TrenchRaider1918 Posted June 30, 2008 Share #1 Posted June 30, 2008 Nice helmet right? Some idiot thought it was a good idea to coat it in varnish! Any ideas for safe removal or is it a lost cause? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted June 30, 2008 Share #2 Posted June 30, 2008 Nice helmet right? Some idiot thought it was a good idea to coat it in varnish! Any ideas for safe removal or is it a lost cause? It may be lacquer or shellac, in which case alcohol will do the trick: take a look at this: http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-strip...n-furniture.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wingman68 Posted July 1, 2008 Share #3 Posted July 1, 2008 I have done restoration work on aircraft from WW2 and when removing later top coats in search of original markings we used only white spirit and some very light brushes, modern solvets will strip paint faster then you can clean it off, I would suggest contacting a local museum and ask this question, you really dont want to harm the originality of the Helmet, nice bit of kit by the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwnorma Posted July 1, 2008 Share #4 Posted July 1, 2008 Nice helmet right? Some idiot thought it was a good idea to coat it in varnish! Any ideas for safe removal or is it a lost cause? The "idiot" was probably the original owner who put a coat of (at the time) clear varnish on it to protect it after the war. The varnish has yellowed over time; that just gives it character and shows its age. I would leave it as is. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Cooper Posted July 1, 2008 Share #5 Posted July 1, 2008 I would have to agree with Chris on this. My fear it this was mine would be to damage the paint... John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teufelhunde.ret Posted July 1, 2008 Share #6 Posted July 1, 2008 I agree with Chris as well, it has allot of character and patina. Seldom is "cleaning" going to enhance appearence, not to speak of what you going to do to its value...! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjdevi1 Posted July 1, 2008 Share #7 Posted July 1, 2008 Trench Raider, My grandfathers 3rd Division helmet looks exactly like that, he said that they used varnish on them in France! So, that is 150% period. When I get home tonight, I'll take some pics of the helmet. Yours looks almost exactly like mine! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrenchRaider1918 Posted July 1, 2008 Author Share #8 Posted July 1, 2008 Well put guys, I'll leave it as it is. I'm thinking this is a post-war parade helmet since there is no sand finish and the soldier painted his insignia on the back of the helmet, where the seam meets. jjdevi1, I look forward to seeing your helm. Thanks, Carl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
man860 Posted July 2, 2008 Share #9 Posted July 2, 2008 i agree that it should be kept as is...you might run the risk of stripping off more than you want to... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
checkit Posted July 19, 2008 Share #10 Posted July 19, 2008 I saw a large 1st Division grouping with a helmet that was shellacked the same way. The stuff was right out of the trunk in the attic untouched. BTW - chances are 99% that this is shellac and not lacquer or varnish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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