Anyone tried "Badge Magic" no-sew badge attach?

[GS-CS_leader]

I'm wondering if anyone out can tell me about whether the "badge magic" product really works. I wonder if the adhesive really holds up through machine washing. Also I'm skeptical that it can hold CS segments onto the felt of a brag vest. It seems like a layer of felt would just pull off with the adhesive. But I think that it would be useful for the girls in my GS troop if it works. I devoted a couple of meetings to teaching the girls in my GS troop how to sew on their own badges (showing them the trick of simply sewing through the binding edge of a lot of patches, rather than through the patch). But a lot of badges and patches still seem to get lost because they don't get sewed on.

 

Other no-sew alternatives have their problems:

My previous GS co-leader tried the "patch attach" that came in a spray bottle and seemed was a lot like silicone tub caulk. It had unpleasant fumes, was messy, stained if the stuff got somewhere besides under the badge, and took 24 hours to dry under a weight. One of the parents of a scout in my troop insisted on using a hot glue gun saying that it worked fine when that was done for costumes when she worked in theater. Of course, the badges fell off. I never even tried the iron-on mesh that GSUSA was selling for awhile. I didn't believe that it would work well on the plastic-backed patches.

 

The "badge magic" sounds promising, but before I buy a bunch of this stuff, I'd like to hear from people who have tried it.

[Kaji]

Personally, I've found that there's no good method for applying patches that doesn't destroy the patch other than sewing. Annoying/time consuming as it may be to sit down and sew a number of patches, I encourage taking the time to do it, because a well-sewn patch isn't going to come off unless you want it to, period.

[GS-CS_leader]

Yes, I agree that sewing is best. And for the patches with a sewn binding, I can hand sew one as fast as I can machine sew it. My own daughter sews on her own badges although I help her by machine sewing the irregularly shaped ones with no edge that are difficult to hand-sew. And I'll continue to sew on all my sons patches until he has the coordination to be taught to do it himself. When the girls in my GS troop bridge to Cadettes in the fall, I'll probably sew on all the insignia onto all their vests for those badges like the Brownie wings and rainbow bridges that don't come as iron-on (as the council ID strips and troop numbers do now). I put on all the basic insignia on all the green Junior vest when they flew up from Brownies because I wanted them to be put on correctly and put on before they were lost as so many patches are.

 

I know of a GS leader who I've been told sews on ALL the badges and patches of ALL the girls in his troop (yes, no typo, he's male), but I'm not that dedicated. I also wonder if he's stopped doing that now that he's not between jobs so he probably has less free time.

 

Anyway, the problem is that many of the girls in my troop keep losing their patches because they don't get around to sewing them on. So I'm looking for an alternative for them, not me.

[kittle]

GS-CS_leader,

 

My son (and the last Pack he was with) didn't have a felt vest. I made a pattern and sewed them all a red cotton vest with double layer on the front. In my opinio, they look neater than the felt ones. The CM thought so too when she saw my son's and that is why I ended up making them for all the boys. I made 12 last year and 4 this year.

[GS-CS_leader]

Great idea about making fabric vests. I think that since the vests aren't an official part of the dress uniform it isn't even a problem for people who follow uniforming policies down to the socks. My guess is that the official ones are made of felt for the same reason that my old Camp Fire Girls vest from the 70's is made of felt: cheaper to make because no binding or hemming required around the edges. However, I've seen some of the current Camp Fire girls and boys (it's co-ed now) with their vests and it looks like they are made of fabric these days. Felt is not very sturdy and can't be washed---not very practical for the typical rough and tumble Cub Scout. Probably a good thing that since a felt vest is a bit too warm for active wear, it seems that they never wear them for long.

 

That said, I'm too out of practice in sewing to do that---last time I sewed a complete item of clothing was about 30 years ago---I use my sewing machine to alter clothes, hem pants, and since my kids have been in scouts, to sew on patches. I've altered a number of items of clothing since it's hard to find things in my size. I'm a small enough woman that I wear a BSA youth large shirt which fits me much better than a women's size S. One reason that I don't have official BSA pants is that they don't have my size (hips too small for women's S, but too large compared to waist for boys youth sizes) and it seems like getting one custom made would be a hassle. Anyone out there have experience with specially sized BSA uniforms?

 

The other issue is that I really don't have time to make vests for all the boys and I don't think anyone in the other families has the skills to do it. But maybe your post will inspire others to make fabric vests which are certainly more practical as well as better looking.

[ASM59]

Hello,

 

Our Scoutmaster bought some Badge Magic last year before Summer Camp. He used it to apply some patches to his Son's new uniform shirt. As far as I am concerned, he ruined the shirt. Where the Badge Magic spread out beyond the edge of the patch, there is a permanent stain (it looks like the fabric of the shirt is wet). The patches seem to be adhered pretty good, but if you ever need to remove the patch, I'm not sure how you would do it.

