Narnia,Kurzeme,Nordland
HOBBYHISTORICA
  • Home
    • HobbyhistoricaShop
  • Soldier Recovery
  • Forests of Norway
  • Battlefield Finds
  • The Workbench

Here you`ll find my finished miniature models, build blogs of dioramas,photos and other things that don`t fit in the other categories on the site.

Removing rust from helmets

1/31/2014

23 Comments

 
I wonder how many good helmets have been destroyed in attempts to remove rust from them. I personally saw to that three helmets turned black in a chemical reaction before I knew how to approach this the right way. Now I shiver in horror when I see ground dug relic lids thrown in a electrolysis bath or brushed with "rust remover" making the helmet worthless and ugly. My friend Andris thaught me how to get the rust off and still have a nice patinated helmet and at the same time preserve paint and decals hidden under the red stuff.
 This is a very simple process and is best done in a well ventilated area, or the kitchen if the missus is away. You need a few things :
* Plastic tray,bucket etc.
*Safety goggles and gloves
*A stiff brush , a hemp dish brush or nail brush for example
*Oxalic Acid , check with your local pharmacist or hardware store
*Kitchen towel
*Rusty object
Hobbyhistorica german helmet found in stalingrad battlefield find ww2
Here I have a very battle damaged german M40 from Stalingrad. As you can see it is a nice rusted relic piece with what looks like two layers of paint. A greyish first layer with what looks like a field applied Apple Green atop which is flaking a bit. Im worried the cleaning will remove some of this green layer but I will be careful when brushing it.
cleaning ww2 helmet
Put the pieces into the tub or bucket and cover it with cold water. Then I use a tablespoon of Oxalic Acid pr 10 liter water and stir it good.
oxalic acid helmet
Now you ll see the water getting a yellow hue to it, so just leave it for 20-30 minutes. Keep any children and/or pets away, you dont want them drink this or inhale the fumes.
Picture
When time is up remove the piece from the acid to running cold water in the sink where you brush it and you ll see rust just running of. You might want to give it another 20 minutes in the Oxalic Acid after this it depends how rusty it is and how much you want to work with it. When I was satisfied I put the pieces in a bucket of cold clean water for a few hours and then giving them another brushing under running water before lightly padding them dry with the kitchen towel and letting them air dry on the table.
Hobbyhistorica german helmet found in stalingrad battlefield find ww2 oxalic
So alot more rust came off this one , but as feared some of the green paint came off in the process. I was happy though because underneath the rust and the green paint there was remains of a decal which I never would have seen if it hadn`t been for the Oxalic Acid.
Hobbyhistorica german helmet found in stalingrad battlefield find ww2 decal helmet
Hobbyhistorica german helmet found in stalingrad battlefield find ww2 metaldetecting
Next time we`ll have a look at how to preserve this further:)

Preserving Relics:  preserving-relics.html
23 Comments
Aleksi
4/20/2015 08:20:35 pm

Hi i haw old russia helmet relic from wintter war (russia ws finland) and i think if i clean it whit oxalic but where i can put that wader on the bucket after my helmet is sclean?

Reply
inka
4/20/2015 09:42:52 pm

Pour it in the sink or toilet it should be fine.

Reply
Aleksi
4/20/2015 10:37:38 pm

Thanks. :)

Reply
Tyler link
5/11/2016 12:42:25 pm

Welp, now to wait for the battle damaged M16 Helmet...and time to take the biggest risk in my life.. ._.

Reply
inka
5/12/2016 12:54:29 am

If you need any more tips on how to proceed when you get the helmet just drop me a email Tyler :)

Reply
Ryan M Patten
9/22/2016 06:25:15 pm

I have an M-35 German helmet; the rust isn't very bad, can I just spray a clear-coat over it to prevent oxygen from reaching the metal?

inka
9/23/2016 04:34:47 am

Ryan, personally I would kill the rust before coating it:)

James
5/13/2016 11:33:12 pm

Hell there I have a relic paratrooper helmet with liner and decal still present it need a good clean and very rusty I'm unsure how to clean it without ruining the decal and liner,,time is running out and it need to be preserved as soon as possible as it's starting to decay more since I've had it a few weeks,,if anyone could help I would be greatful.

Reply
inka
5/14/2016 12:10:37 am

Oxalic acid will not destroy the decal or any leather. Send me a email with a few pics of how it looks:)

Reply
Aleksi Malvalehto
6/8/2017 09:58:16 am

I bought wärtsilä (Finnish m40) helmet from the flea market with 35 euros. The metal in good condition liner remains, some cracks, however, are found. My helmet is size w75 (the largest size). Can you tell me how rare my helmet is?

Reply
inka
6/8/2017 01:19:57 pm

Hi.It is difficult to say anything without having seen it, but in general Finnish helmets isn`t very rare.

Reply
Aleksi Malvalehto
6/9/2017 04:13:56 am

I can send pictures of it. Possibly email?

Reply
inka
6/9/2017 07:32:16 am

hobbyhistorica@gmail.com

Reply
Dylan
6/11/2017 11:34:48 am

I have a few old WW1 helmets, and would like to remove the rust and put a clear coat on. They still have paint on them though, would this hurt them?

Reply
inka
6/21/2017 10:36:26 pm

I d use oxalic acid and some kind of preservation wax ( i sell some in my shop,"HobbyHistoricaWax". As long as you are carefull and dont have the helmets too long in the oxalic and rinse them good with fresh water,dry them thouroughly before applying wax etc the paint wont be damaged.

Reply
Boris
8/24/2017 09:27:07 am

hey I want to thank you for posting this. I just did this with an old rusty ww1 German helmet and it looks brand new now.

Reply
Inka
8/25/2017 02:14:15 pm

Thanks:) Happy to know it could help you :)

Reply
Aleksi Malvalehto
9/2/2017 05:02:53 am

Hi i dit buy ww2 russia helmet relic from guns how today it is rusty from inside and 85% original paint outcide and red star decal in front of helmet. i paid 70 euros i think i made good deal because I saw it
in intternet before and seller asked ower 100euros.

Reply
Andy link
11/26/2017 07:19:00 am

I have two relic helmets one from karelia one normandy, but need some tlc, thanks for advice

Reply
Max
2/23/2019 08:27:56 pm

I have a m16 stanhelm with the original liner and I have rust spots covering some of the helmet but the original paint still there is their anything I can do to try and stop the rust while keeping the paint and if possible protect the liner.

Reply
inka
2/24/2019 06:00:59 am

i think oxalic acid might bleach leather a bit, havent really used it on leather myself so I m not sure..

Reply
Justin
12/27/2019 02:51:25 pm

Hey I have an Italian M33 any advice that I can use where I can remove rust but, preserve the paint because I wanna keep it original if possible.

Reply
inka
12/27/2019 10:07:20 pm

Hi Justin.
Oxalic Acid works good. Also some use citric acid :)

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    January 2023
    May 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    May 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    July 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    October 2014
    August 2014
    May 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013

    RSS Feed

©All images and text are sole property
of HobbyHistorica