zvez Posted January 3, 2009 Share #1 Posted January 3, 2009 HI, Hoping someone has better ideas for this. I've been collecting since the early 70s, to date I've yet to figure out a really good way to display a large number of patches in a frame. I've tried double stick tape, the little poster adhering clay, riker mounts............ The last format I used was to buy the large poster frames which have plexiglas, covered the back with fabric and used the clay that's used for posters to adhere, this works well but the oily residue is a potential issue plus messes up the back of the patch. Used riker mounts in the past but not so attractive and would take lots and lots of them. So I'd love to hear some ideas from you guys. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darktrooper Posted January 3, 2009 Share #2 Posted January 3, 2009 HI,Hoping someone has better ideas for this. I've been collecting since the early 70s, to date I've yet to figure out a really good way to display a large number of patches in a frame. I've tried double stick tape, the little poster adhering clay, riker mounts............ The last format I used was to buy the large poster frames which have plexiglas, covered the back with fabric and used the clay that's used for posters to adhere, this works well but the oily residue is a potential issue plus messes up the back of the patch. Used riker mounts in the past but not so attractive and would take lots and lots of them. So I'd love to hear some ideas from you guys. Chris This is what I have done for my police patches. I went to the store and bought a cd/ dvd binder the ones that hold over 300 dvd's. put a patch in each cd slot. most patches will fit inside of the slots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamski Posted January 3, 2009 Share #3 Posted January 3, 2009 This is what I have done for my police patches. I went to the store and bought a cd/ dvd binder the ones that hold over 300 dvd's. put a patch in each cd slot. most patches will fit inside of the slots. This is how I store mine. It allows over-sized patches to be stored as well.... http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...omic+book+boxes -Ski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zvez Posted January 3, 2009 Author Share #4 Posted January 3, 2009 Thanks much for the suggestions guys! Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehrentitle Posted January 3, 2009 Share #5 Posted January 3, 2009 ...The last format I used was to buy the large poster frames which have plexiglas, covered the back with fabric and used the clay that's used for posters to adhere, this works well but the oily residue is a potential issue plus messes up the back of the patch...Chris This is what I'm doing for some of my modern patches. I've found that double sided tape don't work well on most patches so I've used a loop of masking tape on the back of most. Those with a plastic type back are especially resistant to the tape sticking. So I went to a craft store and bought round velcro dots. When I use a felt background you only have to use the hook side of the velcro on the patch and it sticks to the felt like gangbusters. When I've used poster board backnig I use both sides of the velcro. I put the hook side on the back of the patch then attach the pile side to the hook side then stick it to the poster board. I wouldn't advise using this method on older or more valuable patches as removing the velcro dot from the patch may leave some glue residue or damage the backing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluehawk Posted January 3, 2009 Share #6 Posted January 3, 2009 If I understood correctly, you are interested in ways to DISPLAY large numbers of patches. Here is what I would do... > Get a 4 x 8 x 1/4" sheet of foam core board - it's neutral pH and won't damage your patches - it comes in matte white or black but can be wrapped with felt or cotton in any color you please > Mount the patches on that - I like the velcro dots method > Get a 4 x 8 X 1/8" sheet of thin plexiglas - you can even get a sheet that size which is UV proof to resist fading (either that or do not install where the sun ever hits it) > Make a sandwich > Attach sandwich to wall using mirror mounts or something like it Not cheap (plexi is costly), but very large and much simpler/cheaper than framing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
