Read This Before Ordering!

Before You Place Your Order...

Before you place your helmet restoration order I suggest you read the following information concerning your purchase.  My preference is that you completely understand what you are purchasing before you send any money or your helmet parts.

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About this Business:

This is an established “part time hobby business” that focuses on historically accurate helmet coloring, materials, and reproduction decals for people interested in "restoring" their WWII German helmets.  This business has been around since 1997 and was one of the first of two that actually began custom restorations of WWII German helmets.  I have completed more than 350 helmet restorations for a variety of people including collectors, hobbyists, and WWII reenactors.  Many of these are international customers.  My references speak for themselves and I have a number of repeat customers.  If you need references because you doubt the quality of my work I am happy to give you a reference or two just to prove it.

There is no shop or factory behind this operation and no retail store hours are maintained.  Restoration work is completed in stages based on the order in which they are received.  The specifics provided by the purchaser and the availability of replacement helmet parts generally dictate the time it takes to complete a helmet.  This coupled with the fact that I am not working 24 hours a day at helmet restoration work means that it will take time to complete your order.  This business does not employ 10 or even a 100 people who are involved in manufacturing helmet parts and restorations on a daily basis.  All of the work done is accomplished by one person -- that being myself.  As a result, any number of delays can interrupt the general process of restoration.  This accounts for the need to disclose up-front that your helmet restoration may take anywhere between four to 12 weeks for completion.  When parts are available, the timing is such that most helmets are completed in four to six weeks total time from the date of receipt.  

The biggest delays are due to the inability to source reproduction parts in the sizes or styles requested at the time of order.  In general, there are only a few producers of these replacement parts and they are all manufactured overseas.  Parts are received in batch loads based on availability through US representatives who order them in limited quantities about twice per year.  You will note that almost all helmet restoration services utilize the same exact replacement parts to some degree.  If they are out of parts, most generally speaking I am out of parts as well.  This is because we all acquire them wholesale from individuals who manufacture them and distribute them to us.  The only difference with Stahlhelm-Werke helmets is that some portions (such as the leather and decals) are manufactured independently of the metal parts made overseas.  That means I can generally replicate most parts other than the helmet liner bands.  If delays are incurred, it generally has to do with the inability to source a helmet liner band to fit your helmet shell.  Delays of this kind can be as long as four months in some extreme cases! 

Paint Finishes:

The paint used in these restorations is a superior grade of durable hard finished paint in both matte and semi-gloss finishes.  Based on who you are dealing with, all helmet restoration services utilize different types of paints.  Basically speaking, none of us involved in helmet restorations use the same paint source or style of paint finish.  Each is very different.  You should be aware of the fact that there is no single source of paint that can be purchased by anyone that represents a 100% identical match to wartime paints.  Most restorations firms are satisfied if they can even approximate a general color that seems “right”.  In an effort to do better than that, I utilize my own mixture of paints to achieve different finish styles that are more historically accurate than the stock ready kind of paint applied to my competitors’ restorations.  You will note that I simulate to a very high degree of accuracy the actual paint textures used on original helmets.  That means that the paint is actually integrated with the proper materials to simulate a textured look that is nearly identical to original paint finishes.  

Other restoration people attempt to do the same but have not been able to successfully achieve the “near identical” look of originals as well I have.  This is because they prefer to paint their helmets en-mass or through a fast process (just to sell them quickly) rather than taking the time necessary to do the complex work of getting a historical look.  These competitors are sometimes able to generate a textured look, but it is not as exact as a Stahlhelm-Werke helmet restoration and it is generally unlike what you would actually see on an original WWII German helmet.  You should also be aware that the paint finish used on each helmet is individually prepared for each helmet order.  No two helmets are exactly alike.  As far as durability is concerned, even the best paint finish will scratch to some degree.  This is true of original WWII era German helmets which clearly show the scars of paint damage from actual use.  While other helmet restoration services claim their paint is more durable, I have personally inspected and tested helmets done by most of the leading restoration houses only to find that they do indeed scratch or mare despite these claims.  If you are a WWII Living History reenactor be aware of the fact that your helmet is likely to show some wear if you plan on actually using it.  With regards to how I replicate these color schemes and finishes, please do not contact me asking for paint formulas.  These are proprietary and your request will go unanswered.

