Jump to content

Helmet Display


skautdog
 Share

Recommended Posts

I currently have most of my helmets on top of my gun safe. The safe is in the basement with humidity and heat/air control. I have plastic loosely draped over the helmets for dust and sunlight protection. Some of the helmets have covers, others do not and some are just liners (WWII through current).

 

The plastic basically distorts a clear view of the helmets. Any reason I shouldn't loosely cover (drape) the helmets with Saran Wrap or something similar? I'm hoping the Saran Wrap would allow the helmets to be more clearly seen than the plastic I use now.

 

Any comments on Saran Wrap and/or other ideas greatly appreciated.

 

TIA

 

Ken

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not sure how much dust and/or sunlight your basement gets, but I personally wouldn't use semi-adhesive Saran wrap. I think getting that stuff off would be worse than a little dust.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Museum guy here-don't use any plastic with PVCs in it. They off-gas and break down (get sticky, leave a residue) over time. You're better off using polypropelene, polyethelene, or in this case archival polyester film (PET-brand name Mylar).

Hope that helps

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As mentioned, get rid of the plastic, it'll do more harm than good. I think you may be over thinking this. I would not bother to cover them. These are not rare vases or brittle canvas paintings. These are made of Hadfield Manganese steel... meant to stop a .45 round. A bit of dust will not be your enemy here. Your greatest concern would be moisture. If you got that taken care of, your good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Because I keep my helmets on foam heads, I was told by another collector on USMF not to let the foam contact the leather or cloth of the liner, so I give each foam head a "do-rag" with clean cotton from a fabric store.

Didn't wash first, but now wondering if the sizing chemical in the cotton should be washed out first?

 

I pin do-rags directly into the foam with stainless steel tailor's pins and try to fold the do rag over the head of the pin.

 

My US tanker helmet has a do-rag with side pieces that go down the sides behind the ear mike flaps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Airborne-Hunter

Be very leery of plastic....I saw someone leave a plastic bag on top of a m35 .....moisture collected under the bag and caused a rust spot and that was in a constant 62 degrees 50% humidity.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Because I keep my helmets on foam heads, I was told by another collector on USMF not to let the foam contact the leather or cloth of the liner, so I give each foam head a "do-rag" with clean cotton from a fabric store.

Didn't wash first, but now wondering if the sizing chemical in the cotton should be washed out first?

 

I pin do-rags directly into the foam with stainless steel tailor's pins and try to fold the do rag over the head of the pin.

 

My US tanker helmet has a do-rag with side pieces that go down the sides behind the ear mike flaps.

 

I do a similar thing but with older (worn and laundered) white t-shirts, especially the white Styrofoam heads from China which seem to be of an inferior quality to the older flesh-tones heads. I also did a thread on cheap support bases for these heads to prevent helmets from toppling over and falling off the shelf.

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/331344-my-simple-solution-for-wobbly-styrofoam-heads-on-display/?hl=%2Bsolution+%2Bheads

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I had the idea of painting (brushing on, not spray paint because the propellant will destroy the styrofoam) the styrofoam heads with Kilz to spare myself the hassle of creating do-rags for each, and then could again paint to give them a more natural look.

 

Is Kilz neutral?

Would VO-neutral paint -- again brushed on -- be an issue with the leather headbands?

 

Or am i just being lazy -- but I do dislike the death white color of styrofoam. And, yes, there are better heads out there, but at this point, I have about 10 WWII helmets and would rather spend money on gear than heads..

 

z

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...
On 2/15/2020 at 1:01 PM, bldrhouse said:

I had the idea of painting (brushing on, not spray paint because the propellant will destroy the styrofoam) the styrofoam heads with Kilz to spare myself the hassle of creating do-rags for each, and then could again paint to give them a more natural look.

Is Kilz neutral?

Would VO-neutral paint -- again brushed on -- be an issue with the leather headbands?

Good question.  The water-based version might be.  I'd try it on the bottom of a "spare" head first.  The lacquer based Kilz will absolutely eat foam products.

 

Nothing on the Kilz web site, sadly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok, so, Rust-Oleum makes a spray foam primer.  Not cheap at around $27 the can.

Nylon hose are cheaper by half, but will not prevent outgassing.

You mileage may vary.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

IME, it's not that complicated - potentially. The stone-looking sprays have caused no melting for me. Forgive me if you aren't speaking of the coatings I've used. In addition I have found that often a few mist coats to foams, allowing the solvents to evaporate between light coats, will somewhat seal the foam with minimal damage. We are obviously talking foam heads here and not collectibles. Putting a heavy coat on the foam first time undoubtedly adds so much solvent/carrier that the substrate is quickly attacked. Once a couple super light coats allow some pigment on there, the subsequent medium coats aren't likely to do the same damage. Watching youtube videos will show that not all people are capable of using spray cans appropriately. I can lay an almost automotive finish with one. The whole start motion-start spray-continue motion-stop spray-stop motion- repeat with 50% overlap is real. Bombing in blotchy circles is a no-go and never looks good, creates runs, and in this case piles on solvents too quickly. Only use that on a hornets nest! Auto painting videos will explain proper spraying that applies to anything with propellant IMO. No offense as many already know this.

I did post some pics on the other display thread.

Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...