Recent content by Rkinkade

Beautiful helmets. Did anyone notice the m15 chin scale mounts on the colonial one? Ron

Brian, I know exactly what you mean with the silk liner being in the way. I think the next officer visor re-stitch I do, I will remove the silk so that I do not stress the leather sweatband so much and I can have a better view of what I am doing. I think even with having to re-tack the silk...

I love all the ersatz examples! Thanks to all for your contributions! have a few similar black finish felt and fiber helmets, but has anyone seen a green/grey or brown un-finished felt officer helmet as shown in the Eric Johansson book? Could these be real or fantasy pieces created by a...

It appears to be a casting that has been machined. Someone went to a lot of work. I’ve never seen one like it. Ron

Brian, I believe we share similar interest in restoring and saving these helmets and their components. I enjoy and look forward to your posts! Ron

Nice helmet! In regard to ventilation, my first Pickelhaube was a m15 Prussian. Someone had drilled 30 or 40 small .06” diameter holes closely spaced in the area behind the front plate where they were not seen. Ron

Thanks to all for the photos! Looking closely at the pyramid, I see a few Saxon, one Bavarian, several Prussian dragoon, several Prussian guard, and mostly standard Prussian infantry. Interesting there wasn’t more Bavarian or maybe a Würtemburg. Ron

Brian, I like the opera glove source for thin leather. I will have to search for a pair. Thanks! Ron

For strap or liner finger repair, I also use Alene’s glue. Instead of a leather backing to reinforce the joint, I use a thin piece non-stretchy of densely woven cotton cloth, brown or black to fit the situation. It doesn’t stand out as much as leather. Ron

There has been discussion about how to straighten warped hard fiber helmet bodies and visors. I had a couple empty shells in the junk box and decided to try some heat. I used a 1250 watt heat gun, not a hair dryer, and heated the offending area for a couple of minutes, moving the gun all the...

Very interesting helmet! And I would say quite scarce. I like the inner spike reinforcement plate (2 piece?) and the cloth tape on the inner edge beneath the sweat band. Don’t know that I have seen that before.

Do ersatz felt officer helmets exist? There are a couple examples in Eric Johansson’s book. I have a couple cloth covered cork lightweight officer examples, but wondering about felt. Ron

Love the “extra tall” spike on the manikin display!

Check out the plate. It is a rare 1936 Olympic torch carriers helmet ! Actually it is a late wwii one piece luftschutz.

A perfect grouping! I love the stamped regimental marking.