Need Help! M35 Restoration

[TheGoon]

ive been thinking of restoring this helmet but i dont know if i should due to the fact that it has part of its decal and most of its paint left and would look good as a relic but i would like a nice restored m35. should i restore it or not???

[Nitram]

I'd leave it personally, since there's decal and paint left.

Nitram

[Collectorww2]

No touchy! I'd leave it be, looks great as it is. Could use some wax perhaps?

[Danmark]

Hi 'goon' - a nice helmet relic, looks solid ( any internals? )

As the others have said, clean it with warm soapy water and a soft bristle brush, let it dry off and assess it.

If needs be then oxalic acid is a good option ( if you are EXTREMELY carefull and treat any acid with respect ) and a final treatment of wax ( beeswax / renaissance or similar ) or even FLAT ( matt ) spray lacquer and you will have something nice to look at.

Dan

[TheGoon]

It has no internals but still has paint on the inside, I'll clean it off and remove the rust. What does the wax do to the helmet?

[helmetone]

I don't do relics so I would say leave it. But the acid treatment would work if you felt comfortable doing it.

[TheGoon]

I might try cleaning it up with acid. Do you know where I could get it?

[WOODSNAKE]

Interesting dilemma you have there Goon, only you can answer that question, great candidate for a resto but as others have said very nice in its own right.

[Danmark]

Hi Goon,
Don't know where in Canadialand you can get it but look for products marketed as concrete and sidewalk cleaners.
Oxalic acid is NOT liquid but white granules that are dissolved in water ( NEVER PUT WATER INTO ANY ACID )
If this is daunting I would do the warm soapy water thing and wax - what the wax does is stop the air ( oxygen ) from getting to the surface and causing more damage.

See if you can take some clearer photos & a few close-ups .... the finish looks intriguing and especially so if the decals we can see can be saved.

[KradSpam]

You can buy oxalic acid crystals on ebay, among other uses it is used as a deck cleaner on yachts etc. I have used a 10% solution in the past with good results (overnight submerged bath). Weaker is better while you get used to the stuff. The reaction only produces CO2 but I would still do it outdoors as the stuff will ruin fabrics / carpets etc if you splash it around.