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My first German Stalhelm. How did I do?
My first German helmet came in the mail today. I'm as nervous as all heck because it is my first, and I failed to ask you guys before buying. However, here it is. Let me know if you need more photos.
So what I think happened here is that years ago someone thought it would be a nifty idea to make it a snow camo M42 helmet. The dumb-dumb then added a fake decal on top of the white paint. Years later, the decal was removed, as was most of the paint (with what, I don't know). The seller told me about the fake and now removed decal. (100% feedback by the way, since 2003 - that's one of the reasons why I thought this one was good, just needed some TLC)
I'm not an expert on M42 paint by no means, but I'm not sure if I see much aluminum oxide on the helmet, save a few spots here and there. I know that some helmets were very rough, others not so much, so I'm not sure about this due to lack of experience.
Top view of liner. I feel good about the liner, as it looks and feels like leather of that age to me.
Not the best pic, or stamp. The cKL 62 is very lightly stamped for some reason, though the lot number seems fine. I have my own thoughts on the 77. The border of the 77 looks weird to me, so I believe that either it was touched up postwar, or that's the way it was painted. Could the 77 mean 77th Wehrmacht division?
There is a faint dome stamp as well. I didn't grab my magnifying glass yet so I'm not sure what it says.
The chinstrap and liner. Chinstrap has a big missing portion, so I could not for example buckle it underneath my chin because it's missing too many holes. There is also a tear at the one end as well.
More paint closeups. I believe the strokes/scratches are from when someone tried to use a brush to clean up the white paint.
If it is legit, I will clean up the paint properly with a small amount of acetone on a cotton ball. I'll take video of the process and post it when I'm done. If it's fake, I'll cry for five minutes, and move on, maybe finish the camo paint job and call it a reenactors piece. All in all, fake or not, it looks cool, and it fits perfectly. Now I know I wear a size 62.
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06-11-2020 07:09 PM
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It is what it is.
If you can remove the white wash without ruining the rough texture it would be a decent starting helmet.
Messed with, but at least original.
I hope there will be more to come 
Luis
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by
PotatoDigger
It is what it is.
If you can remove the white wash without ruining the rough texture it would be a decent starting helmet.
Messed with, but at least original.
I hope there will be more to come
Luis
If there's one thing I can do, is clean things!
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by
PotatoDigger
That's good to hear.
I've "rescued" a fair few messed with helmets myself by now and in a few days I'll get two more that are in need of some cleaning up
But I've seen many people ruin post war painted over helmets... so, y'know.
Luis
My grandfather was notorious for cleaning things until they looked like new again. I know to always leave the patina. I have a U.S. Army Engineer blasting device (I'll post it later) that he ruined by cleaning the brass, so it looks funny now. My dad never cleaned anything. I clean when it's safe to do so, and if it really needs it.
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As a first helmet it is nice, my first one was an M40 shell in a nice state, but without an original liner or any paint, so you started better then i did
I wish you good luck cleaning it, there could be a really nice helmet hiding under the remaining Post-War Paint!
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Better than I was expecting. Except for the white paint (the cheap decal flaked on fine) it looks all original.
"Please", Thank You" and proper manners appreciated
My greatest fear is that one day I will die and my wife will sell my guns for what I told her I paid for them
"Don't tell me these are investments if you never intend to sell anything" (Quote: Wife)
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The 77 could be a barracks number. I have a helmet with a 6 painted in it and a k98 frog with a 12 carved in the leather.
" I'm putting off procrastination until next week "
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Take you time with the removal of the post War paint and it will display well. The liner and chin strap and interior paint, including the number, are all period.
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A good first helmet Rusty - congrats. As Jim said, really take you time with the paint removal. There are lots of threads about paint removal on the forum but have a look at this one: Kreigsmarine M35 - Before & After Post War Paint Removal
Be patient and you will end up with a nice original helmet.
Andy
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