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FAQ's

FAQ’s (Frequently asked Questions)

  • 16. Do you do customer sent in restorations? Yes. We restore helmets and helmet liners that are sent in by customers. When we accept this work on a case by case basis. At times we don't accept this work. See our page for updates. Please don't send helmets here on a whim. And for all that is good in the world definitely don't send us restoration work without a letter of instruction. I know, you think you're the center of the universe and your helmet is the only one in our shop. It's not. We need your contact information to communicate with you! I have an orphaned helmet shelf. Really? Do people just send in their stuff without checking with you first? They do.
  • 15. Can I contact you at all hours to see where my stuff is at? All of our helmets are built carefully and slowly. Plan ahead. Do not hound us about your purchase not showing up in 24 hours. Smaller orders ship almost daily. We are amazing. But, we are not Amazon.
  • 14. What service do you ship with? For domestic we use USPS and UPS. For international we use UPS and U.S. mail.
  • 13. Sold out items are really sold out. Usually this is temporary. I don't keep the "good" fireworks in the back of the tent. Please don't hound me about sold out items. Especially original gear. Buy it. They don't make it anymore. When it's gone. It. Is. Gone.
  • 12. We select our helmets from the best available stock. M1 helmets and liners don't grow on trees. I wish they did. We work with what we can locate and get them looking as good as possible before they ship. We don't sell garbage, unless you're #15 above. I'm kidding. Maybe.
  • 11. Our rivet setting tool is ONLY for the semi tubular rivets we sell. It doesn't set any other snap fastener. You ruined the dot snaps didn't you? Even though I warned you in the setting tool product description!
  • 10. Does #11 really happen? Yes. People try and set the DOT snaps with a setting tool. All. The. Time.
  • 9. Why don't you answer your phone? I spend a lot of time in a respirator with eye and hearing protection as well. That's why. Besides, robo calls have finally found there way to our shop phone. I can't stand stripping down my gear only to answer a spam call! Grrrr...
  • 7: Do you age your helmets? No! Okay, here me out. The reason is quite simple. We spend too much time fixing them to turnaround and “undo” our process. Stated plainly; We don’t like to beat the %*@# out of a helmet we just restored! Think of this… You spent a lot of money purchasing a uniform, gear and weapon right? Usually, those items are either NEW or in the best condition you can find. Why would you want to stick a dirty helmet and greasy liner on your head? Surely the helmet was not issued in such a state? Why not start out with a NEW helmet and let it age along with your impression as YOU use it? This is our position. Besides, at shows guys will stop by to talk and show us their “J. Murray” helmet. We immediately notice and discuss how our helmets age with use. Weather, field conditions, repeated use and sweat age helmets quite nicely,… free of charge.
  • 6: Do your products look like the pictures you provide? YES!  Wouldn’t it be nice if the Big Mac looked like the picture on the menu board?
  • 5: Are your helmets actually WWII/Korean/Vietnam U.S. helmets and liners? YES! We are known for this. We don’t use foreign made helmets or liners. We will occasionally stock a budget helmet that is a foreign clone. However, you will know this because we state it plainly.
  • 4: When will I get my helmet? ASAP!  We usually build a helmet within 10 days of ordering. We can take up to 14 days to build a helmet. This 2-week time frame is what you need to go by when planning your order. We recommend planning ahead. We may get a helmet out the door in this time-frame but you should also factor in delivery time, of which, we have no control over.
  • 3: Do you have a store? Yes and No. Customers ask us if we are building helmets in our basement. The answer is no. We have a shop of about 1200 sq. ft. to work in. It's a working shop and not set up for retail space. This shop is divided into two parts. On one side we restore helmets and liners. This side is soundproofed due to the noise generated by our equipment. The other side is where we stage projects, shelf finished product, assemble helmets and ship. This may seem simple and it is.
  • 2: Where do you find this stuff? Everywhere! We travel constantly! We're out the door as soon as a deal is struck. Helmet/liner stocks show up in the weirdest places. Once we were told about some helmets. Where were they? In a semi-trailer parked along side a county highway in Kentucky. Another favorite was the liners unearthed in the 5th floor of an abandoned slaughterhouse! Or…the helmets we found at a junk yard, these were headed to the crusher for scrap. The latest find was in New Mexico. I will say that finding surplus helmets is getting tough.  We're fortunate to work within a very small network of “friendly types” that will call us to collaborate on leads and split large finds. This is much appreciated given the decreasing stocks. It also works well with the old adage “what comes around, goes around”. Typically, when helmet liners are found they're in condition ranging from minty to garbage. We work out deals with guys who only want the “good stuff” we take the restorable items. If you have a lead, give us a holler, we'll be happy to work with you too!
  • 1: Do you do this full-time? Yes!  We do this full-time. We have been for over 20 years! It seems folks want to know if you really exist or not, we do.