-
Photo
Project of the month: March
Designer: Jane Collins
Customer: Gregory Kane
What is the Project?
Custom framing a WWI “Dough Boy” American helmet that customer wants to take in and out of frame. Helmet needs to be lifted off of the backing in order to take in and out.
What is the Design?
We are going to use a rust color fabric covered panel from Raphael’s with four furniture knobs and a window latch to hold the helmet in place. The suede was chosen for its durability and the hardware and latch provide the ability to remove and replace the helmet.
What is the Frame?
The frame was chosen to have enough mass and presence to carry the weight and “heaviness” of the helmet.
What is the Glazing?
The design does not include glazing to enable the removal of the helmet.
What is the Hardware?
The Hardware was chosen with a color and finish that complemented the helmet from Killian’s Hardware in Chestnut Hill on Germantown Ave. One of the knobs will have the strap draped over it.
History of the “Dough Boy” M-1917 WWI Helmet:
The steel for the M-1917 helmet was rolled by the American sheet and Tin Plate Company. The steel was then pressed and stamped into its bowl shape by several companies one in particular being Edward G Budd Manufacturing Company in Philadelphia, PA. Two others companies in New York on each in Michigan and Massachusetts, Indiana and Illinois also pressed the steel into helmets. The metal helmets and woven linings were then delivered to the plant at the ford motor company in Philadelphia where they were painted and assembled. The outside surface of the helmet was made to be anti-glare. In order to achieve this they painted the helmet then fine sawdust was blown onto the wet paint, they were left to dry then painted again. To increase protective properties the helmets were painted in an olive drab shade. These helmets could withstand a .45 caliber pistol bullet traveling at 600 feet per second fired at a distance of 10 feet.
