cac0fae8c8f092b7d7e32f10d5d4e9c220d2969b My Health Is My Life: How To Refurbish Hand Painted Fire Helmet Shields

How To Refurbish Hand Painted Fire Helmet Shields

By Janet Snyder


Firefighting helmets have been in existence for centuries. Their function is to provide maximum protection to the head. They safeguard it from cold, cinder, and falling objects. The head being a vital part of a human being require cautious guarding. The helmets have been changing since they were discovered many years ago. The materials used for their construction has tremendously changed, but the shape has been retained. Traditional helmets were made of leather, but leather is a material that has been retained to date. Those constructed from hard and durable materials such as metals and plastics are available. Understanding the repair process for the hand painted fire helmet shields is advantageous.

Back in the 1880s, an unknown sculptor designed a helmet and positioned it on a grave of a firefighter who had volunteered in firefighting. The headgear was named brass and beaver. They were embraced later on as firefighting protective structures. It is simple to repair these structures in case of damages. Practicing is the only trick of mastering the refurbishing procedure. It is important to find out the materials that required for the repairing procedure. Established online retailers such as eBay offer the supplies at an affordable cost.

The interior part should be in good state. Examine the lining for presence of worn spots or tears. Metal one may have missing, broken, and cracked portions. This portion deserves to be replaced. After identification of both external and internal damages, the next step is purchasing the necessary supplies. Materials for brand new earflaps plus lining may be required. The shield may require fresh paint, furnace cement to cover cracks or holes.

Important supplies and tools required during the renovation process are pliers, boiled linseed oil, knives, and sandpaper. Hardware and shield must be taken off before renovation process commences. The materials can be separately kept in different boxes and cared for effectively. These items do not require to be painted but they can be shined by first cleaning and finally polishing. Shield or hardware that has broken requires to be replaced by a durable and stable one.

Leather fire helmets require occasional sanding by 150-grit sandpaper. Sanding is a suitable strategy of doing away with old paint. To keep the filigree stunning special attention should be accorded to such parts when sanding. Leather headgears have coats that comprise boiled linseed oil. To speed the removal of the paint some oils must be applied on its surface.

Gaps, holes, and cracks can be fixed by use of furnace cement. The cement works perfectly since it can withstand high temperatures. The cement that was initially used to fill the old gaps should be replaced with fresh one. Fingers can be used to pack the cement tightly into position.

The head protector is made up of few coats of paints, and has a beautiful appearance. During the repair process, the first layer that must be applied must consist of paint and oil mixture. The paint should be given time to dry.

Helmets that have traps require special attention to avoid damaging such important parts. The recommended strategy is hanging it during the refurbishing process. Laying the head protector on a hard flat surface must be avoided.




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