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Sewing, glue and laziness


Fat Old Guy

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I am always on the lookout for uniforms for the uniform bank. I find them at rummage sales, garage sales and thrift shops.

 

Last week I found two shirts and a pair of pants at a thrift shop. 75 cents for the lot. Not a bad deal? Mebbe.

 

Turns out that whomever attached the patches used a glue of somesort. I've tried steam, boiling, and every solvent in my basement but the patches remain firmly attached.

 

Don't these people think when they're gluing on a patch that someday, someone will need to remove it?

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As I have posted in the past I consider myself to sewing impaired. Her That Must Be Obeyed is not that good and hates to sew. If I need anything hemmed I have to talk nice to my dear Mother-in-law.

When it comes time to sew on a patch Her That Must Be Obeyed glues it with some sort of iron on tape and then sews it. This is one reason why I have so many Scout Shirts. Every time I changed position I had to buy more shirts!!

Eamonn.

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I recall a thread some time ago that explored velcro as an alternative to multiple shirts. It would only work in certain situations, but it might deserve some consideration. (Especially since my local scout shop carries khaki velcro.)

 

One of our Asst. Scoutmasters admitted to me at Summer camp that he had personally ironed his eagle patch in place two years ago. At this point he is paying for college instead of buying another shirt.

 

For those new to the forum... the plastic on the back of patches is to hold the patch together. It is not for ease of ironing the patches in place. At one point Scout Shops sold glue to be used with BSA patches but I don't know anyone who had success using it. This forum seemed to feel that presenting patches might pove to be a "teachable moment". -- yeah real men sew!

 

Bob

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We have had a parent show the boys how to sew on patches and then had them do it. Her way worked great. Lay the shirt flat and position the patch where it should be. Next grab some masking tape and tape the patch in place using only two strips. She then showed the boys how to I think it's called whip stich the patches in place right through the tape. when all is done pull off the tape. What little remains in the stiches comes out in the first wash.

I havn't had a problem since.

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There are 'permanent' fabric glues that are not water soluble. However, they may be soluble in another solvent, perhaps those used in dry cleaning (hint, hint). Might be worth a test try with some acetone or other solvents (paint thinner, gasoline?)

I use the water soluble glue to hold the patch perfectly in place while sewing on a machine. Then the first wash, and glue is gone. :)

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The recent addition to this thread caught my eye. I like the method described by Cheffy, I think that I'll try it next time. (In the past Ive used straight pins or staples. Flip the anvil that turns the staple up and it will prodice something similar to a straight pin that can be removed easily.)

 

From the "2003 BSA Retail Catalog"...

 

Badge Bond. Fabric adhesive secures emblems temporarily without sewing.... Can also be used as a sealant for hiking boots and canvas."

 

 

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Chastened....I confess, it is a cheap (but corrupted) source of aromatic hydrocarbons. In the past I used it to remove grease from my hands. Worked great, too. OGE is correct. For that matter all organic solvents (with the possible exception of ethanol) are nasties. Be careful.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I hope this isn't too late to be helpful. I recently stumbled across a helpful way to remove glue. ACETONE based nail polish remover (make sure it's not the non-acetone) will dissolve glue spots. I had several on my son's tiger sweatshirt. I poured about a capful onto each one, let it soak in for 10 minutes or so, then threw it into a warm wash. I might have had to do it a couple of times, but the shirt came out great with no fading or bleaching, etc. At this point, unless you can sew over it, you really don't have a lot to lose if you try it.

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