Helmet varnish ?

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Halle
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Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2012 10:57 pm
Location: Sud west

Helmet varnish ?

Post by Halle »

Grusse all ,
Would like to know whether peacetime/pre war Heer helmets were varnished or lacquered in some way ? I don't seem to be able to get quite the right ' shine ' with the paint I've used on my M35 ( Zib ) .

Thanks as always ,

Halle
Jäger Stefan Halle 3./I./Geb.Jag.Reg.100
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Pz Gren Hoffmann
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Re: Helmet varnish ?

Post by Pz Gren Hoffmann »

As far as i'm aware they were just buffed up to the desired shine, the M35's were painted flat from the factory.
What kind of paint are you using?

Maybe this should be moved to the helmet forum? :)
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Vinland
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Re: Helmet varnish ?

Post by Vinland »

There's a directive that no helmets were to be 'polished': I think it was actually on this board.

The essence was basically no helmet should be buffed or polish/varnish added to the helmet. Perhaps one of the other members can track this down?
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Pz Gren Hoffmann
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Re: Helmet varnish ?

Post by Pz Gren Hoffmann »

In the pre-war times they were often buffed up for parade use though.
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Halle
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Re: Helmet varnish ?

Post by Halle »

I'm using Zib Militaria ' Olivgrun' , it's got a smooth sheen , obviously , but its also very Matt , if you see what I mean . Thanks for the advice though gents :D
Jäger Stefan Halle 3./I./Geb.Jag.Reg.100
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nilznl
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Re: Helmet varnish ?

Post by nilznl »

I seem to remember reading they were painted in a satin gloss paint from factory. Initially without texturing added, which would give it mild shine. This was later changed where aluminium oxide was added to the paint to add texture.
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Herr_Pete
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Re: Helmet varnish ?

Post by Herr_Pete »

The Germans used oil based paints so this gave off the shine you always see. Varnish was only ever applied over the decal and this was of course a really small amount. Aluminium oxide was eventually run through the paint to create the rough texture you get on re-issue helmets and the vast majority of helmets after 42.
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Halle
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Location: Sud west

Re: Helmet varnish ?

Post by Halle »

So some form of satin finish needs to be applied to get the desired result ? Such as a modelling varnish ? There's definitely a ' shine ' missing - this is a pre war look I'm going for .
Jäger Stefan Halle 3./I./Geb.Jag.Reg.100
Mooyman
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Re: Helmet varnish ?

Post by Mooyman »

Pz Gren Hoffmann wrote:In the pre-war times they were often buffed up for parade use though.
You are right with that.
Paint the Germans used is a fore-runner of nowedays acryllic paint....
The only paint who gets '''Stumpfmatt''(very dull)...
The only downside is that flat paint absorbs dirt, which can after a time become
more shiny...(but that is only for helmets without texture)
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The best repro is an original...
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