battledamaged mp40 found in the Netherlands

[Nijmegen45]

this mp40 is found on the western front in the netherlands
i would like to get Some tips from you Guys how to preserve it
I cleaned a lot of rust and dirt already

[CSW]

Very interesting. Photos would be nice as well!

[Nijmegen45]

I added Some pictures
Sorry for the bad quality pictures i Made these with my mobile phone

[BrodieBartfast]

Great find! It's nice to see the folding stock, which is usually rusted away.

I will always recommend the tea treatment for stabilising relics. Fill a bucket with warm water, dump in a whole packet of teabags and stir. Immerse the relic in the water and leave it for a few hours, then fish it out and dry it in the sun, or in a sealed box with silica gel packets. Tea contains tannic acid, which neutralises active rust. It will give the relic a much darker appearance, but you shouldn't have problems with rust forming again, as long as the relic is kept in a stable environment.

I used the above method on a lake-found M42 helmet that was shedding flakes like no tomorrow. After the treatment, it stopped flaking, and I had no further issues with rust spreading.

Before treatment:



After treatment:



Regards, B.B.

[Nijmegen45]

Hi Brody
Thanks for your reply
I am going to try the method you described
and btw great helmet that you found in the river i like the dark look

[Nijmegen45]

here are Some of my Helmets
I want to preserve these but im scared that the decals wil be gone after a anti rust threatment
do you have experience with paint remains on helmets ?
Greets Rick

[BrodieBartfast]

I'm glad I could help. I should point out that I didn't find that helmet myself! I've purchased all my relics online, as metal detecting here in the UK is a bit of a hassle.

If you're worried about the tea staining the paint remains and the decals, the next best thing to do would be to leave the helmet as it is. I don't see any active rust on those relics, so as long as they're kept in a stable environment they should be fine.

B.B.

[toot]

MP-40, it is amazing at hoe that the grips are not affected by the time spent in the ground?

[BlackCat1982]

MP-40, it is amazing at hoe that the grips are not affected by the time spent in the ground?

The rear hand grips and fore grip are bakelite so don't get affected.

[Wla1361]

Brushing off the loose rust and than indeed with the strong tea method gives some remarkeble results.
Stabilizing the item when thouroughly dry with a matt clear coating or sealer finishes the job.
It is safe enough for the decals.
Picture is from grounddug relic treathed in above described manner.

Rene