Category Archives: Repair

The Ugly Duckling Or The Transformation Into a Beautiful Bird – With A Name.

The helmet as bought.

The helmet described in this article had been on offer on a certain internet auction platform at the UK for at least two years, headlined as “Vintage Pith Helmet World War 1 WW1 British Army First Please see photo” – The seller´s hint to see the photo first made sense: Many collectors probably have clicked to open the page and closed it immediately after having seen a helmet, filled with yellow foam – besides being offered at a price that was anything but a bargain.  Continue reading →

Mystery Solved – Victorian British General Staff Officer’s Foreign Service Helmet circa 1884-86

HeaderThe subject of this article is a Foreign Service Helmet that I acquired 10 or so years ago from an antique mall in Canada. The seller did not represent it as anything in particular. It was just an old military helmet and plume with no provenance. Since that time it has been the focus of much frustration, as I have tried to nail down exactly what it is. I must thank my new friend Stuart Bates, for his “dog with a bone” attitude in helping me finally identify it, with certainty! Also thanks to Clive M. Law, Benny Bough, and my old friend Douglas N. Anderson, for their assistance and contribution in this effort. Continue reading →

How to Repair a Damaged Pith Helmet

Titel

The collapse of the very top of the dome is a common “disease” amongst sun helmets made from that light material, pith. In this respect, it does not matter, if a particular helmet had had an adventurous life or was never taken out of his transport tin.  The damage described above is often due to a weak point in the construction.  This article shows a way to repair or at least stabilize a damaged helmet – before it gets completely “puzzled” – by using techniques borrowed from bookbinding. Continue reading →