James' Prusian Garde Landwehr Helme After Restoration

b.loree

b.loree

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The restoration took about 8hrs in total the hardest part really, was cleaning the fittings, primarily the chin scales. The scales are not perfect but as best as can be done without taking them apart and cleaning every scale individually. In addition, with these antiques you can not apply a lot of force to the item being cleaned. You do not want to damage something in cleaning it. Sometimes, I do remove the front visor trim to polish it but in this case, I decided to leave it on and clean it in place. When restitching, all old thread has to be removed from ALL stitch holes. I also use only natural threads (like the originals) so they will not light up if black lighted. All stitching is done by hand so as not to leave marks in the outside shellac finish. Approx 3 coats of polish were applied to the exterior to brighten it up. Here are the finished fotos:
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This is a prime example of a rare Garde Landwehr OR`s helmet. It was a privelege to do some work on it to help restore things back to their original condition. Congratulations James!
 
Brian- thanks for the work and for posting the before and after pics.

From the photo's I am very excited to get the helmet back!

Guy's if you need helmet work, Brian is the guy 8)

Thanks

James
 
911car said:
Beautiful job indeed, Brian! Once slightly re-tarnished it will be perfect.
Click to expand...

I agree. I do not clean fittings on new acquisitions and will only do so if there is active corrosion occurring and it has to be stopped. After a few years the fittings will tarnish or "mellow" and be like a fine wine (or a woman over 40). Just perfect.... evilgrin
 
I agree, I normally do not clean the fittings, but this one had lots of black stuff I have never seen before so when I sent this to Brian for the restich of the visor, I told him to clean it up, which he did a fantastic job.

So it will be shiny for a few years, but as you said, it will tarnish with time, and it is such a supurb helmet, I am very happy!!

Now I just need Brian to send it back so I can admire it :D

James
 
Today, James as promised. Regarding the cleaning, sometimes I think that it is a revelation to collectors as to what these pieces looked like originally, and they were kept bright which we see in many pictures. Thus also, the necessity of the cloth uberzug. All the best, Brian
 
Great workmanship on the restoration Brian! You must be an incredibly patient guy with restitching. The helmet really looks great!

Congratulations on a very nice & rare helmet James!

All the Best,

Alan
 
Thank you everyone for the compliments. I do this because I respect these items which have survived for so long without much care from anyone. We collectors do care and I think that this is one of the higher grounds of our hobby. All of us out there who love this stuff and collect it and spend thousands of dollars to buy it...we are good people and I believe that we are doing something very worthwhile in preserving and collecting these things from the past. I would also remind everyone that we are not a new breed. There have been collectors for hundreds of years or even thousands. Anyone with intelligence realizes that to understand the present you have to know about the past which has shaped it. We are all the sum of our past experiences. Our own personal History. The vast majority of people out there unfortunately, have no clue or interest in this fact. They bounce through life like silver balls in a pin ball machine.

One comment, regarding the cleaning of this helmet....we all have our own opinion on the issue of cleaning or not to. In my opinion, this is up to the collector, the owner of the piece. I personally have cleaned some of the fittings on my helmets but certainly not every helmet as both Tony and Chas can attest to. Your helmet, your choice! What I would like to point out though (which may be obvious to some) is that these pieces were kept bright and polished in order to impress both civilians and the enemy. Can you imagine, 500 of these Prussian Gardes running at you with fixed bayonets and these helmets gleaming in the sun? Pretty scarry! So keep them dull and tarnished, this is good because how many abrasive polishings can they take? However, do not forget what they looked like originally and the deliberate pyschological effect that they were intended to create. Even the M15s had bright polished shellac finishes on them like patent leather. Happy New Year to all! Brian
 
Hey Brian,

Looks really nice. I've had a lot of luck dropping brass and tombak fittings in a bowl of ketchup for about an hour and rinsing them off with warm water. Have you ever tried this?

Bryan
 
Hi Bry....never tried ketchup but I sure as hell am going to give it ago on some wappen and fittings I have. Pretty scarry though when you think of what it does to brass and then we are suckin it back on fries all the time! Thanks for the tip. Brian
 
For those who can get it, Lee and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce also works well on brass etc. Wipe or brush on, leave for a few minutes , then wash off with warm water.

Patrick
 
Thanks Patrick...."Brown Sauce" makes sense too! Anyone ever tried Coke on brass fittings?? I have also used Easy Off oven cleaner on wappen as per Tony's recommendation. I combine this with Haggerty Silver Foam. By the way have these two sauces been used to clean just OR wappen or does this also include officer gilt wappen?
 
Great work Brian!

Can you please tell us some more about the craftmanship of the (re)stitching? I'm quite handy myself, but until now kept away from that kind of work. What needles to use, what thread etc etc?

I'm about to finish the Baden helmet that was covered in varnish, and I'm quite pleased with the result of the polish job. I'll post some pictures in short time notice.

regards

Marcel
 
Brian, Tony,

You would be surprised at the shortcuts you come up with for cleaning brass when you are a Marine. Ketchup is usually free and in bulk from the chow hall when it's time to "field day" the area around the barracks. I think it is the vinegar in the ketchup and the worstershire sauce that does the job. Still though; it works like gangbusters.

Semper Gumby,
(Always Flexible)

Bryan
 
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