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Color of paint on USN helmets


ccmax
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Hi there,

 

here is a very classical navy Mc Cord made steel shell I own

 

post-159908-0-91749700-1442921273.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

It is dark blue.

 

post-159908-0-89423400-1442921446.jpg

 

Inside, the shell is still olive green. You can see stains of blue paint on the chinstrap.

 

post-159908-0-70694600-1442921499.jpg

 

;) ;) ;)

 

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  • 1 month later...

Found this WW2 rear seam helmet the other day. I believe this is painted with zinc chromate paint and is a USN helmet. There is a hole in the side and the heat lot number is 1180F.

 

post-10825-0-19786300-1446754461.jpeg

 

Second picture. The inside is also painted yellow. Very thick hand painted, runs all over the place. A real quality paint job.

 

post-10825-0-16522700-1446754663.jpeg

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Found this WW2 rear seam helmet the other day. I believe this is painted with zinc chromate paint and is a USN helmet. There is a hole in the side and the heat lot number is 1180F.

 

attachicon.gifimage.jpeg

 

Hello,

 

very nice and original painted Navy helmet B)

 

Here is another non standard paint color, seems to be haze green ...

 

Regards, E

 

100_4431.jpg

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Hello,

 

very nice and original painted Navy helmet B)

 

Here is another non standard paint color, seems to be haze green ...

 

Regards, E

 

100_4431.jpg

. That is also Zinc Chromate. In the early 1970s there were 2 shades of Zinc for priming aluminum. Formula 34 and Formula 34D. One was yellow one was green. The purpose was to put one color on, then a second coat of the other shade. That way you could see if you missed any where. There was also a blue pre coat which was a preservative more than a primer. In theory, you painted something 3 times before you ever got to the color coat. In reality, it got a coat of whatever Zinc was handy then a coat of gray
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. That is also Zinc Chromate. In the early 1970s there were 2 shades of Zinc for priming aluminum. Formula 34 and Formula 34D. One was yellow one was green. The purpose was to put one color on, then a second coat of the other shade. That way you could see if you missed any where. There was also a blue pre coat which was a preservative more than a primer. In theory, you painted something 3 times before you ever got to the color coat. In reality, it got a coat of whatever Zinc was handy then a coat of gray

Sigs, that is some great info, never knew about the green colored zinc chromate paint. In my days, the Airdales used a lot of the yellow zinc chromate.

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Sigs, that is some great info, never knew about the green colored zinc chromate paint. In my days, the Airdales used a lot of the yellow zinc chromate.

. The different colors was so the Chief could see if you were leaving "Holidays"
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. That is also Zinc Chromate. In the early 1970s there were 2 shades of Zinc for priming aluminum. Formula 34 and Formula 34D. One was yellow one was green. The purpose was to put one color on, then a second coat of the other shade. That way you could see if you missed any where. There was also a blue pre coat which was a preservative more than a primer. In theory, you painted something 3 times before you ever got to the color coat. In reality, it got a coat of whatever Zinc was handy then a coat of gray

 

Hello, very interesting ... you're a gold mine of informations about US Navy practices (and for good reason, I guess) B) Thanks, E

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Salvage Sailor
On 11/7/2015 at 9:38 PM, etienne said:

 

Hello, very interesting ... you're a gold mine of informations about US Navy practices (and for good reason, I guess) B) Thanks, E

 

.....and recurring dreams of chipping and scraping paint.....Ships' Company! TURN TO !!!

 

Needle gun.jpg

 

Needle Gun and Wire Brush Photos: Haze Grey & DC Red

 

Wire brush.jpg

 

Red Lead (primer) being chipped away from the diamond back decking with a needle gun GGRRRRPRUUTGGG!!!!!!!

 

Chipping Paint 002.jpg

 

Zinc Chromate (yellow primer) - endless scraping, scraping, scraping, before priming.

 

Scraping paint 002.jpg

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.....and recurring dreams of chipping and scraping paint.....Ships' Company! TURN TO !!!

Oh, I really miss the sound of the needle gun at work on the deck directly above your rack!!! Great times!!

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.....and recurring dreams of chipping and scraping paint.....Ships' Company! TURN TO !!!

. Oh yeah!! Red Lead Primer. Out lawned by the Navy in the late 1980s, still chipping it up in the Mid 1990s?. I actually enjoyed Needle Gunning. You could just find a spot, and shut everything else out. I was still doing it as a Senior Chief. I'd dump the paper work on my SM1 and go "Bust Rust" ??
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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello,

 

I am not generally well versed in officer's helmets but those Navy lids caught my eyes so I added them to my collection ...

 

100_4510.jpg

 

Regards, E

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here's a nice painted WWII Navy Helmet currently listed on eBay by forum member (item number 191749397249). I couldn't get link to copy. If one of you guys can provide link, please do. Thanks!

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  • 5 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Nice helmet, but what USN rank is painted on the front?

 

Chris

I would guess LT. The lack of a star, to me, indicates whoever did this simply didn't have a small enough brush (or skill).
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  • 1 month later...

Gentlemen,

 

There has been a lot of debate about whether a specific helmet that is attributed to naval service can be related to a particular conflict. Much like the OD paint found in M1 helmets from WWII and the different shades utilized in ensuing conflicts, there is a chance that the paint on naval helmets underwent some modifications in color according to the time frame the the helmet saw service. Could we start a topic beginning with identified helmets that are sure to have been used in WWII, Korea, VN and so on, in order to enable us to precisely pin down what colors were used?

 

What is the source for this information?

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What is the source for this information?

 

The information that US Army M-1s wore different shades of paint over the 50 years they were used?

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The information that US Army M-1s wore different shades of paint over the 50 years they were used?

 

No, I understand that WW2, Korea, and Vietnam period helmets had different paint colors. I guess

I misunderstood the statement thinking that the OP was referring to different theaters with various

paint schemes.

 

Anyway, I did find a navy helmet that I'll try to post pictures of.

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No, I understand that WW2, Korea, and Vietnam period helmets had different paint colors. I guess

I misunderstood the statement thinking that the OP was referring to different theaters with various

paint schemes.

Hello,

 

I think the OP's idea was that if we could relate paint colors and schemes to eras, with identified or precisely dated helmets, it would be a good starting point to date other USN helmets.

 

Because there was a evolution of paint colors used by the US Navy from ww2 to recent years, it could be possible but I think that there's not enough id'd helmets to build a significant and comprehensive data base.

 

E

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