Getting rid of the black ring of doom

[MAP]

Must of missed this the first time I read through the replies so I apologise for that. Freezing it is an interesting idea but would peel pf nicely or take the paint with it is the question. I think I've convinced myself not to tamper with this helmet however I do have another mark 4 which I think was originally a textured brown but someone has filled in the areas where the paint had chipped away with a glossy black paint and is now fairly rusty on the interior, so all in all not doing well for itself. My plan was just to leave it as is but, as it does have some liner residue on it and its already been tampered with so I may do some testing. If I do I shall post the results in here.

Thanks again for the help,
Jack

No worries. I've just seen this technique used in the past (not on helmets) to DEEP freeze gum (yes...yuck) on floors, tables, etc. Once the gum is frozen it is so brittle is separates and almost falls apart.

[JohnF]

a little late ...but you will still have just a bad a mark if you remove the black trust me.., a net is the way to go to disguise it a little, cheers!

[CluelessTommy]

Yes, but a bad mark would be preferable to the raised black mess that is there now. A net is a good solution for a military helmet however would look a bit out of place on a civil helmet. Anyhow nothing has been done yet as I'm trying to discover what type of oil was used to treat the cloth to see if there is way to just break it down and then I'll have to actually get round to doing the testing.

Jack

[Composite]

Mate....how special is this Helmet?...”MAYOR”, “SURVEYOR”, “CONTROLLER”??? I’m intrigued......

[Watchdog]

As the black material is an early petroleum based product there are various petroleum based solvents that can achieve good results such as, petrol (gasoline), parafin (kerosine), white spirit etc. Some solvents like nail varnish remover (a cellulose product) can also work. The point is though, as stated above there will almost certainly be a residual "stain" left on the paint where solvent from the original material or the actual solvent you use to remove it has migrated into the surface of the paint. This tends to look like an oil stain (which it is really) or a kind of shadow difference in the paint shade although with practice you can "feather" this out by rubbing the edges with a cloth having just a trace (almost dry) of the solvent on it. This is fine if there is no thick layer of historical grime present to make your treament blindingly obvious. If there is it may be neccessary to wipe over the entire shell to blend the shade. This of course is a personal choice. For me I prefer to remove surface crud / filth (you don't know what it is or whether it might harm the shell over time not to mention you in your own home) but take care not to remove the patina of age and this can be a difficult balance to achieve. For example; the shadow left by a helmet net can make the decision much harder and the method more problematic. To put this in context I would not dream of polishing a cap badge but neither will I tolerate a bayonet covered in mud.
If you choose to attempt removal of the black deposit I suggest you go carefully and begin with a very small amount of solvent on something like a cotton bud (Q Tip kind of thing) to see if the black comes off and treat the thickest deposit first so you don't go through to the paint and can change your mind. The results will also depend on the paint finish as well. An eggshell type finish in a dark colour will be less affected than a matt olive green for instance.

Why not post some pics which might affect the advice you receive?

Regards

Mark

[CluelessTommy]

It’s not special in that sense at all, it’s just a standard light blue police MK IV, just looks quite sorry for its self with a thick crown of black goo round the top. Personally I would prefer it to be a stain rather than a residue as I think it would Look nicer. However I don’t think I should risk damaging it just because of my personal preference.

Thanks mark, I didn’t post a picture of the helmet at the start as I hoped there would just be an easy answer quickly, which was a bit naive but oh well. I’m currently away from the helmet so can’t take one now and won’t be for a while.

So I’m just going to sit on this for a while as if I do anything there is more of a chance of me doing harm than good and that’s not what I aimed to do.

Guess I’ll just wait for a time machine to go back and warn of the dangers of helmet stacking.

Thanks for all the help it’s much appreciated,
Jack