PR 30

b.loree

b.loree

Administrator
Staff member
I bought this PR 30 helmet shell from Alan a few months back. Originally, I bought it for parts however, once I had it in hand and could check it out, I thought hmm.......this might be worth saving. The front visor as you will see is "toast" no way of putting it back into shape! The liner however, is excellent and complete as is the rear spine. The rear visor is curled under and dry but the PR 30 markings are there and perhaps by "rehydrating" the leather I can get it back into original shape. This may be a complete waste of time but we shall see. Some before photos of the helmet:
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Totally collapsed but the liner is complete with original leather draw string still knotted together.
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Fine and tight pre war stitching! It is a real shame that this helmet was so abused.
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The all important original rear spine is still in place. (y) The spine shows the typical flattened section caused by the leather shell "shrinking" inwards. In many cases, the soldered spine prong will have popped off as well but in this case the old solder held! I have a pioneer wappen in my collection which I hoped would fit this helmet but unfortunately, the loops do not match the grommet holes in this shell. To be continued....
 
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According to Laine, PR 30 "3 Rheinisches Pionier Battallion" was formed in 1913 based at Ehrenbreitstein and part of the VIII. AK. So, a Battalion formed just one year before the war started, which would lead me to believe that there can not be too many PBR 30 helmets out there in collections. The additional "R" is also new to me, all the pioneer helmets that I have seen just have PB and number.
 
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Oh boy, I'm really looking forward to seeing how THIS one turns out - even my saddest "project" isn't this much of a challenge !
 
Well, that front visor is "done" so I have to see if one of my spares will fit, that is the first challenge. :) That rear visor with markings must be fixed and put back on at all costs. I was wondering as well, does any member have a shoulder strap from PR 30?? If so could you please post a photo here to go along with this thread ?
 
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b.loree said:
Well, that front visor is "done" so I have to see if one of my spares will fit, that is the first challenge. :) That rear visor with markings must be fixed and put back on at all costs. I was wondering as well, does any member have a shoulder strap from PBR 30?? If so could you please post a photo here to go along with this thread ?
Click to expand...
Is it silver / nickel trim ?
Steve
 
Hey Brian,

Could the front brim be saved by removal, gentle wetting, straightening, and finally pressing flat between a couple of sheets of wax paper and some heavy books?

Or is the juice not worth the squeeze in this case?

Bryan.
 
Some photos of the PR 30 helmet as it is now:
IMG_3711.jpeg
Both visors were removed and the shell was hydrated in a sealed plastic bag. A ball of wet newspaper contained in an open plastic bag is included to provide the humidity needed to soften the leather. The photo also shows one of the antique hat stretchers that I use to reform the shell. The shell is hydrated then the stretcher is inserted, the helmet then dries back into it's original shape. The shell is marked as a size 56 (cm) so...6 3/4".
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Not the best of photos but this shows the rear visor being hydrated in the sealed plastic bag. You can see the ball of wet newspaper and the visor in an open smaller bag. We don't want water touching the visor as it will cause the finish to bleed through and cover up that PR 30 marking which must NOT HAPPEN at all costs!! :)
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A photo of the visor taken today. It does not look as if much has changed BUT the leather is more flexible and those curled edges will now move without breaking. One has to be patient with these "methods". You always have to remember, that it took 100+ years for the piece to get into this "shape". Consequently, the visor was put back in it's bag and I will leave it for another 2 weeks before I check it again. BTW I am still looking for a wappen to complete this , so if anyone sees one for sale, please let me know.
 
After a month of hydration, a few patches of mold began appearing on the rear visor. The visor is flexible, perhaps not as much as I would like but it is time to try and get this back into shape. A photo of where we are at now....
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Plastic bag over head form and then 4 heavy duty rubber bands to force the visor back into proper shape! If I had tried this without hydration, I believe the piece would have broken into pieces. Bryan, my apologies for not responding to your suggestion about the front visor, I will give that a try, probably without the wax paper though as that might leave a residue on the leather. It is still hydrating at the moment. A thought just crossed my mind..... if I fix this and get it restored, then maybe Alan won't sell me anymore scrappers!! :rolleyes:
 
Well hydration and blocking have worked their magic, this picture was taken today:
IMG_3753.jpeg
The rear visor with the PR30 marking has turned out well and will be put back on. The front visor has straightened out but I am still uncertain if it can be used. The shell is now blocked on a styrofoam head form while it dries.
 
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