peregrinvs Posted 11 April , 2017 Author Share Posted 11 April , 2017 (Five bent rivets and much foul language later...) C'mon chaps - what's the secret of successfully installing the liner rivet? I bought a packet of ten copper rivets and so far I've wasted half of them. No matter how hard I try to brace the rear of the rivet, they just bend sideways inside the liner and hardly peen over at the top at all. These failed attempts aren't doing the top of the helmet any good either. Do I need some sort of special tool? Is there a 'knack'? All help very gratefully accepted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aef1917 Posted 11 April , 2017 Share Posted 11 April , 2017 Here's an instructional video from Prairie Flower Leather Co., which makes reproduction liners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peregrinvs Posted 12 April , 2017 Author Share Posted 12 April , 2017 Thanks. He makes it look so simple... Looks like I need to invest in a rivet setting tool and a ball hammer. More expense, but c'est la vie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peregrinvs Posted 23 April , 2017 Author Share Posted 23 April , 2017 (edited) Sorted at last. I invested in a ball pein hammer and improvised an anvil using a large nut and bolt - partly inspired by the PFLC video above. It wasn't actually that difficult in the end - definitely a case of needing the right tool for the right job. Not the neatest work, but I've never done it before and it seems to be secure so I shall count it as a success. Edited 23 April , 2017 by peregrinvs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peregrinvs Posted 23 April , 2017 Author Share Posted 23 April , 2017 So that just left a final coat of paint over the exterior and adding the chinstrap. I also gave it a top coat of matt lacquer. I did this as I've been using tester pot paint which isn't intended to be permanent and I wanted to make it more durable. An additional advantage is that it gives it a slight sheen that makes it look more like an oil paint rather than emulsion. Well it's almost finished... I have somehow managed to lose the split pin supplied to secure the open end of the chinstrap. Not a biggie as I've ordered some more in brass that should hopefully look more interesting. Alas though it is still imperfect as it is a MkI and it has no rim. Unfortunately I don't have the skills or kit to make a new one and I am loathe to rob one off a lesser value helmet. (Which probably wouldn't fit properly anyway) C'est la vie - it is what it is. Overall I'm very pleased with it. PS. And thank you to my 13 Pounder HE shell for lending its support to this photographic session. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack31916 Posted 24 April , 2017 Share Posted 24 April , 2017 Looks like a nice helmet to me ! Where did you get your liner from? Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aef1917 Posted 25 April , 2017 Share Posted 25 April , 2017 Looks great. I wouldn't worry much about not having a rim. I have half a dozen rimless Mk. I helmets that clearly never had rims, and I firmly believe that they are a transitional type between the War Office Pattern and rimmed Mk. I. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waggoner Posted 25 April , 2017 Share Posted 25 April , 2017 Nicely done! I'm impressed! All the best, Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peregrinvs Posted 25 April , 2017 Author Share Posted 25 April , 2017 On 4/24/2017 at 15:55, Jack31916 said: Looks like a nice helmet to me ! Where did you get your liner from? Regards Thank you. I bought the liner / chinstrap kit from Soldier of Fortune: http://www.sofmilitary.co.uk/ww1-british-brodie-helmet-liner-product,2859 I'm not sure I'd buy another one though - the chinstrap parts seem to be made of some sort of bonded leather rather than solid and the label had a typo. (Fortunately concealed by the rivet and washer) If I buy another, I'd probably go for one of the Military History Workshop ones: http://www.militaryhistoryworkshop.co.uk/shop/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=331 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peregrinvs Posted 25 April , 2017 Author Share Posted 25 April , 2017 7 hours ago, aef1917 said: Looks great. I wouldn't worry much about not having a rim. I have half a dozen rimless Mk. I helmets that clearly never had rims, and I firmly believe that they are a transitional type between the War Office Pattern and rimmed Mk. I. Thank you. This one definitely had a rim as you could see where it had been when I stripped the rust off. However, it's good to know my one doesn't look 'wrong'. I think the one I showed here may be a transitional: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack31916 Posted 28 April , 2017 Share Posted 28 April , 2017 On 25-4-2017 at 22:34, peregrinvs said: Thank you. I bought the liner / chinstrap kit from Soldier of Fortune: http://www.sofmilitary.co.uk/ww1-british-brodie-helmet-liner-product,2859 I'm not sure I'd buy another one though - the chinstrap parts seem to be made of some sort of bonded leather rather than solid and the label had a typo. (Fortunately concealed by the rivet and washer) If I buy another, I'd probably go for one of the Military History Workshop ones: http://www.militaryhistoryworkshop.co.uk/shop/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=331 Thanks for the info. Regards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMB1943 Posted 4 July , 2018 Share Posted 4 July , 2018 (edited) Peregrinus, The photos in posts 4 & 5 show the shell post-derusting. Immediate oiling is usually necessary to prevent flash rusting of the bare metal. Did you do this? If so, how was the successful application of emulsion-based primer and top coats possible? If not, how did you proceed? I am going to rejuvenate my shell, and would appreciate any tips that you can share. Regards, JMB Edited 4 July , 2018 by JMB1943 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peregrinvs Posted 4 July , 2018 Author Share Posted 4 July , 2018 Hi JMB, My usual method is to take the metal out of the acid solution, give it a final rust removing scrub if necessary in soapy water, rinse it off, quickly dry it with an old cloth and then hose it down with spray oil. I then leave it for a bit and then wipe the excess oil off with another old cloth. When I’m ready to paint, I just remove the remaining oil by wiping it over with white spirit. I’ve also got in the habit of putting on a coat of Kurust pre-painting to stabilise and seal the metal. Regards, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMB1943 Posted 4 July , 2018 Share Posted 4 July , 2018 Mark, Thanks very much for sharing that info. As always, it’s nice to be able to follow one who has been there. One more question, if I may. Post 30 shows various shots of your finished shell, but the paint appears sometimes on the yellow side and sometimes green/grey. Does the apparent color differ in natural and artificial light? How does it look to you? Regards, JMB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peregrinvs Posted 4 July , 2018 Author Share Posted 4 July , 2018 I find the strength of the light makes the apparent colour vary. In strong light it looks more yellow-ish brown, whereas in weaker light the green element becomes more visible. Regards, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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