After looking more at it, i also found another part in the dome, where it looks like there is paint over pitting. I´m getting more and more worried, and confused. Parts of the helmet convince me its definitly original, other parts... scream repaint to me.
Last edited by Adravor; 07-03-2020 at 02:24 PM.
hello Adravor.
i can just confirm what i said on GHV. it seems to be freshened inside ...not the whole inner just some areas and perhaps the front part of the inner ring where the pad is missing.
one vent lug looks totally repainted. can you take some good shoots of the inner, also the lugs form inside ?
I think the photos you posted first (were them from the seller i assume, right?) weren't telling the whole story due to the darkness and the views, purposely made as to hide something.
Then i wonder why a helmet is such good condition would have missing a pad.
Stop fretting about it, it's absolutely fine. Helmets were gathered off the battlefield and sent back for refurbishing. I have a photo somewhere of old men and youngsters painting them inside and out. I'll post it when I can locate it.
Cheers,
Steve
Well...Refurbished were usually brush painted with stenciled size on the skirt. I would still like to see better photos
Will make more tomorrow when there is sunlight, from wich parts especially? Vents, and the inside, i´m gonna try as good as i can, the linerpad is brittel and i dont wanna damage it, as its definitly original imo.
Don't forget these helmets were made when resources were precious, i'm sure they wouldn't reject the sheet steel if it had some rust pitting. There is every chance it's first ever coat of paint was over pitting.
These new outside photos do show up a few anomalies unfortunately. I still like the paint on the outside which to me shows patina and age/wear related marks etc but cleaned. I agree with Andrea that the inside photos do suggest it has been ‘freshened’. No dirt or dust between the inside shell and liner band and to me the left hand side vent lug appears like a replacement and potentially not original. If you compare the two the right side one appears slightly longer. If this is the case then perhaps the inside was repainted at the time. Imperial steel vent lugs can be purchased online.
I don’t know if I would call the rough area pitting or least not severe. It looks a bit more like slight deterioration from storage. I have an M16 that has very nice paint but was attacked by humidity and has suffered slight pitting and rust but only in a small area.
Let’s see what the new photos show.
Andy
Thanks for all the Opinions!
Yes, i also tend to believe the Lug could be an replacement, but its hard to say, its completly tight and i dont see any signs of an replacement, it just looks too fresh. The thing is, if it was refurbished, whoever did it did a good job regarding the paint, as i dont see any difference in the shade of it, and i´m still convinced the side with the name is original (the linerband as also more rust/age on that side). I´ll try to photograph this tomorrow as good as i can.
So, did factory refurbishments happen like this? As, with the colouring i could almost be convinced to believe that.
One of those vents does look like a replacement, but when is the question. I wonder if the refurbishment might not have been post WW1, during the 1920's. It was a time many were wandering around wearing these helmets, both regular and irregular forces.
Adravor, I have not been able to find a lot of information in regards to actual refurbishment other than from surviving examples and from what I have read. However as Andrea pointed out refurbs will have a black stencilled number in the rear skirt and usually hand brushed although I have an example that appears to be sprayed.
I believe what Andrea is suggesting is that the inside has been painted post war rather than period refurbished. For me the interior paint looks a lot fresher than the outside.I would be interested if you could measure the length of the narrow/long part of the vent lug. It doesn’t look quite right but could just be the angle. Brand new replica vents can be purchased online. Below are a couple of photos from two of my refurbed WW1 helmets.
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