzug! On this helmet as on the others it is obvious how 100+ years of neglect has compromised the outer finish.
The JR 126 M95 helme. The "shine" will be dulled down with ooo steel wool then the entire helmet treated with several coats of polish to make everything blend in. Not all blemishes will be filled in completely as this would make the restoration "obvious".
The Prussian Officer will never be perfect but hopefully, it will look 100% better than when it fell into my hands.
The Wurtt. Dragoner as it is now...it is hard to photograph these "refinishes" due to the "shellac shine" which should also remind us of how shiney our hauben actually were when new and thus...das uberzug! On this helmet as on the others it is obvious how 100+ years of neglect has compromised the outer finish.
The JR 126 M95 helme. The "shine" will be dulled down with ooo steel wool then the entire helmet treated with several coats of polish to make everything blend in. Not all blemishes will be filled in completely as this would make the restoration "obvious".
The Prussian Officer will never be perfect but hopefully, it will look 100% better than when it fell into my hands.
