Gas detector paint?

[ford369]

I picked up a reasonable 40 dated wardens helmet the other day,just the standard black with white W on the front but what made me think is the fact that the crown has a roughly applied circle of dark yellow paint on it which looks very much like gas detection paint used on vehicles during ww2 and I was wondering if anybody had seen this done before or can shed any light on the subject
cheers,Nigel

[AMTG]

Can we see a pic??? Could it becs fluorescent paint?

[Adrian Stevenson]

I think this was done? Others might confirm.

Cheers, Ade.

[ford369]

Ill sort some pics out as soon as I can get the camera back from the garage where I was working on the car at the weekend,it is not fluorescent paint more a sort of mustardy colour

[boyt44]

I think it is very likely gas detection paint-how would you know if it was safe to remove your mask without some indicator? Most vehicles had an area of gas detection paint somewhere on a horizontal surface where the driver could see it. Even motorcycles had a patch of it on the top of the gas tank,or on the headlight shell.
I recently bought a small 1942-dated tin of this paint to use on my '42 Dodge WC51. I painted the area around the star on the ETO emblem on the hood, as was often seen on period photos. The paint was thick, but it stirred up well, and went on over the OD paint just fine. Where it touched the white of the national emblem,however, it turned a bright pink!

Here is a wartime example of this paint:

[kenbent]

Could indeed be vesicant detector paint. I have an original can of M5 vesicant detector paint at home, still usable today.

Once applied to the metal, it would work for about a month, after that it wouldn't turn into another color anymore.

Fortunately Jerry never used gas. Thus a lot of painting efforts were done in vain.