Real relic or fake?

[James C]

a nice honest stahlhelm relic most likely an model 35 ,the shell looks strong, id try wax to inhibit the corrosion instead of a bag ,it might sweat inside making it worse and would also spoil your viewing pleasure ,if you dont want the hassle just place it on the shelf and periodically clean up the fallout

[bigmacglenn]

I've noticed through the years that Kurland Relics are generally in a more advanced stage of deterioration compared to relics unearthed in other Ostfront sites...Lots of relic awards, especially relic Nahkampfspangen(Close-Combat Clasps) are coming out of Kurland and onto the marketplace as well...
cheers, Glenn

[TheGoon]

Real as it gets and lacquer works well to keep it from rusting if you don't mind it a little glossy.

[johnb593]

I wonder why that is Glenn. You'd think they would all rust at about the same rate depending on conditions of course.

[johnb593]

I have a plastic bag over it that is wide open on the bottom. So far I haven't seen any additional rust, etc. I don't think I'll overcoat it with anything UNLESS I find it to be deteriorating.

[Walkwolf]

A light coat of matt fixative will also work, but
sometimes these are so far gone that rust
has practically penetrated the shell.

An M40 - quite solid - which came out of
Serbia I believe, and an M42 that loses
small pieces occasionally :

[johnb593]

That's a very nice M40 you have there! I would like to snag one that is in that condition without paying out the kazoo for it. I have another helmet that I will post some pics of that I picked up at a antique store in East Texas when I was a kid. Stay tuned!

[slados28]

I wonder why that is Glenn. You'd think they would all rust at about the same rate depending on conditions of course.

Varying levels of acidity and type of soil plus climate in the different geographical locations make all the difference... aside from negligent treatment after recovery there's really nothing more to it. Kind of like you said ---

For a relic lid that sheds a lot of rust, like the OP helmet, I'd clean the loose rust off with a soft brush, perhaps even a bath in Citric Acid (weak acid, not harmful), dry it off and then apply a light coat of Renaissance Wax.

[johnb593]

Here's my other helmet that I picked up at a old country antique store in East Texas when I was a kid. Over the years the leather liner rotted out and I recently replaced it with a new repop. Opinions??

[MoparJW]

I have one rusty relic like that, rust particles kept falling off around it.
My solution was to clean the loose rust off with a soft brush, and place it in a dust proof display case, its been fine for 2 years now