Ss relic Demjansk

[Bumbleshoes]

Anderson: thanks for your comments. But there is actually quite some paint were the decal is. Cheers

[Bumbleshoes]

The guy never sells crap.. never bought something that wasn't genuine.. lifetime warranty on originality: rocksteady militaria check the the guy on fb.

[juncker93]

I know that dealer personally. He does indeed have connections in russia and regularly buys a lot of helmets there. They are always ground dug relics.
However the guys that sell him the helmets may tell stories that are not correct but the items are. The story ain't worth much anyway if you don't have documentation too prove it but you have a nice helmet.

[Bumbleshoes]

Alright, i personaly don't care were the helmet comes from. The thing that matters is: it's a genuine war time relic. The decal looks just right in terms of wear.. very happy with this item haha thanks for the comment have a nice day.

[Paul D]

It is not uncommon to find a very heavily rusted helmet where the decal remains are in far better condition , it all depends on the ground conditions.

FreiKorps Danmark were also at Demjansk !

[Bumbleshoes]

Yes indeed! Thanks for the info not really into eastern front history further than basic stuff. I also have a heer helmet in really ruff condition.. worse then this one and it also has remains of a decal. But this ss.. specially at the under part of the decal there is still quite some paint visible unrusted.. so just lucky I guess.

Thanks for the comments very usefull

[Gimmie]

The decal survived (almost) why no paint? It would be an interesting little experiment to put a new repro decal on a heavily rusted relic such as this, then rub the hell out of it and see if you could replicate the result we see here. Perhaps a new thread?

Look at several different real relic helmets. You will notice the odd thing where the decal tends to 'save' a part of the helmet from rust. E.G. rust forming AROUND the decal and a tiny bit on it. I'm not a scientist so I wouldn't be able to explain the chemical process behind this, but it is normal.

Regards,
Bas

[danhashman]

Its not so odd in my opinion. There is the helmet paint, green, grey, black..you name it.
Then over this paint- layer goes another layer (the decal) , which protects the underlying paint and under-underlying metal.
I have a M-35 relic helmet that is heavily rusted, but the Decal- site is clearly visible, even thou the decal is long gone . The decal takes more time damage, so i guess the decal protects the paint, which on the other hand protects the metal from corrosion. But then, i am only an Anthropologist and might be mistaken..