Restoration of a tired old M1

Hi Guys.

Some of you may have seen this elsewhere,if not perhaps this may be of interest to you.

I got this lid of ebay a couple of months back ,and as you can see was in desperate need, of restoring back to it's former glory.

Once I stripped the shell I discovered some markings ,but they were pretty obscure,so here it is !!

I've tried to show the step by step pics,of this restoration....anyone want any tips,give us a shout.

This is an enjoyable way to spruce up a tired old M1......but I aint no Easy Green,so enjoy.

Here the shell has been stripped of it's nasty lurid paint,revealing what I suspect may be a French 2nd lt marking( only a guess !)

First coat of matt brown ,anti rust paint primer.

Cork applied to wet coat of Matt brown paint.

First coat of Matt khaki green applied,while it dries in the sun ( Editors note; The sun rarely shines in Britain,so when it does,you have to make the most of it!!)

Side shot of Shell basking in the sun.

And finally a close up shot of the cork finish and final colour,this was a labour of love ,and more importantly ,this whole process was on tight budget...........Enjoy fellas

Any comments/ queries ,will be greatly appreciated