M1 Liner paint question

[jmd62]

Hey Guys,

 

I wanted to ask if M1 liners were ever repainted in the ETO/PTO and if so, how would you know versus a post war repaint? 

 

Thanks!

James

[ken88]

Generally speaking a matte looking paint will have more odds of being a wartime repaint than a glossy one, but there's no way of ever knowing for sure. 

 

There are some tools you could use like the microscopic testing and the lead testing but even then there's no real way to tell it wasn't done in Korea or something, unless you'd have provenance. 

 

Liners were sometimes camouflaged or repainted in the ETO or PTO, as were steel helmet shells. 

[ken88]

Btw that's not to say there are no glossy Ww2 era repaints because they do exist, although perhaps less commonly. 

[jmd62]

Thank you Sir! I saw one recently that had a flat or matte finish, but it was more of a grey color?

[MattS]

On 7/17/2020 at 9:09 AM, jmd62 said:

Thank you Sir! I saw one recently that had a flat or matte finish, but it was more of a grey color?

 

Like a navy grey?

[jmd62]

7 minutes ago, MattS said:

 

Like a navy grey?

 

Yes, it seemed that color

[MattS]

Could have been used on a ship, a lot of shells and liners got coats of navy paint for over 50 years.

[jmd62]

6 minutes ago, MattS said:

Could have been used on a ship, a lot of shells and liners got coats of navy paint for over 50 years.

Makes sense to me, thanks Matt!

[The Rooster]

Yea gray paint would indicate Navy.

Kind of a sidebar question, but I wonder when it was that the army started putting gloss paint on liners?

Im guessing post war occupation and through the 50's into the 60's ?

Does anyone have any insight into that ?

 

By the time I got in, late 1981, liners were worn under the shell and not unit marked....

Just plain matte green.

And never that I can remember worn alone without the steel. Not for any reason.

With one exception.....

Only time I ever wore a liner alone was at state OCS and we had to paint them powder blue

and shine them with johnsons paste wax. (Humiliating experience) lol

 

 

[MattS]

17 minutes ago, rooster77 said:

Yea gray paint would indicate Navy.

Kind of a sidebar question, but I wonder when it was that the army started putting gloss paint on liners?

Im guessing post war occupation and through the 50's into the 60's ?

Does anyone have any insight into that ?

 

By the time I got in, late 1981, liners were worn under the shell and not unit marked....

Just plain matte green.

And never that I can remember worn alone without the steel. Not for any reason.

With one exception.....

Only time I ever wore a liner alone was at state OCS and we had to paint them powder blue

and shine them with johnsons paste wax. (Humiliating experience) lol

 

 

 

We wore liners by themselves in basic training (Ft Dix, 1990) but they were all plain OD with a strip of tape on the rear with your last name written on it. 

[The Rooster]

30 minutes ago, MattS said:

 

We wore liners by themselves in basic training (Ft Dix, 1990) but they were all plain OD with a strip of tape on the rear with your last name written on it. 

Thats wild that the army was still using them !! ... Even for basic trainees.

We didnt get issued helmets until we started going to the range but we never wore just the liners.

I suspect it would be different depending on where you went to basic etc. Each post having differenyt styles.

With my M1 Helmet that was issued by my guard unit. I wrote my name inside and out... all over it in Black marker

so nobody would steal it... lol and I got a hold of a unit decal and put it on the side of the liner.

But no body ever saw it.