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Salty helmet with possible hiding medic roundels


matthewsq
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Hey guys,

 

I found this helmet in the closing minutes of an auction and took a chance on it hoping that it may be a repainted medic lid.

 

Front seam swivel bail with what looks to be 4 roundels. It looks to have been painted over. Potentially similar style to the medic in the last photo attached.

 

Let me know what you guys think! Once I have it in hand I think I'll have a better idea of exactly what it is.

 

Cheers,

Quinn

 

post-159322-0-15380500-1571776163_thumb.jpg

 

post-159322-0-51937800-1571776171_thumb.jpg

 

 

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i like it. it deff looks like medic

 

Thanks for the reply Phil. Fingers are crossed that it looks good in person. I've never done any kind of clean-up or paint removal before, but may think about it if the exterior coat looks new.

 

We'll see when it's in hand. Any kind of modification to an old helmet is a big decision, so I'll wait!

 

Cheers,

Quinn

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I somehow missed this one, looking forward to seeing what it looks like once the overprint is striped!

 

It was titled something nondescript like "old military helmet" or something and was in a weird category, so easy to miss. Just happened to see it.

 

I'm searching the forums for posts on removing paint. I haven't done it so need to learn. I might find a junky shell to practice on.

 

Cheers,

Quinn

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It was titled something nondescript like "old military helmet" or something and was in a weird category, so easy to miss. Just happened to see it.

 

I'm searching the forums for posts on removing paint. I haven't done it so need to learn. I might find a junky shell to practice on.

 

Cheers,

Quinn

 

That would be why, I haven't been on top of my search game at the moment, been keeping a closer eye on grenade listings in hopes of getting a few more MK II grenades for cheap.

 

As for stripping paint, I've had really good luck with goof off. I tried both the spray and the liquid and had better luck with the spray. I bought a bunch of cheap rags, sprayed the goof off on one rag, then rubbed down the helmet with the rag for a little. With the other rag I lightly dampened one side of it, and used the damp side to wipe off the area I was working on to remove any remaining goof off and then used the dry side of the rag to dry it off. Just make sure you do this either outside or in a well ventilated area as the fumes can be a bit much if you're not careful.

 

Now the helmet I was stripping had been spray painted and didn't have signs of anything special under the paint, so your mileage my vary. I would start with the areas around the panels to get the hang of it. Just take your time and ask for help if you're running into issues.

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That would be why, I haven't been on top of my search game at the moment, been keeping a closer eye on grenade listings in hopes of getting a few more MK II grenades for cheap.

 

As for stripping paint, I've had really good luck with goof off. I tried both the spray and the liquid and had better luck with the spray. I bought a bunch of cheap rags, sprayed the goof off on one rag, then rubbed down the helmet with the rag for a little. With the other rag I lightly dampened one side of it, and used the damp side to wipe off the area I was working on to remove any remaining goof off and then used the dry side of the rag to dry it off. Just make sure you do this either outside or in a well ventilated area as the fumes can be a bit much if you're not careful.

 

Now the helmet I was stripping had been spray painted and didn't have signs of anything special under the paint, so your mileage my vary. I would start with the areas around the panels to get the hang of it. Just take your time and ask for help if you're running into issues.

All good advice here. I tried this once a few years ago and it worked pretty well. But mine wasn't a medic.

I will just add and emphasize that you need to go slow and easy. Just try it on a small area with just a little bit of the stuff and go very gently. Try it on an empty area before trying it on an emblem to get an idea how it goes. Good luck and keep us informed on how it goes.

 

Mikie

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All good advice here. I tried this once a few years ago and it worked pretty well. But mine wasn't a medic.

I will just add and emphasize that you need to go slow and easy. Just try it on a small area with just a little bit of the stuff and go very gently. Try it on an empty area before trying it on an emblem to get an idea how it goes. Good luck and keep us informed on how it goes.

 

Mikie

 

I'll second the emphasis on going slow and easy. When I had started on the helmet I was stripping I was using the liquid Goof Off and some q-tips. I found that when I was using the q-tips I was going a bit too aggressive and it was taking off some of the cork and smudging the original paint. The other thing that I found that worked really well for me that I forgot to mention was that I used a tooth brush to aid in removing the paint. After wiping down the area with the goof off rag I would use a tooth brush to scrub the area I was working on. The key was using only a very small amount of pressure when using the brush. If I used too much pressure or focused on an area too long I ran into the same issues as I faced with the q-tip.

 

With this helmet I would probably avoid using a brush like I did, at least to start. Wait until you see what the condition of original paint is. In my case the original paint was still in fairly good condition, I'm not sure how well using a brush would work for a helmet where the original paint is a bit more deteriorated.

 

Another thing to remember is that the strip isn't going to be perfect. There are going to be spots that are stubborn and don't want to come off. With a helmet like this you're probably going to be better off playing it safe and not working one area too much. You (or somebody else) can always go back and clean up areas that were missed if you go too light on the paint stripping, but you can't go back and fix original paint that starts coming off.

