Ersatz Pickelhaube - restoration

[Irish1965]

Hi everyone,

As promissed I would post a view pictures after 'restoring'a Ersatz Felt Pickelhaube. I've done the minimum as possible to keep it in a kind of relic state. Firsy of all I clean it with a soft brush to remove dust, cobwebs and moth remains. Because the fact that it was a little dented and the spike, due to it's weight sunk a little into the dome, I used steam to get it into the original shape. A nice trick I used to learn from a hatter (hatmaker). She told me also that felt hats had a memory and tend to get in the original shape. I don't know how well the memory of a Pickelhaube is after an 110 years, so I used an old wooden hat form I bought a an antiques fair. That worked out pretty well and was fun to do. Extra bonus for using steam is that all vermin gets cooked and dies.

After that I put on some relic kokarden. Some paint was even left after being underground a hunderd years. I put on a zinc and grey painted Prussian eagle on it. The fittings are all zinc metal but the spike is not removable. So not a 1915 version. Looks like a go between a brass 1895 and a 1915 version. Lacking is a good original chinstrap but that's for the future.

I found some stamps on the inside of the back rim. Time made them fade away. Maybe someone can tell me what the red dot means. And do I see bloodstains on the left side below the kokarde or is it rust???

Tell me what you think of it?

Cheers, Paul

Before:







After:

[MAP]

Very well done. Looks great!

Take the chin strap and try to age it a bit. I think that will make it even look nicer.

Try taking a black light to the ink stamping. Sometimes that works, depending on the type of ink used. I've had good and no results in the past so you never know.

[BlackCat1982]

Great job Paul, very sympathetically done.

[Irish1965]

Very well done. Looks great!

Take the chin strap and try to age it a bit. I think that will make it even look nicer.

Try taking a black light to the ink stamping. Sometimes that works, depending on the type of ink used. I've had good and no results in the past so you never know.

Thanks for the tip. I'll try it with blacklight.

[Chopperman]

Nicely done.

[Rescue190]

Turned out very nice. Great Job.
John

[AndyM35]

I can only echo what the other fellas have said Paul! I think you’ve done a great job with this project! As MAP has pointed out, the chinstrap could be aged to make it a little older looking. Not sure how to do this but I’m sure there are lots of articles online. I think wetting it and then exposing it to the sun i.e. constant changes in temperature may have an effect.

To me, this could have been found in some barn in France hidden in a dusty loft waiting to be found for the last 100 years or so.

Well done!
Andy

[Irish1965]

For the chinstrap I'll get some relic hardwear. Then I'll have some old leather laying around. Together that'll make a decent chinstrap that's not far of from an original.

Cheers Paul

[Irish1965]

I can only echo what the other fellas have said Paul! I think you’ve done a great job with this project! As MAP has pointed out, the chinstrap could be aged to make it a little older looking. Not sure how to do this but I’m sure there are lots of articles online. I think wetting it and then exposing it to the sun i.e. constant changes in temperature may have an effect.

To me, this could have been found in some barn in France hidden in a dusty loft waiting to be found for the last 100 years or so.

Well done!
Andy

Well, in fact it was found in France in some barn.

[Kohima]

Super job, Paul!
For me, the cockades are a little far gone to be conducive to the helmet, though that missing chunk aligns perfectly with the puncture hole (and the local staining is somewhat disconcerting - doesn’t look like rust)…
All in all, a very tasteful and sympathetic approach.
Love it!