I have a 1916 transitional helmet with a very nice liner and chinstrap, but someone has spray painted it with black paint. I suspect I have nothing to lose by trying to carefully remove the spray paint. Is there a consensus as to whether or not this is advisable and what would be the best product to use? Thanks! Joe S

If you are absolutely certain that the black paint is post war I would say that acetone is one of the best methods to use on modern paint. The drawback is that if any decals are present under the black top coat acetone can damage or destroy them. Using acetone you need to have a set of rubber gloves, some eye protection, and a pail of water handy. Dip a rag into the acetone and rub gently in an area that is not readily seen such as the interior of the skirt. Do this until you can reveal the underlying colour. (It should go without saying that this all needs to be done in a well ventilated area and away from any potential electrical sparks or open flame as acetone is quite combustible.) You may also want to use the edge of a credit card to gently scrape the area where any decal(s) may be lurking. If evidence of a decal is found you should proceed very carefully - using the water to plunge the helmet in and stop the reaction if you find a decal. The key is to do small areas gently and carefully. It may take a good bit of time to do this. I have found that fingernail polish remover can work well on paint over decals. It generally contains a weakened form of acetone and is less harmful that the full strength stuff. Others prefer to simply scrape the helmet with a hard plastic credit card which will really take some time and patience. Once done wash the helmet with water and when dry you can buff it with a soft cloth to improve the look. I have used this method on several post-war apinted fire/police helmets from Eastern Europe. I have only found fragmentary decals in the past but others have had quite pleasant surprises. Good luck and show us some photos if you decide to proceed. In fact, why not show it now and get some opinions as to the current paint job before you start.
Cheers,
Mike

Thanks Mike,

I have sucessfully removed postwar orange paint from a helmet, but forgot exactly what I used to do it. Whatever it was, it only took off the first coar leaving the origianl blue almost perfect.

As far as this helmet is concerned, a friend of mine told me not to mess with it until I confirmed that the paint is not original. I took a second look at it and found that it appears to be hand painted instead of sprayed, which puts a whole new perspective on things. I will post photos and would be interested in knowing what you think. Thank! Joe

Hello everyone, here are some photos of the helmet, let me know what you think. Thanks for your help. Joe

Another one.

different view.

other side.

It could very well be period paint. Hard to judge without an in hand examination. Wait for some other opinions before proceeding. You may want to post it on some other sites with more active helmet fora. I would suggest you try Germa Helmet Walhalla as a start.
Cheers,
-Mike