Black painted Norwegian M35

[Hallibag]

I found this helmet many years ago at a yard sale, in the condition you see it in now. Now, I'm thinking about restoring it but, before I do, I would like to confirm that the black paint on it was not put on in military service. I expect it was added post-war by somebody trying to make the helmet look "cool" but, as I'm not 100% sure about this, I'm hoping the specialists on this board might offer their opinion. If the black paint is a genuine part of the helmet's military history, I'd hate to strip it off.

Anyway, here it is:



Thanks!

[Gimmie]

The black paint is definitely not an original German colour,

Regards,
Bas

[Hallibag]

Thanks, Bas. Yes, I can see the original grey-green paint inside the helmet and in a couple of places on the outside, where the black paint has chipped off. I was just wondering if the helmet might have been painted black in Norwegian service.

[douglas2496]

I certainly feel extremely confident that that paint was not added during the helmets military service. I have never seen a Norwegian helmet painted black, and this has been crudely done in shiny paint. The remains of the Nazi emblem stuck on the front clearly show this helmet has been messed with.

If you havnt stripped a helmet before, its worth remembering that it is a lot of work to do it properly. I would recommend using acetone, carefully applied to a small area at a time with cotton wool. You will of course find Norwegian green paint under there, rather than German paintwork.

[Gimmie]

Thanks, Bas. Yes, I can see the original grey-green paint inside the helmet and in a couple of places on the outside, where the black paint has chipped off. I was just wondering if the helmet might have been painted black in Norwegian service.

The black was probably painted around the decals. As you can see on the right-hand decal, a piece of the decal on the corner has been chipped away revealing the Norwegian colour underneath. This would suggest that the decal was on before the black paint. I do not believe that this is original. Lets not forget the fake decal on the front, I would suggest this is a helmet that has suffered a 'fantasy-dealer'.

Regards,
Bas

[Neil Hever]

It looks like something a biker would do to jazz up the helmet. Normally, I would recommend leaving an example of a "counter-culture" re-purposed helmet alone. They must have some value as hippie culture items. But this one is missing most of the decal up front, so not much value there. It will be a lot of effort to clean up something that will have minimal value. But if you are really keen for a difficult project then go for it. NH

[Hallibag]

Okay, thanks everyone. I guess I'll leave well enough alone.