Repainted WW2 produced M33

[FinMC]

EDIT(would anyone be able to identify the exterior she'll paint & whether or not I should scrape away it and the post war olive to reveal the original paint?)

I asked a question about this piece a while ago (on whether or not the go for the auction) and it finally arrived! I'm very happy with it, a nice addition!

Having had a look around of it, I've found what seems to be an 'F' on the back interior rim, some stamp in the metal on the chinstrap buckle piece in the space between it and the shell (hence the bad photo!) and I seem to have unearthed what may be the original WW2 paint. It seems to have three layers, the exterior paint (no idea on that) post war olive (seen on the interior) and the original paint (see in some photos of the interior)

Thanks for looking and have a good one!

[ziomanno]

You have a wartime M33, possibly even pre war (1st type rivets). Liner, shell code and chinstrap are OK.
As you stated the factory paint is inside, but it is hard to tell when and by whom the outer layer was applied... At a glance it looks like the green tone used by the Navy, but there's not the anchor.
If you decide to strip it, be very careful, because there could be a stencil branch insignia on the front.

[FinMC]

I thought the outer layer may have been applied by a collector - hoping to emulate the original paint colour (they look relatively similar) So the original paint under the outer green/blue and the postwar olive may have a stencil you think?

[ziomanno]

Highly possible. The majority of M33's had it, mainly the pre/early war ones.

[FinMC]

Ok, so seeing As the exterior paint is (probably) definitely a recent addition and the olive post war beneath - do you know anything about stripping paint layers without damaging the details and layers underneath?

[earlymb]

You could try acetone on a Q-tip or brake fluid for cars... But try both very carefully first, ofcourse. I'm not sure how the layer underneath will react.

[FinMC]

Ok, if anyone has had experience with or knows how to strip non original paint off of an M33 - can you please message me here or privately? I would really like to get this tin showing its true colours

[bghomofaber]

Rivets and interior are of the first type, prewar. Exactly as mine example who came from Germany, with an hasty external overpaint like yours. I suspect some luftschutz or volkssturm use after the first italian surrender of Sept. 8th 1943, which gave way to a great activity of equipment seizure by the german army that had then captured an enormous number of ex allied regio esercito troops and supplies.

When Mussolini reconstituted a fascist state in Northern Italy only part of that equipment was given back to his Social Republic troops.

I wouldn't touch the helmet, the oevrpaint was probably wartime made to hide former regio esercito markings

[bghomofaber]

Overpaint seems very, very similar to the one of my helmet , wide brush strokes and the same paint as well. They really look like twins

[bghomofaber]

I would just clean the whole helmet with hysopropyl and grease the leather with a neutral compound or some animal fat derived leather compound like what was used until the fifties to grease mountain boots, i.e. seal grease.

Italian top notch restorer I took a course with advised me to use so called "olio di piede di bue", safely translated as neatsfoot oil.

Also whale oil it seems should do some good work