 

I really think the patches should be sewn. I can sew a council patch, numbers, and a position patch on the arm of a shirt in one evening while watching television. I have taught boys in our Troop how to do it and they do just fine. If Boy Scouts can learn, I would assume that Cub Scout parents could also learn. It really doesn't take that much time and can be done while sitting in front of the TV.

 

Just my thoughts,

ASM59

[GS-CS_leader]

Thank you ASM59 for responding to my post. Sounds like the badge magic has some of the same problems as the spray-type "patch attach", so you have to be careful when you use it. But at least it doesn't smell toxic and doesn't require 24 hours to cure. But since you didn't mention problems with the badges falling off (my main concern) it sounds like it might meet my needs. I'm thinking of using it for the girls' "Sign of the Star" badge. I really want to make sure that they are placed right (it's a special kind of badge that has a particular position), but I don't think I want to use up time in a meeting to make them sew it on and I know that they won't all do it themselves at home. And if it's a little less than perfect, they are getting new Cadette vests in the fall anyway.

 

When most of these girls were in 3rd and 4th grade and getting new green Junior vests, I planned a "sewing" meeting in which I had the girls create sewing kits so they would definitely have the materials at home to sew on their patches and I taught them the techniques for sewing on various patches. The mother who had unsuccessfully used a glue gun for patches earlier attended the meeting because I had requested adult help, but she was not letting her daughter do any of her own sewing. When I gently suggested that she should allow her daughter to do it, she snapped "That's the problem---she CAN'T!" So I just quietly took the vest and very carefully showed her daughter how to do it: first holding the vest with the patch making taped on and just having her poke with the needle, and then moving on to having her do it more on her own. Of course, she was able to do it it herself, and she had the satisfaction of learning a new skill. (One of those glorious "scouting moments"!) That incident certainly helped me to understand why that girl, although very smart and capable, often has little patience in trying new things, announcing in just seconds "I can't do it!" (Gave me motivation to continue to be a GS leader, since I felt that I could make a difference in these girls' lives.)

 

The girls are now 2.5 years older, so I know that the girls are ABLE to sew on their patches. But I believe that they still think of sewing on patches as difficult. If I use the "badge magic" for one of their badges, I'm pretty sure that some of them will want to use it for the rest of their badges even after I point out that to do it carefully enough that it doesn't look bad probably takes the same amount of time as sewing. I know that I found that the new GSUSA council ID patches take about as much time to iron on as to sew them on. But I think it is the perception of difficulty of the method that will make the difference to them. And I'd rather that they used any way to firmly attach their badges rather than lose them.

 

Perhaps these forums are the wrong kind of place to ask about a "short cut" method. I'm beginning to think that the kind of dedicated scouters who participate in these kind of forums are happily sewing on patches and not looking for an easier way to do it, so haven't tried the "badge magic".

[gwd-scouter]

Never used "badge magic" but we do use badge bond, sold in the Scout catalogue. I works really well, dries fast, and doesn't leave the wet-looking residue around the badge. It is clear and any excess around the badge hardens similar to the way hot glue hardens and you can just pull it away. Very neat and clean.

 

However, any of the glues or bonds will ruin the shirt. If you remove a patch, it leaves behind a hard crusty residue that will not wash off.

 

So, we use badge bond for merit badges which in general are not going to be removed and for other patches that are not removed (such as unit numbers, council strip etc.).

 

I still go back and sew (tack) on the unit numbers and council strip since the bond will pull way after repeated washings, but it is really helpful in keeping those patches in the proper place before sewing.

 

 

[ScoutNut]

GS-CS your girls are in 5th & 6th grades, if they lose a badge THEY buy the replacement. If they don't get the badge on, oh well. Maybe they prefer their badges in a box on their dresser!

 

Sewing the badges on for them is counter-productive in more ways than one. If they don't get the badge on the exact perfect spot, so what! The badge police will not strip the vest from their shoulders. The girls will certainly not care & neither will anyone else (except maybe you).

 

Give them their badges, the info on the badge magic/badge bond, & let them go. Then it's up to them.

 

 

BTW - There is no such animal as a "Cadette" anymore & (from a reference on another thread) according to GSUSA, "Studio 2B" is NOT a PROGRAM!

 

 

[GS-CS_leader]

I don't buy replacement badges. The council shop is 20 miles away, so the girls are not going to do it either, and I don't think they are supposed to be able to buy their own earned badges. I've warned the girls and their parents sternly that they should not expect to be able to replace badges and patches if lost. In the case of participation patches, you can't buy replacements anyway. They don't care about lost patches as much as I do, but it irritates ME to go to the trouble of keeping track of which ones have been earned by which girls, buying them, and sorting them to be awarded, only to have them get lost. (Yes, I know that some of that should become their responsibility now that they are older, but the buying part will probably always be my responsibility).

