What to do with old leather flying helmet?

[klingon]

I just inherited my Dad's old leather flying helmet and goggles (he used to fly a Tiger Moth back in the day).

As far as I can tell, these items have been stored flat in an old suitcase since 1956 at the latest (possibly earlier).

The leather in the helmet is still surprisingly pliable.

The goggles seem to be in the worst condition:
The plastic lenses seem to be delaminating. From what I can see they were made in three layers and the middle layer seems to be getting a bit wrinkly but the two outer layers are reasonably intact. The hinges are rusty and the leather nose-cover bit is very stiff.

The strapping on the goggles is in poor condition. At first I thought it was elastic that had lost all its stretch, but now I think it was always a non-stretch cotton webbing kind of stuff that's just getting weaker with time.

Just to clarify: I don't want to restore these items. They are very old and very used, and that's just fine because that's what makes them special. Really it would just be nice if I could store them for another 50 years or so without them completely disintegrating! One day my little nephew might be interested in having them. (My nephew isn't 1 yet and Dad died before they could meet each other.)

Dad seems to have done constant running repairs - there is rough hand-stitching all over them where bits have come adrift and he's stitched them back on with whatever was available at the time.

Oh and there's an RNZAF label inside the helmet. Dad was never in the air force (he was a navy man during WWII) so it's quite possible he picked them up cheap from a surplus store or bought them second hand right from the start.

So what should I do with them now? Any ideas?

[klingon]

Here are a couple of pics. One of the helmet & goggles and one of ZK-AUQ; Dad's plane that he also stitched together on the run whenever it started to fall apart!

[Skyryder]

First thing I'd do is to use a leather conditioner, second find a bomber's jacket and then a brit bike some from the fifties or early sixties.

Brylcreme and a silk scarf too just for accesories.





Skyryder

[paulmac:Me]

Keep them, these sort of things are a little bit of family history !!
If you really don't want them, send them to a areo museum with a brief history, photos etc !!
My 2 cents worth anyway !!

[klingon]

First thing I'd do is to use a leather conditioner, second find a bomber's jacket and then a brit bike some from the fifties or early sixties.

Brylcreme and a silk scarf too just for accesories.

Skyryder

Yeah that's my preference, too! Unfortunately I don't think it's quite an approved helmet...and I might draw a little too much attention to myself when I collide head-on with a police car due to the very distorted view through the goggles.

Keep them, these sort of things are a little bit of family history !!
If you really don't want them, send them to a areo museum with a brief history, photos etc !!
My 2 cents worth anyway !!

Nah I definitely want to keep them - I just don't want to throw them in the back of the wardrobe and have them go mouldy.

[CookMySock]

I wouldN'T put anything at all on them until you know exactly what to do. Keep in a very dry well-ventilated place and don't touch them with your hands.

What an awesome old relic. Such a shame they are not legal on a motorcycle - tempting to ride with them anyway..

edit: have you googled the planes' rego? http://www.google.co.nz/search?q="zk-auq"

Steve

[Stirts]

You can buy a mannequin head to place the helmet and goggles on, keeps them safe and holds their shape.

They come in black or white plastic (no face etc painted on them). There is a "Shop Fittings" store in Ponsnobby....sorry can't remember the name of it, but they sell them.

[klingon]

I would put anything at all on them until you know exactly what to do. Keep in a very dry well-ventilated place and don't touch them with your hands.

What an awesome old relic. Such a shame they are not legal on a motorcycle - tempting to ride with them anyway..

edit: have you googled the planes' rego? http://www.google.co.nz/search?q="zk-auq"

Steve

Funny I never thought to google it!

Fascinating info there! My Dad was definitely flying it in 1952 (I have some old fuel receipts from 1952 with the plane's rego on them). He also didn't crash it into a river in 1957 as he had sold it by then. However he did crash it into another river in 1952 or 1953! I believe it was the Lindis River when he was trying to take aerial photos of the area. (I also have the camera that he dropped into the river from a great height, found it, dried it out, and continued to take photos with it. Need to start another thread on how to take care of an old camera with a leather bellows thing...)

Hmmm...I wonder if my Dad was Aviation Enterprises Ltd of Wellington...

[Stirts]

And just to add....there is an awesome old fella that owns a military collectables store in Greenlane (feck I can't remember shit about Aucks anymore) along the Antique strip there, he would be the perfect person to talk to in regards to what to put on it to protect it.

[martybabe]

Well I don't have anything to offer you as regards the preservation of the items, except perhaps a saddler's opinion, they keep ancient leather saddles preserved for ever but anyway, what a great story and a great way to remember him. Well done K, really enjoyed that little tale.

[cc rider]

I would put anything at all on them until you know exactly what to do. Keep in a very dry well-ventilated place and don't touch them with your hands.....

What Steve said, plus storing in some acid free paper in the mean time won't hurt.

klingon, contact the Te Papa - NZ National Museum in Cable St, Wellington.
Ask to speak to someone in their conservation/restoration dept.
They should be able to give you some conservation advice.
Email: mail@tepapa.govt.nz
Ph: +64 (0)4 381 7000


Note: By all means show them, but, do not, leave your items with any museum etc, unless you are willing to accept loss/miss placing of your items -family experience


cc

Edit: ask about the camera, too. lol
also look-up newspaper archives for any stories/photos of liquid landings. You never know.
Historical/state library/genealogy societies are a wealth of info. Good luck.

[ManDownUnder]

As a thought - have you considered contacting the MOTAT Aviation Museum?
motat aircraft museum airforce teal

Motions Rd, Auckland

09 815 5800
http://www.motat.org.nz/
10am-5pm 7 days

[CookMySock]

Funny I never thought to google it!

Keep digging with google. Search for earlier or later regos (looks like there was a few of them) and with any luck you can put together a full history of at least the plane, and maybe even your Dad. Be warned though, you can often dig out history that you rather you didn't know.. Turns out that my family are from a long line of bastards lol. They didn't know whether to call me kinky or dangerous.. It didn't take long before "dangerous" stuck. lol.

Steve

[klingon]

You can buy a mannequin head to place the helmet and goggles on, keeps them safe and holds their shape.

They come in black or white plastic (no face etc painted on them). There is a "Shop Fittings" store in Ponsnobby....sorry can't remember the name of it, but they sell them.

And just to add....there is an awesome old fella that owns a military collectables store in Greenlane (feck I can't remember shit about Aucks anymore) along the Antique strip there, he would be the perfect person to talk to in regards to what to put on it to protect it.

Oooh - two excellent ideas there! Thanks, Stirts.

[klingon]

Keep digging with google. Search for earlier or later regos (looks like there was a few of them) and with any luck you can put together a full history of at least the plane, and maybe even your Dad. Be warned though, you can often dig out history that you rather you didn't know.. Turns out that my family are from a long line of bastards lol. They didn't know whether to call me kinky or dangerous.. It didn't take long before "dangerous" stuck. lol.

Steve

LOL thanks for that DB - I will be prepared for the worst!

But no matter what I find out about my Dad it will never change my memories of him as absolutely the best Dad ever,and one of the kindest, most intelligent gentlemen you could ever hope to meet.

Mum has been systematically throwing away everything she finds that was his, and my brother has been systematically going through her rubbish bin and collecting them (that's where the helmet & goggles came from). He also found this newspaper clipping. Turns out Dad was a boy racer!

The boys were 16 at the time so this must have been about 1941 - the year Dad joined the navy cadets. By 1942 he was hunting U-boats in the middle of the North Atlantic. Would have been safer if he'd stuck to crashing cars with his friends.