Wedgehead30 Posted September 20, 2013 Share #1 Posted September 20, 2013 I recently acquired large amount of patches mostly WWII. Unfortunately they came in and album glued to the paper pages. Being a bit OC I decided to see if I could safely remove the paper and glue without damaging the patches. So I thought I'd document my procedure and results. From my research it seems that there are two ways to safely do this. Steaming and soaking, I decided to go with the latter. So here's my first attempt. A rather common Army Ground Forces Replacement Depots patch. As you can see it's somewhat soiled and there's a fair amount of paper & glue on the back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wedgehead30 Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share #2 Posted September 20, 2013 So let's give it a quick test to make sure it's an original patch. Cut edge - pass Snow back - pass UV Light - pass Burn test - pass So I'm pretty confident this is an original and worth my time & effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wedgehead30 Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share #3 Posted September 20, 2013 Okay on to soaking. Mix up a little Dreft laundry detergent and some warm water. Add the patch and let it soak for at least an hour. I went two. Now it's time to clean. First remove the paper with tweezers. once you're down to the glue lightly brush it with a medium stiffness brush. Be easy and the glue will come off. If you get aggressive you may damage the stitching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wedgehead30 Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share #4 Posted September 20, 2013 Next up, rinsing, drying and pressing. I softly rinsed the patch under warm water to get the soap out. Then I blotted it dry and left it out for about an hour. Finally I placed it between two towels and put a heavy item on it. I also hit it with an iron on low heat after it had been under the press for a while. But I don't think it was actually necessary. I didn't actually let the iron touch the patch, just the top towell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wedgehead30 Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share #5 Posted September 20, 2013 Here's the final product, a nicely restored patch. But it is pretty stiff and it looks like I picked up a glow from the Dreft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nack Posted September 20, 2013 Share #6 Posted September 20, 2013 Very scientific approach to things I have been pondering. Good work! The patch looks much nicer too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wedgehead30 Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share #7 Posted September 20, 2013 So, lessons learned. No problem with the after glow as long as you're keeping it for yourself. Add a little fabric softener to the mix. It might help with the stiffness. Never try this on a valuable patch. Never on wool or felt. I need to experiment further to find the right soap and combination of soap and softener. I'm definitely going to give the steaming method a try next. So there you have it folks. My feeble attempt at restoring a patch. Take it for what it's worth. Your mileage may vary... Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted September 20, 2013 Share #8 Posted September 20, 2013 A well constructed "how to" thread Scott...well done! I've done something similar myself in the past. The worst-case scenario is when the previous owner used either a "hard" or a latex glue! The hard glues are often insoluble...ditto the latex. Of the two, the latex is the easiest to remove because it can be laboriously picked off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ed101 Posted September 20, 2013 Share #9 Posted September 20, 2013 Nice article, have you tried non phosphate Arm & Hammer detergent, or oxyclean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manayunkman Posted September 20, 2013 Share #10 Posted September 20, 2013 Why did you select Dreft ? Does it need detergent ? It does look cleaner. To help you with your OC maybe you should black light different detergents ? Tung in cheek....whooops Seriously someday that patch will go to someone else with a glow. You might have to document the better patches so as to not provoke any controversy in the future. Or find a detergent that doesn't glow ? Just trying to think outside the bucket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted September 20, 2013 Share #11 Posted September 20, 2013 Maybe he's being sponsored by Dreft? A nice little earner....as we say over here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manayunkman Posted September 20, 2013 Share #12 Posted September 20, 2013 Maybe he's being sponsored by Dreft? A nice little earner....as we say over here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wedgehead30 Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share #13 Posted September 20, 2013 Nice article, have you tried non phosphate Arm & Hammer detergent, or oxyclean? No, but I will. I've got plenty of patches to fix.. Sent from my LG-E970 using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wedgehead30 Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share #14 Posted September 20, 2013 Why did you select Dreft ? Does it need detergent ? It does look cleaner. To help you with your OC maybe you should black light different detergents ? Tung in cheek....whooops