Rusty old relic

[greatwhite]

hi guys long time viewer i decided to join, i have been not so much of a collector but admired some collections of others here and on other sites, i have decided to collect what i can and like most have been stung more than once i only have a few bits from stamps,coins,patches etc however i wanted an helmet, so price being the main concern ebay it was, i managed i think to get an original relic, yes its rusty yes its damaged but its my first one im sure i will learn i think its an M35 it is still in transit from europe, advice now is do i clean it, how do i clean it, do preserve it (oil) most will look and think junk it maybe just that but any help would be great
Steve

[AMTG]

G'day and welcome,

I'd leave it exactly as it is.....maybe a gentle clean to remove any dirt or rust that is particulary loose
preservation wise, keeping it a dry environment is a must.... It's survived this long in a hostile to metal environment, so it should last a while inside out of the elements.
Some use fish oil to attempt to halt further deterioration, others use a gentle coating of wax, but it will continue to fall apart, you'll just be delaying the process, but it should hold up well

[greatwhite]

Thanks for the reply, i will get more detail once it arrives very hard to tell just how bad it is or if any of the green paint is original, is it an M35?

[Gunny Hartmann]

I'd gently brush off any loose dirt and rust etc, keep it it a dry place and rub a thin later of beeswax into it!..

[greatwhite]

ok thank you.

[slados28]

I'd leave it alone, in this state applying wax or messing with it in any other way would only ruin its untouched relic character and leave it looking, well... very messed with, I guess. Rust would darken and be more prominent/look less natural etc. IMO it's got some nice character but "preserving" this one by applying anything to it would effectively remove this certain something and leave it looking just like any other rusted out shell --- not a good idea.

[douglas2496]

Hi there and welcome. This is an M42 helmet, identified by the flared rim around the outside, a wartime modification to speed up production. The helmet looks a bit odd to me, the finish is unusual (perhaps some filler has been applied to it?) and the bright green paint is not what I would expect. I'm sure it is a genuine helmet, but i'd be interested to see better pictures when they are available.

[greatwhite]

thanks i will put up some pictures the seller sent, i thought green would be unusual for an M42 thats why i thought M35

[Dean]

I'd use a paint brush to get any loose dirt off. I MIGHT use some WD-40 sprayed onto it to discontinue rust temporarily. I've used it on my relics and it works nicely and brings whatever color is left from the paint.

[LeonardoL]

Sometimes after cleaning M40 and M42 look green.