MARK 1 BRODIE OBSERVATIONS

[Spike]

I have just been given a Mark 1 Brodie helmet in barn find condition but complete with liner and chinstrap.  The makers mark is FKS 118, as you say probably Thomas Firth & Sons Ltd, Sheffield.   Cleaning it up, just a good rub over with WD40, one notices how creased the metal of the shell is.  I imagine pressings of later helmets used greater pressure on their dies.  The steel strip applied to the rim obviously did not have a longitudinal curve rolled into it so wrapping round the rim has raised excess metal on its inner circumference.  The creases in the shell and raised metal of the rim strip give the impression of a rushed job under wartime conditions.

The rim strip is magnetic, the shell non-magnetic.  So the shell is almost certainly Hadfield steel (Mangalloy).  See Wikipedia for interesting detail of the properties and uses of this alloy, one of the more tricky to form.  Doubtless heat treatment regimes pre and post pressing evolved, improving the quality of pressing.  The strip was probably insufficient to cause significant compass deviation for practical purposes when a hand bearing compass was used by the wearer.  Tested with a Silva compass the needle shows very slight deflection.

All the bare metal is lightly rusted but the outer shell has much of the roughened paint remaining though now very dark in colour.  Inside there are patches of silver paint.  The liner is detached as the rivets attaching it to the chin strap have rusted so one can have a good look at both sides of the shell and the liner.  The liner is very well made, very neat sewing machining.

The leather chinstrap and strip round the liner retaining the rubber tubes I have treated with Neats Foot Oil, a preparation used in equestrian circles for their tack.  It helps restore the suppleness of leather but will do nothing for cracks in degraded leather.  If buying Neats Foot Oil, look for genuine stuff without added mineral oil.  I have successfully used it on old Sam Browne belts, leaving them for months between coats for it to soak in, while wrapped in polythene.  Hung up by the buckle, in time set bends in the leather will straighten out.  Once the oil has fully soaked in, Kiwi Parade Gloss restores the appearance of the leather.  As with much of military restoration time and patience are of the essence.  

The leatherette of the helmet liner has just had a wipe with a damp cloth.

How wonderful it is to still be able to find such tangible pieces of history.  

      

[leon21]

Very useful and interesting information Spike Thanks for posting it.

[Spike]

PS

I have just re-stocked with Neats Foot Oil.  The one I buy is Equimins Pure Neats Foot Oil.  It is 100% pure, no added mineral or vegetable oils.  I buy it from my local country store - Russells.  I have no other connection with the business.

An advantage of this product is that it is in a plastic bottle.  I use relatively little of it and a tin rusts if stored for long periods.  It is best kept in the house as it will partially solidify in low temperatures, melting when warmed up.  It comes in a 500ml size which I find a convenient quantity.

Something to beware of is that Neats Foot Oil makes otherwise inedible materials attractive to mice.  A paint brush left on the bench in my workshop had the bristles chewed off and a leather strap chewed up.

Treating leather with Neats Foot Oil is putting oil from cow bones back into the leather so it stands to reason they are compatible.  Whilst some things are counter intuitive and leather has been chemically altered by tanning this treatment has stood the test of time.

 

[GaryR]

25 minutes ago, Spike said:

PS

I have just re-stocked with Neats Foot Oil.  

 

Presumably this isn't for your feet. lol