Seriously someday that patch will go to someone else with a glow. You might have to document the better patches so as to not provoke any controversy in the future. Or find a detergent that doesn't glow ? Just trying to think outside the bucket. According to the Boss...err, my wife, Dreft is the least harsh detergent. According to the box, it contains no phosphate. I used the detergent to help with the soiling and it's supposed to help loosen the glue. The patch will stay with me and then to my son after that.............??? I will be trying different methods and detergents until I find the right combination. I'm also going to see if I can eliminate the glow from this patch. All of which will include the UV light. Good idea on the documentation. I will have to do that so there's no question about it's originality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wedgehead30 Posted September 20, 2013 Author Share #15 Posted September 20, 2013 Maybe he's being sponsored by Dreft? A nice little earner....as we say over here! Ya do what ya gotta do.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hardstripe Posted September 20, 2013 Share #16 Posted September 20, 2013 I use my wife's quilt soap. The brand is ORVUS and it is around $11.00 for an 8 ounce bottle. The good news is it is specially formulated to be used on antique quilts and only takes 1 tablespoon per a washing machine load. I just dip one finger up to the knuckle and mix in a plastic bowl with 2 quarts of warm water. Let soak as long as you want. The paper will peal off. Lightly brush the glue as noted above. Every patch I have washed using this method came out OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wedgehead30 Posted September 21, 2013 Author Share #17 Posted September 21, 2013 I use my wife's quilt soap. The brand is ORVUS and it is around $11.00 for an 8 ounce bottle. The good news is it is specially formulated to be used on antique quilts and only takes 1 tablespoon per a washing machine load. I just dip one finger up to the knuckle and mix in a plastic bowl with 2 quarts of warm water. Let soak as long as you want. The paper will peal off. Lightly brush the glue as noted above. Every patch I have washed using this method came out OK. Awesome, thanks for the tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BROBS Posted December 28, 2013 Share #18 Posted December 28, 2013 I use my wife's quilt soap. The brand is ORVUS and it is around $11.00 for an 8 ounce bottle. The good news is it is specially formulated to be used on antique quilts and only takes 1 tablespoon per a washing machine load. I just dip one finger up to the knuckle and mix in a plastic bowl with 2 quarts of warm water. Let soak as long as you want. The paper will peal off. Lightly brush the glue as noted above. Every patch I have washed using this method came out OK. You can't just find this info anywhere, folks! -Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patchcollector Posted December 29, 2013 Share #19 Posted December 29, 2013 Soap is'nt necessary unless the patch is really dirty and one wants to clean it.I soak mine minus the soap,just water,and achieve nearly the same results,minus the glow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wedgehead30 Posted December 29, 2013 Author Share #20 Posted December 29, 2013 I use my wife's quilt soap. The brand is ORVUS and it is around $11.00 for an 8 ounce bottle. The good news is it is specially formulated to be used on antique quilts and only takes 1 tablespoon per a washing machine load. I just dip one finger up to the knuckle and mix in a plastic bowl with 2 quarts of warm water. Let soak as long as you want. The paper will peal off. Lightly brush the glue as noted above. Every patch I have washed using this method came out OK. For what it's worth. Since I originally started this post I took hardstipe's suggestion and purchased some Orvus quilt soap. I should have known, my wife is a big quilter and knew right away what I should have used. I didn't originally tell her what I was trying to do and had just asked her for a mild soap and she told me Dreft. Once again, be clear and always check with the Boss first... But anyway, I had several patches that were given to me. They looked like they had spent the last decade in a coal mine. I used the Orvus soap with the same procedure. I can tell you that the Orvus is the shiznit. All of the patches came out looking damn near brand new. No negative after effects, no glow, soft and supple. Give it a try and you won't be disappointed.......a little "earner" on my part as Sabrejet would say. Cheers, Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgawne Posted January 3, 2014 Share #21 Posted January 3, 2014 You can rinse it better in plain water to decrease the glow, and it will fade over time as the brighteners wear out. They don't change the structure of the actual fibers, just leaves a residue that reflects light back in a higher spectrum that hits it (making things looks bluer, and hence more white than plain white.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheskett Posted January 3, 2014 Share #22 Posted January 3, 2014 Great thread about cleaning patches. I bet this works about as well n field gear. I have a pile of gear that was in the rafters of a pole barn for decades and its pretty soiled. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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