M15 helmet made of.. cardboard?

R

Robert

New member
Hi all,
this sorry helmet won't win prizes for it's condition but I have wondered about the material. I have handled several ersatz helmets made of synthetic materials but none exact like this. At the rear visor you can see that it is extremely fragile there, it seems that it is more the lacquer than the base material that holds things together. The shell is thicker (or made of multiple layers). On the right side it has been dented behind the cockade which caused the outside lacquer to flake off. As a result the shell can be flexed with the thumb so the base material is actually a bit soft. The inside is matte and dull, when you scratch it with the finger nail you hear a "hollow" sound that immediately reminded me of cardboard.

What would be your though, has cardboard actually been used?

Front_1.jpg


Schirm_2.jpg


Innen_3.jpg
 
the inside of the shell how thus that feel
is it kinda furry or fluffy
like simili leather
those visors are the stiff or is it a little bendable
if you scratch on it on the visor is it hard an dul noise or soft noise
i think you have a simili cuir lackered helmet with vulkan fibre visors

more pics would be easyer to judge this one

jonas
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Allemagne-casque-Pointe-ersatz-Carton-Bouilli-1895-Troupe-Prusse-/381495287605?hash=item58d2e41f35:g:LnEAAOSwZ1lWdBo1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
It is difficult to describe a sound, it is a high pitch, somehow "thin" or "hollow". The feeling is matte or dull, not smooth. The visors on that linked helmet on ebay are shiny, they are probably like the synthetic material I have seen on a few helmets (in fact I have one made that way), the material is smooth and feels more like plastic.

>more pics would be easyer to judge this one

What details would help?
 
a close up of the inside
then where the visor is sewn on to the shell also from the inside that way you can see the thickness of the material
i have one in col a felt with fiber front and rear visor
a lacquered semi leather helmet with leather visor
a one piece semi leather helmet
it is easier to see with more detail fotos for comparison

jonas
 
I once had an enlisted Prussian infantry reservist helmet in the early 1980's that I purchased from a family of a veteran. It had a brass enlisted removable spike, reservist front plate, and the body was made of what appeared to be pressed paper. I was pretty green in collecting pickelhaubes back then, and unfortunately ended up selling it a year or two later. I've never seen another one quite like that one, and I've always wondered who ended up with it. I also unfortunately didn't take photos of it before I sold it. :(

I've had a fiber body one about 6-years ago, like the one Bruno shows on the eBay France link. The earlier one I mention above had a pressed paper or cardboard helmet shell and visors. I wish that I had taken photos of it. The liner was really cheap on it as well, and I don't think the liner was made from leather either, from what I remember.

Best Regards,

Alan
 
There is no correspondence in the Bavarian archives I am aware of talking about cardboard or paper. Of course this is Pussian. We have seen quite a few papier-mâché. Welcome back Robert I haven't said Merry Christmas for a while!
 
That was a good idea, when looking at the rim from the inside you can see that the shell is made of two or three layers. BTW just now I saw that they did a remarkably sloppy job of sewing - look at the wave on the first image right below the eagle.

> I haven't said Merry Christmas for a while!

Thanks and greetings to you too!

Innen.jpg


Innen2.jpg
 
I have examined one papier mache M15 Prussian helme years ago. I have also seen cardboard visors stitched on leather M15 shells. That stitching is really wonky on the front visor of this one. Take a close look at the stitch holes (rear visor), they are not the same as the typical leather. The thread is punched into the card board and sitting on top. On a leather visor, the thread sits in a groove and is gripped by the leather in each hole. The needle and thread punch through during the stitch but the leather because it is flexible comes back and surrounds the thread, holding it tight. Not possible with cardboard.
 
I made my post above and got thinking....don't I have some scrapper Cardboard Visors ??? So the answer turns out to be yes, I never throw anything out, even if I strip a shell completely.


Three examples one rear and two front visors all off M15 Prussian OR's helmets. Why keep them? They can be used as templates to make new leather visors if they fit an OR shell. Notice, the rear visor was not punched out for the spine screw post, probably because this would have opened up edges to moisture absorption. Two additional observations...the rear visor is stitched right round the edges like an officer's but the edge is not covered. The stitching on the top visor is much finer like a leather M95 helme. The other two have wider stitching as we see in the example which started this thread.


Side view of the rear visor....obviously cardboard. A good shot of the side stitching as well.


All three were painted/given a black finish on the underside.
 
it is trully a miracle that it is wel preserved just for beeing cardbaord
this type of helmet you won't find every day
these are fragile but after glas in a collection the can last for a other generation
thanks for showing us all this rare helmet

jonas
 
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