This is one of the most known ways to clean a helmet, not saying it's the best way to do it, but it's what I do and a lot of other people too. If anyone has any suggestions on what could be done better and it doesn't require chemicals that you can't get anywhere, then we can discuss and yes, I know that the value would probably be higher if I hadn't cleaned it, you don't need to remind me, because I'm doing it for me, not for the money.
Process long story short:
- Wash with water
-We knock rusted pieces off the helmet with a hammer
- Mix oxalic acid with warm water and stir so that the acid dissolves thoroughly
- We put it inside and wait (I stood for 16 hours, but each case is individual, you have to take it out when you think it's ok. You can stick decla with paraffin if you want to keep it longer in acid, but the decals have already been cleaned)
- Take it out, brush it with a plastic brush (you can use a metal one, where there is no paint)
-We washed thoroughly with laundry soap or soda, but thoroughly with a brush so that it foams
-If you don't want to preserve it, smear it with olive oil (you may need to do it several times)
-If preserving, fill the helmet with a candle and melt the paraffin with a construction dryer and spread evenly over the entire surface with a brush
-Drink one cold one