Bread bag strap

[Nathan5kdp]

Is this a good wartime bread bag strap I could use on a helmet? Is everything original and to specs? thank you. I know that the metal parts have been painted at one point. Would that be wartime done?

[Nathan5kdp]

Just click the photo two times to get the largest resolution. THANKS!

[Adrian Stevenson]

It looks fine to me and could be used on a helmet. Not studied these to any great extent so I cannot comment on the paint issue, but I don't see it as a problem.

Cheers, Ade.

[JPhilip]

Hello,
The breadbag strap looks original, middle to late war production.
I do not like the black paint. IMO postwar made to preserve metal parts.
When you place a breadbag strap on a helmet, you often damage the paint of the Stahlhelm...especially on the edges.
Thanks

[Nathan5kdp]

Ahh but if the paint is to preserve the metal and done postwar would that mean this was reissued to some foreign army? I have never heard of these straps being reissued.. Should I remove the paint or keep it on? This strap is in the mail to me and I wish to put it on my Original DAK Heer M35 helmet, Which is quite well worn so I thought this strap would look appropriate on it.

[JPhilip]

Ahh but if the paint is to preserve the metal and done postwar would that mean this was reissued to some foreign army? I have never heard of these straps being reissued.. Should I remove the paint or keep it on? This strap is in the mail to me and I wish to put it on my Original DAK Heer M35 helmet, Which is quite well worn so I thought this strap would look appropriate on it.

Hello,
The postwar painted metal parts does not necessarily mean that it was reissued to a foreign army. It means that the strap was seized and placed in storage, perhaps for being later reissued or sold to another country. Many german items that came back from the former USSR's military depots in the recent years never saw action after the war and had their metal parts black painted in order to preserve them from rust, like rifle pouches for instance.
IMO this black painted must be removed. As many middle to late war breadbag straps have the metal parts without paint, removing the black one is a good way to have the strap back in its original condition. When there's paint on the leather parts, that's a bit more tricky.
As these are your helmet and breadbag strap you can do what you want with them, but please remember that the strap will damage your helmet/paint and will make fresh marks in the shell.
Thanks

[Adrian Stevenson]

JPhilip is correct about large quantities of these coming from former Soviets stocks. We see a lot of these in the UK. I have bought some Luftwaffe blue ones, but these did not have the black paint on them. Next time I am at a show I will look closer at any for sale from the dealer who imported these and check for the black paint. But I bet JP is right.

Cheers, Ade.

[JPhilip]

It could have been painted black by a collector also...who knows ?
Sorry if the first part of my previous post was a bit confusing. I'm not saying that this breadbag strap is from a former USSR military depot, i'm saying that the black paint is postwar and that some items seized by the former Red Army and put in storage for many years had their metal parts painted black...
I have collected german equipments items for almost all my life and have never seen black paint factory applied pre1945 on the metal parts of a breadbag strap.
You can find black paint applied by the germans on other items, but not on the breadbag or on its strap...
Thanks

[Nathan5kdp]

What would be the best way then to go about removing this black paint without damaging the strap?

[JPhilip]

Hello again,
The best is to wait for the strap to arrive and then have a look at the paint. Sometimes the paint is a bad quality one and when it's old, you can sratch it with your nail without damaging the metal parts or your nail, sometimes the paint is quite thick and tough to get rid of.
I used oven cleaners to remove postwar paint. Sometimes i also used triple 0 steel wool with a bit of oil to remove the paint without damaging the metal parts.
In this case you have to protect the cloth and the leather from oil.
Patience is the key word here.
It took two months to a friend of mine to remove an old varnish from a three tone camouflaged helmet...he didn't want to use any chemical product or modern cleaner so he used a wooden toothpick and patiently removed all the varnish without damaging the camo paint.
You'll find your way to achieve a good work...
Thanks