Helmet Decals:

You will note that Stahlhelme-Werke helmet decals make a claim to be the best in their class.  This is most certainly true since the first person to produce and openly market museum quality decals in North America was myself.  I pioneered the work on these decals many years ago and marketed them in lieu of the commonly found water-slide decals that have been sold in this country since the 1960’s.  If you compare Stahlhelm-Werke decals with water-slides, you will instantly see that the graphic quality, dimensions, and overall look have been remarkably reproduced from my own personal artwork.  The detail is significantly better than what you will get with a water-slide decal of any kind.  These are not produced by some kind of computer that does the work for me, they are hand illustrated from actual wartime examples.  

Unfortunately, other people have come along who have established web-based companies that claim to have a better decal product than mine.  The fact is, the people behind these decals have simply copied the actual artwork or the printing techniques used in my decals.  Their desire is to enter the market and directly compete with Stahlhelm-Werke decals.  Decals reproduced by other people who claim to have a unique format (such as dry transfers) have only copied the format used by my decals.  I can state this as a fact since I know who is currently producing these decals and how they came about their desire to copy the decals I designed.  You must be the judge of what you want to purchase, but you should be aware that Stahlhelm-Werke decals are in fact the first and best reproductions made.  The others are nothing but copies of these decals produced by someone else in the same format that I developed.  With regards to quantity you should note that I do not print thousands of decals at a time and I do not run a printing shop.  My work is all produced by a select number of quality printers that do this kind of work only for me.  As with any full-time printing operation, at times I encounter significant delays from my printers.  I am just one of hundreds of people they deal with.  This accounts for the reason that I am often unable to fulfill decal orders for many months.  In every case, each decal order placed is secured on a “back order” list.  When the decals are printed, they are shipped even if it is months after the order has been paid for.  If you want something quicker than that, your best bet is to buy the competitor’s product.  They are less expensive but they are not the same as my decals.  You have to be the deciding factor here.  If quality doesn’t really matter and time is of the essence, then you should buy what you want to and that may mean you buy someone else's product.  Its your money and its your choice.

General Delays with Orders:

This is an honest business.  If you place an order it will be filled even if it takes months to do it.  Every business encounters delays and backorders.  This includes my competitors despite the fact they may claim otherwise.  A part-time hobby business like mine is no exception.  If you are the kind of person who gets suspicious that your money has been “stolen” or your order completely “lost”,  I can only state that you are always welcome to contact me after having placed your order.  I anticipate that you may be anxious to obtain your restoration, but as you can see there are sometimes delays that are well beyond my ability to control.  If you are suspicious, worried, pushy, or actively seeking confrontation when your order does not arrive when you would like it to, then my suggestion is that you place your order with someone else.  I do not pretend to be the single source for all restorations in North America and by no means do I want to be.  I am more willing to turn work down that to take it, and I will always refund any portion of work not paid for if a customer demands their parts returned because of some type of delay.  All you need to do is ask and a refund can be granted.  I finish all the work that enters my shop.  I expect each customer to be clear about what they are ordering which only aids in making the process speed along even faster.  Unfortunately there have been a number of “bad apples” in the bunch of customers that I have had over the years.  Most businesses have them.  These customers often have personality problems that stem from something well beyond their order placed with me.  As a result of past experience, I must reserve the right to refuse any order from anyone at any time.

One Final Note :

This hobby business does not pretend to even support the politics or actions of Nazi Germany and its leaders past or present.  These reproductions serve only one purpose and that is to provide people who like to collect or reenact WWII with a historically accurate representation of the German helmet.  I do not support the work of radical political groups of any kind.  This business does not discriminate against anyone.  However, if you have strong political views that are outside the mainstream, or you are a person who hopes to resell my helmet restorations as “counterfeit” examples for profit, please do not contact me.  I will quickly report you to the appropriate authorities.  I do not take harassment of any kind lightly.

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