Schellenberg Heer Artillery Officers Schirmmütze

[Adrian]

I hear what you're saying but if the eagle isn't original to the cap and a better example can be sourced would it be right or wrong to replace it? Down to the individual I guess.

[Greenhorn]

Nice cap, Adrian

Seeing that the eagle is not original to it, a replacement would finish it off nicely!

Green

[don_kihotis7]

I hear what you're saying but if the eagle isn't original to the cap and a better example can be sourced would it be right or wrong to replace it? Down to the individual I guess.

If the eagle is a replacement then i would change it as well.

[BenVK]

Before embarking on any replacement eagle, please bare in mind that to do it properly would mean removing the glue. If it's water based glue, it's usualy not a big problem but if it's Cyanoacrylate (super glue), it's almost impossible to remove. You might say that because another eagle is to be sewn over the top, that's not an issue but I can assure you it is. You can't sew through sugerglue!

[Adrian]

Thank you for the advice Ben.

I haven't rushed into doing it and I will only replace tbe exisiting eagle if I find the one I want, it will not be replaced with the first eagle I find.

The glue does not go right to the edges of the eagle, there is a decent margin to sew through if I find the one I want. I'm in no rush though.

[BenVK]

I'm in no rush though.

I'm so glad to hear this.

I have a hat here with me at the moment that I was asked to restore. I think I've had it for about a year now, can't find the suitable parts yet. No problem with the owner at all.
I also have another hat here that I've had for a less than a month,, the owner has hassled me every week about when it will be finished.

Guess who I will work for again and which one I will ignore from this day forward?

[davejb]

Before getting a replacement is there any evidence that this eagle is not original to the cap, could it be that where the damaged areas in the wool backing, were or could have been eaten by larvae, causing the stitching to become unattached therefore someone removed the whole eagle and didnt bother with resewing, from the pictures shown the eagle and wreath look to have the same patination, i would personally ask Ben to have a look and judging by what he see's either replace with one you obtain, if not original, or resew with a bit of wool restoration if belonging to the cap, but i'm pretty lucky in that Ben lives 20minutes from me, so postage and insurance doe'snt factor into the equation

[Wagriff]

To me, it's a no-brainer. The eagle that's on there isn't the original piece that came with the cap and it's in totally moth chomped condition. Get the leftover moth dinner off of it and replace it with a decent condition eagle like it had to begin with. Then you'll have a cap that is as it was and should be again.

[Adrian]

Before getting a replacement is there any evidence that this eagle is not original to the cap, could it be that where the damaged areas in the wool backing, were or could have been eaten by larvae, causing the stitching to become unattached therefore someone removed the whole eagle and didnt bother with resewing, from the pictures shown the eagle and wreath look to have the same patination, i would personally ask Ben to have a look and judging by what he see's either replace with one you obtain, if not original, or resew with a bit of wool restoration if belonging to the cap, but i'm pretty lucky in that Ben lives 20minutes from me, so postage and insurance doe'snt factor into the equation

Hi Dave,

Take a look at post #27, I've arrowed a couple of pieces of brown thread which is where a larger type eagle was sewn to the cap at some point. This is why I don't belive the eagle which is there now can be original to the cap or else why would these loose brown threads be there? The cockade is attached with this same brown thread so I'm thinking the original eagle and cockade were put on there at the same time using the same thread.

[davejb]

Adrian, thinking between the lines as it were, i was wondering that if this is the original eagle , and bearing in mind that the wool border was, at one time wider than now, the eagle could well fit the thread positions, the bottom of the wreath has very little border remaining , the left wing has some remaining but i believe this would have been wider all around the eagle, as its been stuck on with glue there is a possibility that this has been positioned slightly off , that and the fact the border was wider at one time could account for the threads being visible and its the original eagle, its just a thought