M42 SD Battle damaged relic from St-Vith

[WW2Hunter]

I bought this relic helmet not so long ago, it was love at first site, he's realy rusting up due to bad storage conditions.
I would like to preserve him as he is, i don't want him to deteriorate more than he allready is.
What would be the best way to preserve him and stop it from rusting any further?

Cheers,
Steven

[Datrus]

Maybe "painting" it with some bees wax. Heat it till it becomes liquid and apply a thin coat. I don't know if somebody will go against me on this one though.

[WW2Hunter]

Thanks for the advise,
will it stop the rusting?

[Datrus]

I think i will stop the oxidation process to some degree. Bees wax is used for many iron relics. It is a neutral product. Not aggressive to the decal and paint.

[WW2Hunter]

Ok,
Thanx a lot for the advise, I'll give it a go with the bees wax.

Cheers,
Steven

[talltom]

or give it to me
you could also put it in a display case that way there is no air stopping rusting and you can still lokk at it something like WWII German British Helmet Hat Cap Smaller Display Case | eBay

tom

[davejb]

You could try using a flat matt sealer in spray form, it will stop further oxidation on the outside skin of the metal but as for under the rust it all depends whether theres still damp patches or if its completely dry, you may want to heat the metal all over with a hairdryer before spraying

[Datrus]

I think it is impossible to completely stop the rust, but i don't know for sure. The reason i would stick to the wax is that it contains no solvents. Let us hear some more opinions.

[WW2Hunter]

it all depends whether theres still damp patches or if its completely dry, you may want to heat the metal all over with a hairdryer before spraying

Now he's completly dry, but it made the paint and decal even more fragile.

[Datrus]

I think you should wait a little with applying anything until we get some more opinions. If the paint and decal is fragile, think twice about applying solvent based product. What if the decal gets damaged by the solvent? Getting blurred or even start "running".