How to resew a detached pickelhaube visor

F

flasheart

Member
Oh great pickelhaube-repair guru Brian!!

How do you go about re-attaching a visor that has detached when the weight of the helmet over the years has caused the stitching to fail. I have a beautiful untouched M1871 3rd Garde Regiment zu Fusse helmet with a detached rear visor. The stitching is still in the holes and the stitching line through the leather is intact, the stitches themselves have just separated.

Some of the challenges I perceive so far:
-The original stitching is a thick natural cotton. The stuff you buy today is inherently stronger but contains synthetic fibres, so it will never look quite right.
-it will be easy enough to stitch through the original holes in the helmet and visor when they are apart and you can clearly see the holes, but when they are tight up against each other there is the potential to be poking the needle through the leather rather than through the original stitching hole
-how do you tie-off the loose ends so they can't be seen?
-do you re-stitch the entire visor or just tack it at regular intervals while leaving the stubs of the original stitching in place?

Mike
 
Eric:
Send me your helmet if you live in the US or Canada. The US, Canada proviso is due to the fact that European shipping costs are very high. I have done European work as far away as Budapest in Hungary but the shipping one way was $140. I am not trying to be a prick here but I am seperated now and could use every extra buck that I can earn via restoration of helmets. I will not give years of experience away to the world for free. The other thing is that I have the proper knowledge, thread and tools to do the job right. Cost would be $75 US plus postage back to you. As Flash has pointed out via his description of his helmet problems, you can really screw this up if you do not know what you are doing. Brian
 
All I can say is Brian has done numerous restiching jobs for some of my helmets, and he is awesome at it! Has thread that looks period etc.

Highly recommend him!

James :D
 
Thanks James. The whole restitch thing is a very complicated process to try and explain over the net. I have done it many times so it has become second nature but it took me a long time to learn it and every helmet is different with its own set of problems. Officer helmets with their close tight stitching and silk liners are the worst. I really hate doing them! Many old collectors in the past resorted to the "glue gun" rather than try and restitch. I have had to deal with their "efforts" in the past. Even a simple M15 visor restitch takes a minimum of 6 hrs to do. Everything on these helmets has to be done by hand or you will mess up the outside finish. Brian
 
:D Brian; Do you restore other leather items such as holsters from WW1 & WW2??? I have a few that need to be restitched but I want them as close to original as possible. Dick
 
Hi Dick:
I have never done a holster but the basic principles of the restitch would be the same. I am certainly willing to give it a try. The main thing is that you are dealing with a person who respects these historical items and will not screw up. Sometimes, I have to pause in the middle of a job and think about the piece for a week and figure out a solution to a particular problem. All stitching has to be done by hand. Right now I am behind in my restoration work. I have 4 helmets to work on and I am in the midst of setting up my shop in a new location where I live now. Frankly, I also have to wrap my head around a few things due to the recent change in my life. So, give me a couple of months and email me at [email protected] I know I can stitch holsters. Regards, Brian
 
b.loree said:
Eric:
Send me your helmet if you live in the US or Canada. The US, Canada proviso is due to the fact that European shipping costs are very high. I have done European work as far away as Budapest in Hungary but the shipping one way was $140. I am not trying to be a prick here but I am seperated now and could use every extra buck that I can earn via restoration of helmets. I will not give years of experience away to the world for free. The other thing is that I have the proper knowledge, thread and tools to do the job right. Cost would be $75 US plus postage back to you. As Flash has pointed out via his description of his helmet problems, you can really screw this up if you do not know what you are doing. Brian
Click to expand...
Brian are you still in the restitching business? If so I have a job opportunity for you. thanks Bryan
 
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