Helmet liner webbing cleaning

[earlymb]

Hi all,

 

I have an otherwise nice WWII-era M1 helmet liner with nice but very dirty, greasy webbing. What would be good way to clean the webbing without discoloring it?

 

Greetz

 

David

[SGM (ret.)]

Hi David,

 

I'm sure that you'll get several replies to this request for information, many of which may address and debate the advisability of cleaning or not cleaning your helmet liner's suspension. I won't hack into that discussion except to say that it's largely a matter of philosophy and opinion, and you can form your own judgment as that debate progresses.

 

However, I believe that you're looking for some practical, "how to" information, so here is what has worked for me in the past:

 

I assume that your liner is a high or low pressure and not a fibre "Hawley" type. If it's a fibre liner, the best you can do is gentle dusting, light vacuuming, and wiping with a very lightly damp lint-free cloth. A fibre liner should not be exposed to a complete soaking. It can be disasembled and its components cleaned individually, but I assume that you want to work on a more common high / low pressure type. If not, and you have a fibre liner, post some pictures first, and we'll see what can possibly be done.

 

For a high / low pressure liner, first, start with a thorough inspection of the liner and assess the stability of its exterior finish in particular. Take a couple of good photos, both inside and out, and make some written notes to document its present condition. This will help you after your cleaning to , for example, reassemble the sweat band into the suspension the exact same way that it was before you started. Record exactly how the drawstring is tied if you feel it necessary to un-tie it for access. (This is probably not necessary unless the suspension is really filthy.) If the snaps are not rusted, you can also remove the nape strap, but first record its orientation for correct reinstallation later. You should remove the leather chin strap. Again, record which end was attached to which stud.

 

Note, when I refer to "correct" installation here, I'm speaking of the way the liner is presently assembled. Unless you have some overriding reason not to, your cleaning efforts should culminate with the liner reassemble just the way it was when you started, no matter if that way is not exactly "the by the book way."

 

If the chin strap is a very early one that cannot be removed, you probably should not do more than wipe the liner inside and out. Wiping may help the webbing, but probably not as much as you would like if it's very dirty. Unfortunately, preserving the condition of the chin strap should take presidence. Note that it is possible to thoroughly clean the webbing without getting a permanently attached chin strap wet, however, the process requires considerable skill and patience. Best not to attempt that for your first cleaning efforts.

 

If the exterior (and if applicable, interior) paint finish are not sound, i.e. flaking or crumbling paint, then you will lose some of the finish to any cleaning effort except the most gentle of dusting. If the paint is good, then you can progress to more agressive cleaning. (BTW: Gentle dusting is using the tips of paint brush's bristles wisked lightly over the surface, nothing more.)

 

Next, carefully remove the leather sweat band. If it's an original WWII band, the thin leather will probably not stand up to much, if any cleaning efforts. You can carefully remove the metal clips, however, and clean them seperately from the band itself. (Keep them in the order that you remove them so they go back into the same places on the band and webbing later.)

 

If you can't remove the band without damaging it, then you probably should not progress any further except to wipe the inside and outside of the liner shell with a damp lint-free cloth.

 

After removing the band, start by vacuuming the liner and suspension parts. If the leather sweat band is pretty sound, you can also vacuum it carefully. Place a layer of nylon panty hose or cheese cloth over the end of the vacuum nozzle to protect from too strong suction.

 

Next, in your kitchen sink, put in the drain plug and lay a towel in the bottom (to serve as a buffer / protective pad), place the helmet liner in the sink up-side down and fill the liner and sink with tepid (that is, neither warm nor cold to the touch) water.

 

Add a drop or two (less soap is better than more, use a little as you possibly can) of a mild liquid detergent to the water in the liner. In the US, I would recommend the Woolite brand of cold water / hand washing detergent, but any mild, ph neutral un-scented detergent should work.

 

Using soft bristle brushes on the liner inside and out, gently scrub the hard surface of the liner. Allow the webbing to soak. Note that the webbing will appear darker as it gets wet. It will dry back to the lighter color.

 

If the heavy grease staining does not simply disolve, you can try using a worn toothbrush to scrub the webbing. Be careful and pay attention to what is happening to the webbing surface as you scrub. Start gently and increase the force only if the webbing tolerates the extra effort. You may try adding a drop of detergent directly to the toothbrush to scrub particularly difficult areas.

 

As the water becomes dirty, drain the sink and pour the the water out of the liner, refil both with tepid water and add a little detergent. Repeat this as often as you need to. Remember, you want to take the dirt away, so change the water often.

