Possible to restore helmet marked ET64 3657? What to do with it?

[Hoggorm]

Hello!

I have this helmet that my father got after the war. He is not sure where he got it from, but at that time it was common that the Norwegian army used some of the old German equipment. He may have bought it from the Norwegian Army after they stopped using it.

He can't remember if it was painted green before he got it or if it is he who did it. He knows however that it was he who painted the black/white/red marks on both sides of the helmet.

The helmet is marked ET64 and 3657 so I assume it is real in itself. Is it possible somehow to restore it to a more authentic look? Or - what should I do with it? I do not feel it has much value as it is today with the obvious fake painting...

What would you have done with it?

[Danmark]

It has the Norwegian red dyed liner so it cannot be restored without a replacement german one. Probably not worth the effort I would keep it as is as a memory of your father.

[Duff]

It will be worth the same restored as it is now.... if you want a project - go ahead... But as Danmark said - you would have to find a German liner, which will go for around $70-$100US... By the time you have liner, paint, decal costs, and your time - you'll have to make the call. I've done it before, just so I could display a Luft helmet better....

[Hoggorm]

Thank you both for answering!

Is it possible to find the correct paint so that I can do this myself? I would actually prefer it to be more authentic since it is more like a toy now. The marks on both sides are glossy for example.

How would I do it if I would like to change the color and decals, but just let the inner liner be as it is? Can the color and decals be bought somewhere? Would I have to remove the old paint before repainting? Are there some instructions/tutorials on how to do this somewhere?

[FALLSCHIRMJAGER]

Hi, personally I would go with Dan's advice and keep it as a memory of your dad. That said if you really want to re-paint it, ebay has dealers selling various shades of paint for just about any style of Third Reich helmet you may want to have. It will never look original though. Leon.

[Hoggorm]

I see. Thank you!

[JimSS]

you can try to clean that liner with nail polish remover. Attachment 976903Attachment 976904Attachment 976902Attachment 976901Attachment 976900

[Hoggorm]

I see. Thank you for the tip. I'll consider it however I'm more concerned about the paint and decals. As it is now I feel I can't display it at all. It reminds me too much of a toy...

[JimSS]

there you can find something useful -> german helmet decals - dday-1944.com

[Hoggorm]

Thank you!

That was an interesting website.

I plan to have the paint on the helmet removed and apply new paint and decals.

In the meantime, I have a few more questions. I'd like to restore it to a somewhat realistic helmet that could have been used in Norway.

1 - What types of German armed forces in Norway could have used this helmet? Luftwaffe and Heer perhaps? Or did Luftwaffe use another model?

2 - The people that will remove the paint can also apply new color if I choose so. But what color should I tell them to use? Did the helmet I have use one or more specific color coding that I can give them? RLM code perhaps? Or is it better to buy from dday-1944.com and do it myself?

3 - If I want to restore it to a Luftwaffe helmet that might have been used in Norway - what type of decals should I get?

Thank you for helping me with this