 

I'm not going to use the badge magic to put all their badges on for them (I think the GS leader who does that is overly coddling his scouts), but I want to know if it is worthwhile to let the girls know about this option for badge attachment. If it doesn't work, then I won't even mention it.

 

I only put on the basic insignia fon their new vests for them because the placement of those items matters, especially since if you put them only in relative positions, but don't plan well, there won't be space for badges earned later.

 

This is the wrong forum to discuss the GSUSA teen programs. (I'm planning to add my two cents to that forum later) However, I feel compelled to respond to your comment about "Cadettes" (and those of you not interested, need not read further):

 

When they brought out the Studio 2B program, I was told by the person who probably knew most about it in my council that they were completely getting rid of the Cadette and Senior programs. I asked the national office about this and was told that they were not eliminating the Interest Project badges which were the basic awards in the old programs.

 

As far as the "Cadette" designation---GSUSA is replacing all references to this age group with "Studio 2B", but they also say that girls may choose to call themselves by the old designation if they wish. In the same way, GSUSA has not rescinded its policy that girls may use any handbooks they choose, not just the more recent ones. I think this is nice since it does not force girls to buy all new books just because a new edition comes out after they bought the old one. And at this time, they are keeping the old Interest Project program. In fact, they've added some new ones (which I rather like) just this year, so I think they heard the outcry from current girls and leaders and will keep that program.

 

Also, the "bridge" patches from Juniors to Cadettes and Cadettes to Seniors are still available. If there are bridges to Seniors, then that designation must still exist since Studio 2B does not divide up the 11-17 age range. My troop has discussed Studio 2B and Cadettes and they surprised me by wanting to stay with the traditional program, uniform, and designation. That made me happy since I'm a traditionalist and was not very comfortable with the new "hip" Studio 2B program which seemed to reinforce rather than counteract the gender stereotyping of girls being more interested in elationships, "body image", etc instead of DOING things like service projects, outdoor activities, etc.

[sweetspiritpamh]

Hello all, Having been a girl scout some 30 plus years ago and when I went from a sash to a brand new felt vest one of my high school years I was really proud I Pinned on every badge that could be earned and they are still pinned on.lol Well when I had my own children I vowed that would not let them be like me so I have tryed every product they have invented in the last 12 years. I have spent tons of money and living in the Texas heat have not found anything that didn't just melt off except for old fashioned sewing. Well this past January I sent 3 scouts to the Presidential Inauguration for 8 days(24 complete uniforms).

I not only wanting them to look their best and had a lot to sew, in talking to old time scouters I got 1 of the best tips yet. I use clear packaging tape and place excately wherever patches are needed. Then with a machine I just zip around the edge with a clear threat and no worry of moving patches or pins. When its completed I then just peel the tape off. You would have a professional looking sewing job in just a few minutes. Hope this works for any one else out there.Patches cost to much and are to hard to earn not to treat them with respect I beleive.

[shanve]

I have used the Badge Magic and have found that it leaves a mess. The patches tend to fall off after the 25th washing and if you wash the uniform without the patch on then the residue gets everywhere. I did find a product that cleaned up 99% of the residue left on. It is called "Goof Off". "Goof Off" is available in the paint removal section of Walmart and is safe for clothing. It works quite well and may save those older more experienced uniforms that have been ruined by Badge Magic or Patch Attach. As for the felt vests...I did use Badge Magic on my sons vest and he still has all his patches attached, probably because I don't wash and dry the red vest because I am afraid it will disinegrate.

[nutz4scouting]

WD-40 & a butter knife gets off the residue. If it's a rush, I put it on with badge magic,then sew it on later. Great placementproduct. Get it set,where you want it,then sew it later,when you have time. (for me,it's about two months later). Good product for me!!

[BrentAllen]

I used Badge Magic for the first time back in the fall. My son moved up to Webelos and needed a new shirt. I used the stuff on all the badges and patches on his shirt. I've had to touch up the Arrow Points (use an iron on medium), but the others have held pretty well.

I just replaced the Quality Unit awards on 3 shirts, and it took just a few minutes. Peeled the old badge off, used the adhesive on the new badge, and presto! The product is great for things like that - badges that will be replaced in a year.

WD-40 and Goof Off should remove the adhesive from any fabric. Apply it and then let it evaporate.

I still sew some badges on, usually when I have time, for the more permanent type patches.

[funscout]

I don't have a sewing machine, and don't want to pay someone else to sew on patches, so I hand sew them myself. Another leader gave me a helpful tip that I always use, now. I staple the patch to the shirt with one or 2 staples, to hold it in place. After sewing on the patch, I carefully remove the staples. I could not get the Wolf/Bear arrow points on straight, until I tried this technique.