M35 Single decal Stahlhelm leather care and preservation?

[joelww2]

This is my first complete Stahlhelm, it is in beautiful condition most of the decal intact and feldgrau paint. The liner and strap a soft and supple. The only question is how do you guys care for the leather on these babies? I’ve currently got the chin strap over the visor all be it very loosely I am wondering what is the best way to keep the strap from breaking over time?

Thanks in advance

[Airbornehunter]

A chinstrap won't break unless you play with it. Don't play with it. Leather liner doesn't need anything except to maintain a decent humidity. My collection sits around 60% which is higher than most people like but it has to do with my environment. Less than 40 is bad. If humidity is high I wouldn't worry. Some people will say rust will form. Rust will only form if you have a temperature gradient such that moisture deposits. Some peoples basements get a gradient when the door is left open too long ....that is why some helmets have rust inside the crown. Take care not to put a dehumidifier near your helmets either that will dry the leather. No Styrofoam heads. Nothing to put pressure on the leather. Some people store crown down. I used poly fill in bags to support my ww1 liners and that is it. I do not believe that constant temperature is a necessity so long as you avoid the extremes. Heat being the big killer. I have personally witnessed multiple German and Japanese helmet go negative 20F to ambient 70F without issue. The key is to control moisture deposition. One does this by keeping the article sealed in a bag until temperature reaches ambient.

For those wondering why, negative 20F will kill all bugs after 14 days. 0F will require 45 days. Japanese helmets and American WW1 helmets are notorious for silver fish and they are tough to kill. I have a friend who religiously freezes everything and to good effect. For whatever reason most German helmets do not get bugs, but the occasional suspect helmet from the barn/shed/garage gets frozen. This prevents the usage of chemicals that might have unknown effects on the helmet. Best ABN

[TWS]

Essentially what ABN said.

1. Do not "treat" the leather with any substance. Leave it alone.

2. Keep proper humidity where you collection is stored/displayed.

[AndyM35]

Personally, if I’ve purchased a helmet with a strap resting over the front visor such as yours, I have removed it. An advanced collector friend once advised me that as the helmet ages or patinates more over time, the area under the strap will end up being a slightly different colour as it has been hidden under the leather. This is particularly so with Luftwaffe helmets. Below is one of my helmets where you can see the lighter shade where the strap had sat for years. Also, if too tight it put pressure on the leather over time. But of course I would only attempt it if you can do so safely without damaging it.

Andy

[Schwerpunkt]

Don’t treat leather , do not oil anything. You will just ruin a nice helmet. The leather will not deteriorate if you keep it in a stable normal house environment.