Pith Helmet Was Rather Cool

ZombieCake

ZombieCake

Well-known member
The pith helmet actually seems to be rather cork based and could be dyed with tea to stop the BEC invading.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8k3NGSdfLE

Plod ripped it off later/
 
G

grahams

Well-known member
You could buy pith helmets from the National Coal Board for 3s/4d. They became soggy and mis-shaped following a few dunkings but you could dry 'em out for re-use.
 
droid

droid

Active member
They were cardboard, and painted with gloss in a (futile) attempt to waterproof the things :LOL:
 
G

grahams

Well-known member
droid said:
They were cardboard, and painted with gloss in a (futile) attempt to waterproof the things :LOL:
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You're probably right. I might have mithheard the wordth 'pit helmet'. ;)
 
Graigwen

Graigwen

Active member
NCB fibre helmets did indeed get soft when wet, but could be dried fairly quickly in a tumble drier, although it made a lot of noise.

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F

Fulk

Well-known member
Wow, Graigwen, you actually had (access to) a tumble dryer way back in those days???? I'm impressed . . . I'd never even heard of them back then.

One problem with those helmets was that when they got soft and squidgy they tended to dry out according to the way they'd been stored, so maybe you'd find that your helmet was long and thin and didn't fit your head . . . . 'the good old days', yeah??
 
G

grahams

Well-known member
Fulk said:
Wow, Graigwen, you actually had (access to) a tumble dryer way back in those days???? I'm impressed . . . I'd never even heard of them back then.

One problem with those helmets was that when they got soft and squidgy they tended to dry out according to the way they'd been stored, so maybe you'd find that your helmet was long and thin and didn't fit your head . . . . 'the good old days', yeah??
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You could wear them until they dried so that they retained a perfect fit. They didn't go well with winklepickers and velvet collared jackets though, and you had to remember not to sweat too much.
 
Graigwen

Graigwen

Active member
Fulk said:
Wow, Graigwen, you actually had (access to) a tumble dryer way back in those days???? I'm impressed . . . I'd never even heard of them back then.

One problem with those helmets was that when they got soft and squidgy they tended to dry out according to the way they'd been stored, so maybe you'd find that your helmet was long and thin and didn't fit your head . . . . 'the good old days', yeah??
Click to expand...

The first tumble driers I ever came across were at Aber Uni in the late 60s. I realised immediately I would never have to iron anything again. As the Caving Club store was in Carpenter Hall washroom we made a lot of use of it - free electricity. Those were the days!

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F

Fulk

Well-known member
I realised immediately I would never have to iron anything again.
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Now I'm even more impressed . . . that you actually ironed your clothes when you were a student!!!  ;)
 
Graigwen

Graigwen

Active member
Fulk said:
I realised immediately I would never have to iron anything again.
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Now I'm even more impressed . . . that you actually ironed your clothes when you were a student!!!  ;)
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No, I just thought I should have ironed, nothing was ever ironed.

There are a couple of correspondents on this board who remember me from those Aber days, they could confirm my generally disreputable appearance. In my usual clothes I once obtained the reduced price entrance to a fancy dress ball on the grounds that I was in a tramp's costume.

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