[Robert Hinds]

Hello,

I've been considering buying gdfbs Jaw bone visor sallet helm, and if anyone who owns one could post their opinion of it, it would help me out alot.

Also if one of the owners could post a pic of it from the front, visor down, on someones head so I could perform the "If you can see the eyes the visors too large." test i'd be grateful, It's a lil bit hard to tell from the manufacturers pics.

Thanks very much in advance!

[Sean Flynt]

There are photos here:

http://therionarms.com/reenact/therionarms_c1089.html

but note that one version has riveted lining and the other doesn't. I think you can tell from these that the sight is much too broad. You could close it a bit by moving the pivot back to the nearest lining rivet (or drilling a new pivot hole). There's a limit to that method of correction, though, because the angle of the visor will increase as you move back the pivot. You probably need one-half inch of correction.

The main reason I didn't get this one is the large sight. Its pivots are much better placed than the full visored version I bought. Still, the GDFB "export" style visored sallet is the better choice, I think, though it requires a bit of work to make it more authentic (riveted lining band, liner, new straps). The sight is fine as-is but it could be closed as much as I wanted by mashing down the upper flange. I'm currently giving mine a German makeover. More discussion of GDFB helmets here:

http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=18961

[Robert Hinds]

I just read that actually, I would get the "export" style sallet but the visor staying up is a big thing for me...and i'd hate to be that guy who walks around with his visor falling down everytime he turns his head...

Is there anyway to make the export style sallet's visor stay up?

I also probably should have posted what I would be using it for..i'd be using it for ARMA free play mostly.

[Sean Flynt]

I edited my post as you were responding. Did you see the link to Therion's photos?

Yes, the visor is a problem on the "export" style. Worse than the tension, though, is the position of the pivots. They're so high and far-forward on the bowl that they impede the articulation. Of course, you don't need to have the visor resting on top of the head to be secure, but it should stay open enough to serve its purpose. I've chopped a lot of weight off of mine, and that should make a difference. The other thing I'll probably do is compromise on the pivots and use internal nuts so I can easily adjust the tension. That should fix the problem. This is a large and heavy helmet, though, and it needs a proper liner and straps to function well enough for sparring. Off-the-shelf, it's a non-starter for WMA training in general and ARMA training in particular. It would slide all over your head and offer zero suspension protection. For sparring, I'd go for the smallest GDFB jawbone available, relocate the pivot and install a proper lining. That's a relatively easy set of work assuming you get the riveted version. You could cut out the leather junk they call a liner and leave about 1" under the rivets to serve as a lining band for a padded fabric liner.

[Robert Hinds]

I've never modified any helmet before, i'd probably feel more comfortalble having someone do it for me.

Also where would I get the materials, especially a helmet liner for doing that?

[Robert Hinds]

Ah, I did not. Thanks for that, that helps alot.

I would get the export style if there was an easy way to get the visor to stay up...I must admit this can be a most frustrating hobby at times. lol.

[Sean Flynt]

Here's some DIY info:

http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t...ight=liner

But you can also buy an historical liner here:
http://steel-mastery.com/index.php?&model...uct_id=131

You'd still have to stitch it into the helmet, but a whip-stitch is about the easiest sewing there is.

[Reece Nelson]

I totally agree with Sean on this one. I at first wanted the jawbone but something about it looked very off to me After doing more research and reading more of peoples reviews I learned it was best to avoid that particular helm. I bought the sallet and Im very happy with it. I too plan to modify my GDFB sallet much like Sean's, to make it more accurate

As far as keeping the visor up all I did was peen the rivets more and it worked just fine. Only problem with this is when I lubricated it, it got loose again . So I just ended up repeating after I gave it a good cleaning

[Robert Hinds]

Thanks for the links sean, that will help me out a bit.

And thanks reece! That sounds pretty simple.