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This will turn out to be a classic medic helmet, I can also see the red. Just such a shame its condition is so poor, fingers crossed the medic insignia has been saved by the thick layers of paint.

 

Good luck

 

- Dean

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Greetings,

Nice helmet. I saw your response to my MP helmet I uncovered.

I used goof off on it a section at a time and slowly removed the green.

It will lift the paint you want to keep if you arent careful about it. BUt just go far enough to get rid of the green and stop. let it dry....

Just take it slow. A small area at a time. Take days to do it if you want. Just take it slow. Try a little spot first and just do a little at a time.

Clean old T - Shirt and put a couple drops off goof off on the paint.. let it sit a min and put a couple drops on the rag and work at a small spot until the green comes off and stop.

Let it dry. Move to the next spot.

When you are done. You can lightly wipe the whole thing to remove any residue.

Work slowly.

NIce project Im sure will be fun to do!

Cant wait to see it.

It really is fun. On mine all I could see was a spot of red and a spot of white here and there. Just several little pin head spots...

 

 

I used goof off paint and splatter remover in a can. Like a lighter fluid can.

Its got thicker consistency and doesnt run all over the place. Better control

when applying.

 

 

Dave

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I'll second the emphasis on going slow and easy. When I had started on the helmet I was stripping I was using the liquid Goof Off and some q-tips. I found that when I was using the q-tips I was going a bit too aggressive and it was taking off some of the cork and smudging the original paint. The other thing that I found that worked really well for me that I forgot to mention was that I used a tooth brush to aid in removing the paint. After wiping down the area with the goof off rag I would use a tooth brush to scrub the area I was working on. The key was using only a very small amount of pressure when using the brush. If I used too much pressure or focused on an area too long I ran into the same issues as I faced with the q-tip.

 

With this helmet I would probably avoid using a brush like I did, at least to start. Wait until you see what the condition of original paint is. In my case the original paint was still in fairly good condition, I'm not sure how well using a brush would work for a helmet where the original paint is a bit more deteriorated.

 

Another thing to remember is that the strip isn't going to be perfect. There are going to be spots that are stubborn and don't want to come off. With a helmet like this you're probably going to be better off playing it safe and not working one area too much. You (or somebody else) can always go back and clean up areas that were missed if you go too light on the paint stripping, but you can't go back and fix original paint that starts coming off.

 

 

Thanks for the advice, Nick and Mikie. It's going to be nerve wracking, but hopefully well worth it. I'll keep you guys updated and will request help when needed.

 

Cheers,

Quinn

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This will turn out to be a classic medic helmet, I can also see the red. Just such a shame its condition is so poor, fingers crossed the medic insignia has been saved by the thick layers of paint.

 

Good luck

 

- Dean

 

Yes, it looks like it was stored in damp conditions. Once it's in hand it'll be easier to see whats going on - from the photos it's hard to tell which paint layers are on top and which are on the bottom.

 

Cheers,

Quinn

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Greetings,

Nice helmet. I saw your response to my MP helmet I uncovered.

I used goof off on it a section at a time and slowly removed the green.

It will lift the paint you want to keep if you arent careful about it. BUt just go far enough to get rid of the green and stop. let it dry....

Just take it slow. A small area at a time. Take days to do it if you want. Just take it slow. Try a little spot first and just do a little at a time.

Clean old T - Shirt and put a couple drops off goof off on the paint.. let it sit a min and put a couple drops on the rag and work at a small spot until the green comes off and stop.

Let it dry. Move to the next spot.

When you are done. You can lightly wipe the whole thing to remove any residue.

Work slowly.

NIce project Im sure will be fun to do!

Cant wait to see it.

It really is fun. On mine all I could see was a spot of red and a spot of white here and there. Just several little pin head spots...

 

 

I used goof off paint and splatter remover in a can. Like a lighter fluid can.

Its got thicker consistency and doesnt run all over the place. Better control

when applying.

 

 

Dave

 

Thanks Dave, all great advice. Will keep you guys updated.

 

Cheers,

Quinn

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I have a WW2 medics thats was over painted.You can see the square panels under the OD paint and the out line of the cross's.

 

I would never strip it.I like it as it is as it shows its journey.The next owner may strip it but I wont.I know whats there and dont see any point in uncovering the panels.

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I have a WW2 medics thats was over painted.You can see the square panels under the OD paint and the out line of the cross's.

 

I would never strip it.I like it as it is as it shows its journey.The next owner may strip it but I wont.I know whats there and dont see any point in uncovering the panels.

 

Thanks for your comments doyler. I'll make the call once it's in hand.

 

I also have a small suspicion that there is no overpaint, and the medic roundels have just really worn off.

 

Will keep you updated.

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