Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Important Ideas On Repairing Hand Painted Fire Helmet Shields

By Janet Snyder


The purpose of helmet is to protect the head from falling objects, fire, and cinders. The head is an important part of the human body that is exposed to danger during the firefighting process. A look at helmets that are manufactured currently, some similarities can be traced to the traditional ones. For example, shape is a feature that has been retained for decades. Some differences in material and quality can be identified. Traditional ones relied on leather, while nowadays it is easy to find those constructed from metals such as aluminum, brass, and nickel. In addition, those made of plastic structures and polymers are available. The procedure for renovating hand painted fire helmet shields is simple and clear.

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.

Other common supplies required during the refurbishing process include sandpaper, pliers, linseed oil, and a knife. Before the restoration process commences, the shield and any other hardware should be ripped off from the head protector. These materials must be placed in a safe box, which should be placed in a secure place. The items are shined by polishing and cleaning, hence, do not require painting and sanding. Broken and damaged hardware needs to be replaced with a new 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.

The furnace cement fixes holes, gaps, and cracks effectively. The cement has property of resisting damage inflicted by extremely high temperature. Old cement should be removed, and fresh one installed. Fingers can be used to achieve a tight pack.

The firefighter headgear requires a few coats during the painting process. Make sure the first coat is made up of a mixture of paint and oil, to give the helmet a tight seal. It should be left undisturbed until it full dries. Addition layer should be added afterwards.

Important structures such as traps must be protected during the refurnishing procedure. Experience professionals recommend mounting or handing of the helmet. Flat hard surfaces have tendency of damaging it.




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