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Frequently Asked Questions
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M35 Double Decal Luftwaffe Helmet
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What is Stahlhelm-Werke? Stahlhelm-Werke is a part-time hobby business focusing on the sale and restoration of WWII German helmets with particular emphasis on the WWII living history and reenactor market. Stahlhelm-Werke is one of the first services of its kind to establish restoration services of this kind beginning in 1997. Since then, Stahlhelm-Werke has completed more than 400 custom helmet restorations! What makes you different than the other vendors selling remanufactured helmets? The primary difference is that other vendors deal in volume sales of a complete range of WWII reenactment equipment. Other part-time vendors specialize in the same services as Stahlhelm-Werke but have less experience or access to the proper parts and techniques needed to do a quality restoration. Many companies have sprung up since Stahlhelm-Werke began helmet restorations in the late 1990's. Many of these competitors learned directly from us, or were instructed to do something similar through on-line chat groups or web forums. Unlike these vendors, our emphasis is on custom refinished helmets and restorations that are authentic and not 'rushed' or done in a sloppy manner. We continue to receive many helmets from customers who are completely unsatisfied with the work done by our competitors. Why pay twice to have your helmet restored? Stahlhelm-Werke focuses only on helmets. Stahlhelm-Werke was founded in 1997 as one of the first established restoration services. More than 400 custom helmet restorations have been completed since this service has been created. Don't your restorations get resold as originals? Are you a 'faker' of helmets causing problems for serious collectors? Many serious helmet collectors are concerned over the restoration of old helmet shells. Surprisingly these same collectors often threaten to cause trouble for helmet restorers because they fear a helmet that will be reproduced so well that it can't be told from an authentic helmet. In reality, these collectors have nothing to fear since all helmet restorations can be detected by knowledgeable collectors. Helmet restorations use modern paint, decals, split rivets, chinstraps, and liner systems all well documented and known to be 'fake'. Therefore, no one need worry about something being reproduced with the intention of fraudulent sales. If you want to know more about original German helmets and how they differ from reproductions, we recommend that you visit the excellent site on WWII German helmets at the following location: www.german-helmets.com What kind of services do you offer? Stahlhelm-Werke will refinish and restore any part of a helmet from ground-up to a customer's specifications. Efforts are directed at producing a completely accurate helmet from top to bottom. Customers have the ability to choose a specific finish with the assurance that it will be historically correct when completed. Stahlhelm-Werke offers professionally finished camouflage paint schemes, original liner bands (when available), historically correct helmet decals, and proper paint colors and textured finishes. Prefer to purchase your parts or decals elsewhere? No problem. Stahlhelm-Werke will custom repaint your helmet and assemble it using the parts you supply. If you prefer to purchase components from the other vendors selling similar items -- no problem. We will assemble your helmet following a full restoration of the raw materials you send us. How long does it take to get a helmet restored? It generally takes EIGHT TO TWELVE WEEKS to refinish a helmet shell or to produce a full restoration for direct purchase. This is not a full-time business operation and there is no large factory complex waiting to refurbish your helmet. If you are in a rush, need something quickly, or are impatient about needing to get your helmet, you should probably consider purchasing services from another source. Stahlhelm-Werke is a PART-TIME business. Please keep this in mind. No one can actually make a living on helmet restorations! What are the costs for your custom order services? Completely restored helmets come in a variety of prices. If you supply the helmet shell for refinishing, various prices apply depending on what you want done to your helmet. Pricing terms are dictated by the service you request and are completely described in this website under each product. How many helmets do you have in stock at any given time? We no longer stock empty helmet shells for refinishing. All of our work is done on helmets that you, the customer, supply in advance. Will you repaint a helmet or replace the liner and related components? Yes. Stahlhelm-Werke will professionally restore your old, worn out helmet shell replacing broken or bad components based on your specifications. What are your leather liners like and are they authentic? Stahlhelm-Werke uses pigskin leather (not cowhide) just like the wartime originals. Each liner has eight fingers with five tool cut vent holes (size 60 and 61 cm liners have nine fingers). The liners are cut from ORIGINAL liner patterns and are finished off with a natural colored wool felt backing, cotton thread, and wartime ink stampings. The drawstrings are the proper width of the originals and are cotton woven in either light olive drab or natural color. What kind of helmet chinstraps do you use? Reproduction chinstraps in black or brown leather with the correct metal hardware and buckle are used in the restorations. These are obtained from a variety of sources and most are RB#’ed or manufacturer stamped and dated. Early to mid-war helmets have painted buckles and metal fittings that are lacquer coated for durability just like the originals. Late war buckles have bare metal fittings. Do you produce reproduction liners and chinstraps for Luftwaffe paratrooper helmets? No. But Stahlhelm-Werke will professionally refinish your paratrooper shell in the proper field green paint color. Museum quality Luftwaffe decals are also available to add to the final look of the helmet. How realistic are your reproduction decals? Stahlhelm-Werke decals are virtually indistinguishable from the originals. These are manufactured 'the old world way' using new chemical and graphic printing techniques that allow the decals to retain all the detail of an original including the correct color and aluminum silver appearance. There are no better decals available anywhere. A few companies are now copying the techniques used by Stahlhelm-Werke to produce these decals. Do not be fooled by cheap comparisons. The competitor's products were started after examining Stahlhelm-Werke decals and attempting to copy their quality. Stahlhelm-Werke decals were the first of their kind created in 1997 and others do not compare to their accuracy or quality. What kind of paint do you use on the helmets? Stahlhelm-Werke uses a variety of hand mixed paints to replicate the full range of colors and textures found on original helmets. Most vendors are using pre-mixed semi-gloss automotive paint with a smooth finish. Other vendors are not able to accurately replicate the textured surfaces, like those found on original helmets, the way Stahlhelm-Werke helmet restorations can. What kind of paint finishes are available? Stahlhelm-Werke offers a variety of paint finishes. These include an early war SMOOTH finish, a mid-war SEMI-ROUGH TEXTURED, and a LATE WAR ROUGH-TEXTURED finish. When completed, textured finishes feel like fine sand paper to the touch and are evenly applied across the helmet shell. Do you do custom camouflaged paint jobs? Yes. Stahlhelm-Werke will custom paint your helmet in any color of tan, green, or brown at your request. Helmets with camouflaged paint jobs are HAND PAINTED or SPRAY PAINTED according to your preferences. We will paint both World War I and World War II helmets in camouflage at your request. How long does it take to get a helmet restored? It generally takes EIGHT TO TWELVE WEEKS after your helmet shell is received in the mail. Full restorations and custom ordered helmets may take longer depending on the availability of parts.
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