Helmet painting tips

I have an M35 that is painted early war apfelgrun that I need to repaint feldgrau for reenacting. Does anyone have any tips about how to go about doing this? What paint to buy, how to paint it, etc. I also have a friend who can use stripper to take off the paint, should I do that and then paint it?

 

You have an original M35 that you want to destroy for re-enacting?

 

Its not original

 

I see....whew....you scared me for a minute!

 

Well heres the thing, I heard it was original but a reenactor sold it to me for $55 and told me it was repainted in the 70's for reenacting. For $55 I wouldn't think its original, and if it is it doesn't retain its original paint anyway.

 

I'd start by sand blasting it clean. Forget chemical stripping unless it is a process equal to sandblasting. As for paint, you have two choices really. If you are using it for re-enacting and want a durable finish I recommend a semi-gloss or flat two part silico-epoxy enamel primer and finish coat. You will never have to paint it again.
For more authenticity a leaded oil based primer and enamel would be appropriate but very hard to obtain.

 

Decal and Helmet Aging Tips

 

would testors model spray paint work?

 

REFURBISH RESTORE GERMAN HELMET - RESTAURARE ELMETTO TEDESCO

testors is a good product, yes....

 

Ah...HAHAHAHAHA!

No.

Use real paint.

Go to ICI, Dunn Edwards, Sherwin Williams or ARKO paint and get something that will work right. They will sell you a pint can of what you need mixed to the exact shade(s) you want.

As to the restoration website, I'd still recommend sand blasting over chemical stripping. I know this from a more professional level of work. Sand blasting cleans off ALL the paint and rust giving a true clean bare metal finish. This allows the primer and paint you choose to stick properly. If you paint onto rust or scale you are wasting your time. It will flake off in short order.
The use of bondo to fill pits I suppose is optional if you want a smooth finish on the helmet. I personally would hit ICI or ARKO or, another dealer in automotive paint and use either a two part expoy or polycarbonite based paint as these are literally forever paints. They are worth paying the $20 to $40 for as you will never have to deal with painting it again. But, they also require spraying to be done right. A decent HVLP sprayer is fairly cheap at Harbor Freight or Home Depot.

 

I agree, sand blasting is by far the better way of removing paint. I have a small blast cabinet in my garage which I have used to strip the paint and rust from helmets and relics, with great effect.

The sandblasting method also gives the metal a good key for the new paint to adhere to.

I've even sprayed helmets with automotive cellulose paint, which i've had mixed to the correct RAL colour. Although not very durable, this type of paint is fine if you are using it on items purely for display purposes.