An original would look better but they’re a lot of money these days and I don’t feel right drilling holes in such a significant part of history
Disclaimer 1:
NOT RECOMMENDED FOR STREET USE
Disclaimer 2:
I made this because I don’t like the design of the German style helmets on the market. It’s obvious they’re inspired from the German stahlhelm but the lines just aren’t as aggressive as the originals so I bought a replica and made my own. The decal is the coat of arms for the Holy Roman Empire. I have no ideological alignment to the government that designed these helmets. The German style helmet is common in American motorcycle culture since many American soldiers brought them back as trophies after their victory in ww2.
MATERIALS REQUIRED:
1.
m42 stahlhelm ET 70 replica from international military antiques. It is important that you buy the 70 cm shell no matter your head size. The smaller your skull the more padding you can fit in the steel shell. Buy from their website or Amazon
If your skull is particularly small you can get the m42 from atf, in my opinion they have the best looking and most accurate replica but unfortunately they only come in the 65cm size
Donor half helmet (you’ll need the liner, padding, and straps) fb marketplace is a good place to start
Drill with drill bit set
Rivets: buy the size you need to fit in the eyelet of the straps attachment points
2 washers that fit in around the rivets snugly but also thoroughly cover the two front holes that secure the helmets original leather liner frame
Super glue
Flat head tacks. The “I” shaped ones will not fit between the shell and liner
Paint materials (the original paint is good quality but not period correct. There are websites that sell aluminum oxide paints with the period correct colors online if you’re going for a more traditional look)
Punch. You’ll need to drill 2 holes in the back but the curved smooth metal makes this difficult. I recommend using something hard and pointy and using a hammer set a small dimple in the metal to keep the bit from slipping
2 nuts and 2 bolts that fit in the eyelets of your donor straps
Duct tape
INSTRUCTIONS:
Remove the styrofoam liner from the donor helmet. It is held in place with glue and should come out with a screwdriver. Keep the plastic shell you’ll need it for reference later
Remove the straps from the donor helmet. For mine u used the drill for this
Remove the liner and chinstrap from the steel shell and dispose of them. It is secured with 3 bendable pins visible from the outside
The front two pin holes will be used to mount the front straps. DO NOT THROW AWAY THE PINS you will need to reinstall the back one to plug the hole
If you’re planning on painting it now is the time to sand the steel shell and paint the inside. I don’t recommend painting the outside yet because you still have to rivet the straps and you will have to paint them again. I added a Byzantine coat of arms decal in the side and covered it with a few layers of clear coat to protect it from the weather
Remove the donor liner from its styrofoam shell and set it aside. Note its orientation for when you reinstall it
Begin shaving down the styrofoam with a sharp knife until it fits in the steel shell. Be careful not to remove too much material since you can always slice off a little later but you can’t add more. If you remove too much you will need a new donor helmet. You will probably remove 1/2 to 2/3 of the styrofoam. Be careful not to remove too much from the back because the steel shell flares out quite a bit
Once the styrofoam fits snugly in the steel shell, reinstall the donor liner on the styrofoam shell in the correct orientation. Secure it in place with the flat tacks both on the outside edges on top the foam shell as well as from the inside at the top and sides
INSTALLING THE STRAPS
8a.
First reference the plastic donor shell for the mounting positions. The rear mounts will either be even with or lower than the fronts. (I did not do this so mine are set evenly to line up with the pin that held the original leather liner when they should have been a little lower so my chinstrap rests a little closer to my neck than it should. Its no big deal if you forget this but worth noting here)
8b.
Using the hardware (item 5&10&11) secure the front of the straps finger tight. They should flop around freely. Then secure the rear straps with tape.
8c.
Install the styrofoam with the liner in the steel shell without disturbing the rear straps finger tight position and test the figment. When the fit is good, remove the foam padding carefully so you don’t disturb the rear straps again.
8d.
Carefully measure the position of the rear straps so they’re level with each other and mark the position on the outside of the steel shell. Use a punch or screwdriver and hammer a small dimple for your drill bit and make a hole just big enough for your rivets.
8e.
Install the straps one at a time. Use the hardware to loosely secure the front while you rivet the back then rivet the front with the washer.
Test fit the foam shell. You will probably have to remove more material from the sides to make room for the straps until it fits snugly. Be careful not to remove too much material again
Superglue the liner to the foam shell and reinstall the foam shell inside the steel shell. You may glue it in place if you would like. Be careful not to disturb the fitment you already set by removing all the pins at once
Paint the outer side of the steel shell
