In the late summer of 2020, I came across this helmet for sale on ebay for a relatively low price. I had been toying with the idea of buying one for a while now, but this was the "nicest" one I could find in my very low budget range. I bought it hoping that I could remove the fake white paint, which I was able to do by wiping the surface of the helmet with cotton balls dipped in acetone. It worked quite well actually, and didn't damage the original paint underneath.
Before:
I honestly don't know what the original owner was doing to the helmet, but it looked terrible. It had a fake decal on it at one point, but someone had removed it before I had bought it.
After:
As you can see, it looks much nicer. I'd say 97% of the original paint is present, with spotty amounts of aluminum oxide scattered around. This helmet was handled a lot, and shines a bit as a result, but this only shows it has aged well. :)
Below are some of the details of the helmet.
Steel rivet on the side of the helmet. Note the chipped paint.
This model of ckl (ET) M42 helmet has a low profile stamped vent.
The liner of the helmet is present and in good, supple condition. There are some scuffs around the edges near the liner band, and age related staining, but all in all, its in great shape. The darker tan color really pops on this particular helmet.
The stamping on this helmet is unfortunately weak, but legible. It was made by ckl (Earlier in the war, it would have had an ET stamp - Eisenhüttenwerke - Thale) and is a size 62. The numbers "77" are painted in white paint (original to the helmet) and could mean anything from the 77th Wehrmacht Division, or a 77th Kompanie of some 77th Regiment. Who knows. It looks cool anyway.
This is the chinstrap buckle. It is a later war buckle, made of what I believe to be brushed steel. Unfortunately, the end of the strap is torn away, giving me no info on the exact year of production, or maker.
Closeup of the drawstring for the liner.
I was surprised to see the liner date and factory code when I inspected it in the sunlight. The other side can be seen, but unfortunately I cannot get a photograph of it. It is a size 64 liner jammed into a size 62 helmet. Odd, but not unheard of. This helmet liner was made in 1943, by who, I do not know. I cannot make out all of the numbers in the code. The helmet was likely made in the same year, or soon thereafter.
Here is a closeup of the dome stamp. Unfortunately, it is illegible, but it is still a cool thing to see.
I had to do some finagling to photograph this one. (don't worry, I would never do anything to damage the liner) It is a size 56 stamp (56/64). Other stampings can be seen, but once again, I cannot read them, and I don't want to risk damaging the liner trying too.
So what do y'all think? Not bad for my first helmet!
The M42 Helmet in combat.