 

Once the water is no longer getting dirty you have probably removed as much of the dirt as is practical. You now need to do at least one (two or three is preferable) rinses.

 

Change the towel in the bottom of the sink with a clean one, and refill the sink and liner with clean tepid water. Allow the liner webbing to soak agitating with your fingers. Note how many or how few soap bubbles are being made. Continue rinsing until you no longer get any indicaitons that there is still soap in the webbing. (This is why using as little soap as possible is desired in the begining and another reason to change the water often during the process.)

 

Drain and dry the liner and webbing. Use paper towels to dry the outside and inside of the liner and webbing. Gently squeeze the webbing straps between layers of paper towels. Keep the straps flat as you do this. Don't squeeze from edge to edge.

 

Dry the liner right-side up so that remaining water drips down and out. You will need to put something (a glass jar works well) under the liner to allow air to circulate. Monitor the drying and wipe off any drops that form around the rim of the liner to prevent water spots.

 

After the liner and webbing have completely dried, use some micro-crystalline wax (Renaissance Wax is most common) on the outside and inside. Avoid getting the wax on the webbing.

 

Reassemble the suspension making sure that the crown tie is knotted the same way in the same place, the nape strap is reinstalled in the same orientation, the chin stap is reinstalled with the same ends on the original locaitons, and the sweat band is reinstalled the same way it was before you removed it (keeping the clips in the same places).

 

The component parts can be cleaned according to their materials. The band clips can be washed and waxed and the nape strap washed just like the other webbing. However, the sweat band is best left alone (the surface of the leather can be wiped with a very lightly damped cloth but do NOT get it soaked). I have seen, first hand, the leather disolve away from one of these. The leather chin strap's condition must be individually assessed. Depending on it's condition, it can be treated like any other leather item, ranging from do nothing to using a leather reviver like Picard's and micro-crystalline wax. It just depends.

 

Well, David, hope this helps. Your liner can probably be successfully cleaned, but take your time, be patient, and be willing to accept that there are limits to what can and should be done according to your skill and experience. Cleaning a high / low pressure helmet liner is not too difficult, though, and is a pretty good project to get some experience on.

 

Good luck,

Mike

[earlymb]

Thanks Mike, for that GREAT reply!! The liner is a standard 1943/44 Capac used in the 1950's as a CD helmet. It is painted white on the outside, with a nice 'auxilery police' decal on the front. The suspension is dirty from being worn a long time, like a cap that worn often. I will take some pics coming weekend if you like to see them.

 

Greetz

 

David

[SGM (ret.)]

David:

 

Hope you find the suggestions useful. I would love to see some pictures of your liner. Especially some "before and afters" if you get a chance.

 

Here's a liner that I cleaned many years ago using the methods I outlined. I don't have any before pictures since this was done before digital cameras, but I took pretty comprehensive notes.

 

This is a MSA liner. The sweat band was only wiped with a damp cloth, and the chin strap is an NOS replacement. (The helmet was missing the chin strap when I got it.) This liner has a 6th Army decal and a horizontal white NCO stripe also made of a decal type material, so I was careful with this one not to keep the outside wet while I was cleaning it. I only cleaned the exterior using a damp cloth and plain water.

 

Mike

[SGM (ret.)]

Here is a Westinghouse liner also cleaned using the same methods. The sweat band for this liner is a NOS replacement since the band was missing when I got the helmet. The chin strap on this liner was on it when I got it, though. It was only wiped with a damp cloth and coated with Ren Wax.

 

(The net, if anyone is wondering was added later and is probably a repro. But it displays nicely.)

 

Mike

[SGM (ret.)]

Finally, here's an example from the opposite end of the spectrum.

 

This is a Hawley liner that was only cleaned by wiping with a damp cloth after vacuuming. The sweat band and chin strap are original to the liner, but you can see that both are in a too delicate condition to withstand any agressive cleaning. They have only ever been gently dusted.

 

The suspension webbing was cleaned using only a damp cloth.

 

BTW: This is a neat liner. It is named on the front and was over-painted when the owner was promoted from PFC to Tech. The dark OD paint was carried under the rim and up to the mounting hardware for the suspension webbing.

 

Anyway, I digress...

 

This example shows that even cases that might at first be thought to be in the "too hard to do box" can benefit from some very careful attention. It also shows, though, that some things are indeed best left alone.

 

Mike