Four years ago, I was fortunate enough to acquire an Austro-Hungarian Berndorfer shell, and sooner, rather than later, I will post an entry on it.
I display a reproduction chinstrap with it simply for aesthetic reasons.
When the helmet arrived, with it in the box was a long, brown, damp, lumpy mass...I know, right? I set that aside, uncertain what it was. Last week I was having a purge and came across that lump. Close examination revealed a mass of clay, rust, and what looked like perished leather; I started to dissect it. What was revealed was the very rusted original chinstrap cam-buckle.
I gave it a light scrub with a soft toothbrush which effectively got rid of the mud and the surface flakes of rust. Following that, I used a vinyl eraser to remove the rest of the rust. It cleaned up very well.
As you can see, the reproduction is an exact twin of the original, and the strap is first-rate quality.
This was a pleasant surprise and a nice conclusion.
See you next time with another cool helmet from the collection.
Mannie
