Polish helmet wz31

[Janek79]

Hi guys just pick this helmet and would like to know if it's original

[Piwo2]

Looks really good but I will leave it up to others with more first hand knowledge.

[A.J. Zawadzki]

Agreed with Piwo, on initial glance this one appears to be OK.

Antireflective cork finish (appearing white on the worn-through high points) – check.
Correct khaki brown/green paint shade – check.
Copper stamped inspection rivet – check.
Maker stamp inside with lot number, date, and K2/J2 inspection oval – check.
Liner with white (not blue) pads – check.
Lather drawstring – check.
Liner retaining clips intact – check.
Quick release chinstrap – check.

But . . . on closer inspection there are some red flags.

My main issue is with the exterior antireflective ‘salamandra’ finish, and specifically the uneven distribution of the cork additive. The counterfeiters have not yet mastered the technique required to obtain the correct uniform finish. This is the Achilles heel of all worked over wz.31’s. Although the originally applied finish varied slightly over the production years, it maintained a distinctive and immediately identifiable appearance. A pneumatic application process was originally used that would uniformly distribute the cork. This helmet appears to have the cork applied using a brush, likely a roller brush, as evidenced by the ‘clumping’ of the cork. If you’ve ever textured a “popcorn ceiling” using a roller you’ll know what I mean.

Two lesser issues are 1) the liner ring does not seem to sit evenly within the shell, which suggests that it has been tampered with, and 2) the rust on the metal parts has an artificial recent look to it. It’s a subtle thing, but honest oxidation that has built up over decades has a different look to chemically induced “rushed rust” to give the false appearance of age. I could be wrong here, but just saying.

The real value with these helmets is in their originality. Collectors want helmets with factory finish & fittings intact and unaltered. This helmet needs to be approached with caution. The more I look at it the less I like what I see. Sorry for the long ramble.

Cheers,
Tony

[meyle77]

The exterior finish is not right imo. They come up for sale like that from Poland being wz.31/50 shells with liners from wz.35 fire helmets.

[Tomasz70]

I agree with Tony and Meyle - cork and paint seem to be placed again some time ago, but not as a genuine covering done by the factory... Cork has not been spread properly, much of "naked" cork is still visible, but it shouldn't as a few coats of paint were being adopted in standard helmet - even after many years it is hardly to see erased paint and cork on the top. And important thing - helmets passing quality control couldn't have cork placed in way that easy removal was possible - cork and paint created rugged surface but without the possibility of scratching with fingernail...

[A.J. Zawadzki]

Agreed with both Meyle and Tomasz, but with these brief comments:

. . .They come up for sale like that from Poland being wz.31/50 shells with liners from wz.35 fire helmets.

The liner is from a wz.31 as it has the white pads (vs. blue for the wz.35). The shell would need to be checked for evidence of welding up of the two additional holes present on the majority of wz.31/50. A very small amount were fitted with pre-war liners but those are rare and quite collectible in their own right. Of course, not to say that this would prevent their use to create a fraud. Most of the reworked wz.31’s I’ve observed seem to use relic period shells.

. . . even after many years it is hardly to see erased paint and cork on the top. . . .

Seeing the light coloured cork peeking through on the high points is typically a good sign (although not to the extent the helmet shown here with the seemingly weakly adhered granules) as any genuine wz.31 will have some of this visible wear after better than 75 years of handling. We’ve all seen the re-paints where, instead of cork, sand or other material has been used for the textured surface. Those of course are easily differentiated from genuine salamandra finish.

Cheers,
Tony