German liner restoring/ leather part cleaning

[Dimas]

I've just got one helmet which I'll show later, unfortunately the time makes the liner black. It's a not easy to clean, but after some leather inspections I've decided to clean it. The chinstrap and the liner was done perfectly.
The liner and chinstrap was lie in the peat from the february of 1944...
Here is about the helmet:
https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/germa...html#post18372

[Adrian Stevenson]

Peat is a fantastic preservative, hence the condition of the leather. You have done a good job there Dimas!

Cheers, Ade.

[packin9]

You did do a darned good job there Dimas. I have read several pros and cons about leather cleaning and preserving. Some say just wipe and keep out the sun. Preservatives can dry out and crack leather in time. What did you use?

[Dimas]

Before clean vaseline then Citric acid, then a bit potassum to make the leather back to near PH 5,5 , but If you do not done that before, you can easily damage it, I've tried before in the pieces of the ground found bad liners

[packin9]

Thanks! I'll check it out.

[spaltring]

hello I am using lineseed oil,or also liquid oil from bull,let it soak for a few weeks.
when leather comes out of soil let it first dry on normal way do not put it on heating .once dry soak it.

[Dimas]

Never dry the wet leather, just leep it in plastic bag, all works must be made with just a wet leather.
Never use lineseed oil- or other oils- they " boil" the leather and over a couple of years you will find your old leather belt as a piece of chewing gum. You can use just a vaseline oil if you need to make the leather softer, firstly put the piece of leather to the Isopropyl Alcohol and after try carefully to bend the hardened leather, after that put a bit of vaseline. But I prefer my own method with acid which is guaranteed good. Will show in nearest time my other job with chinstrap and liner

[Dimas]

Another liner and chinstrap, which was found in the bog, unfortunately I lost the pictures where the liner was in black condition, now I've restitched the chinstrap with original german thread and now you can see the condition, it's soft and playable

[packin9]

nice!

[iron]

hi dimas i want to make the liner of my helmet more supple,you say use vaseline oil,cant seem to find any what else if anything could be used?