A beginner question

[Poromies]

As the search function is a bit complicated nowadays, I couldnt find a thread helping me with this question. How do I remove a layer of paint off a helmet? I have a belgian M1 clone that was painted green before sold away, and it has a nice brownish green underneath. The current green is poorly painted on as drops are visible and it is too light green. It would be great if you could also tell me how to get the cork texture when I repaint it later to its original glory.

[davejb]

Hi, first off ,i dont really understand what you want to do, are you saying that you want to get rid of the top layer of paint , leaving the brownish/green or all the layers of paint because you want to paint it with new paint and add a cork finish

[MySonsDad]

Are you certain that the Belgian M1 Clone had a textured finish?

Regardless, if you are wanting the cork textured look but are not concerned about actually using "cork" in the process, run down to your local auto parts store and pick up a can or two of aerosol "SPLATTER" paint, over in the spray paint section of the store. This is the stuff that auto restorers use to give their 50's or 60's vintage car trunk that textured look they all came with from the factory. With just a little practice, you'll figure out the distance to spray your shell and will be able to mimic the cork textured look for just a few bucks and none of the headache of crushing and mixing cork.

As for an answer to your original question, sorry, i don't have an answer for that.

Good luck with the restore and make sure you let us all see how it turns out.......Russ

[Poromies]

Thanks guys!

[Poromies]

So do I spray the stuff before or after repainting?

[davejb]

Spray it on before, it wont come in the colour you want so you will need to respray after, but what are you going to do to get the paint off initially, are you totally removing all paint back to bare metal or just the green colour

[MySonsDad]

Yea, as Dave say, you have to spray the texture on first and then put a couple coats of the final color on over it. This stuff is typically black and white speckle looking, does not make a very attractive helmet color.

If your just stripping off the top layers of paint to get to the original paint, you'll not want to be messing with putting new texture on, leave well enough alone if you can get to the original paint w/o destroying.

[Nige H]

Right the correct “Factory” way to get this effect is to paint the helmet Olive Drab #319 which quite a thick spray applied cost of paint, then while the enamel is still wet the exterior surface is sprinkled with a liberal layer of ground up cork, the helmet shell is then left to dry (at the factory they baked the finish) then the excess and loose cork is rub off the surface and the helmet is given a final touch up top coat. Personally if your going to make this look U.S. WWII M1 Spec I would leave the helmet for a week to dry and then recoat to complete the job.

Nige.

[MySonsDad]

Before throwing cork on this shell, I'd check to be sure they were covered this way. I do not think they were, if anything they had a sand texture, like the post war M-1's. All the photos's I've seen do not appear to have a cork finish. Maybe someone on here knows more. If nobody knows, wait a few days and I will be able to tell you for sure, I have one that should be in my hot little hands any day now

[davejb]

Im not sure it was sand but a coarse grain aluminium oxide, similar to the grit that you get from wet and dry sanding paper or cloth, you can buy it from hardware stores or from abrasive companys