normaninvasion Posted January 3, 2009 Share #7 Posted January 3, 2009 Just dealt with this problem this week, I started framing my collection using dbl sided tape and nice typed labels, patches came loose. Built a partion in the cellar for hanging frames, only to realize there will never be enough room for the collection. Needless to say, patches were removed from frames and put into clear plastic trading card sleaves and clear photograph sleaves for bigger ones, and into binders. If your a patch collector, you'll need every wall in the house to display Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zvez Posted January 4, 2009 Author Share #8 Posted January 4, 2009 I went tonight and bought a cd album, it works perfectly, can't believe I never thought of this, it fits most all of my patches except for a few very large ones. Worked great Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6th marine Posted January 31, 2009 Share #9 Posted January 31, 2009 I went tonight and bought a cd album, it works perfectly, can't believe I never thought of this, it fits most all of my patches except for a few very large ones. Worked great Chris Patch books are ok but no one can see them unless you bring the book out. To display them where everyone can see them just buy a large frame. Put a colored background in the frame like colored poster board. Then arrange the patches the way you want them in the frame. After you get them the way you want them put some scotch tape on the back of the patches and stick them to the poster board. After they are all taped in put the frame togeather and hang it up so everyone can see them. I have all the patches of the Pacific Theater that I am going to frame this way soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treetop Posted June 15, 2009 Share #10 Posted June 15, 2009 HI,Hoping someone has better ideas for this. I've been collecting since the early 70s, to date I've yet to figure out a really good way to display a large number of patches in a frame. I've tried double stick tape, the little poster adhering clay, riker mounts............ The last format I used was to buy the large poster frames which have plexiglas, covered the back with fabric and used the clay that's used for posters to adhere, this works well but the oily residue is a potential issue plus messes up the back of the patch. Used riker mounts in the past but not so attractive and would take lots and lots of them. So I'd love to hear some ideas from you guys. Chris Another method to display a very large number of patches is to go to a paint/wallpaper store and see if they will sell you, or direct you to their supplier of a wallpaper display. These usually have a metal framework with large "Pages" about 3' X 3'. They in turn are mounted on a metal shaft which fits in the frame so that an individual "Page" can be removed. The main frame is around 3-4' with 30-40 pages. The pages have a plastic frame along the two sides and bottom allowing you to mount patches on the cardboard insert and slipping them back into the plastic frame. The cardboard "Page" has plastic protective sheets to cover the patches. I have been using blue painters masking tape loops to secure a patch because at times the two sided tape doesn't hold. A friend back in NY had about 5 of these mounted beside each other against the wall which gave him around 12-15' of "Pages". This would allow him to display thousands of patches using up a minimum amount of wall space. As noted in another respones, a poster frame also works very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrapneldude Posted June 15, 2009 Share #11 Posted June 15, 2009 A friend of mine has all his patches held on his walls with small sewing pins. They're thin enough to go through the patch without damaging it, and they stick right into the wall and hold them in place. You can probably use any of the above mentioned poster or frame ideas with the small pins. I'd use that or a book / CD holder before I put any sort of adhesive on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tankpatches Posted June 16, 2009 Share #12 Posted June 16, 2009 HI,Hoping someone has better ideas for this. I've been collecting since the early 70s, to date I've yet to figure out a really good way to display a large number of patches in a frame. I've tried double stick tape, the little poster adhering clay, riker mounts............ The last format I used was to buy the large poster frames which have plexiglas, covered the back with fabric and used the clay that's used for posters to adhere, this works well but the oily residue is a potential issue plus messes up the back of the patch. Used riker mounts in the past but not so attractive and would take lots and lots of them. So I'd love to hear some ideas from you guys. Chris Hi, Here's what I did to display my armor Al http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...amp;#entry43191 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tankpatches Posted June 16, 2009 Share #13 Posted June 16, 2009 HI,Hoping someone has better ideas for this. I've been collecting since the early 70s, to date I've yet to figure out a really good way to display a large number of patches in a frame. I've tried double stick tape, the little poster adhering clay, riker mounts............ The last format I used was to buy the large poster frames which have plexiglas, covered the back with fabric and used the clay that's used for posters to adhere, this works well but the oily residue is a potential issue plus messes up the back of the patch. Used riker mounts in the past but not so attractive and would take lots and lots of them. So I'd love to hear some ideas from you guys. Chris Hi, Here's what I did to display my armor ( scroll down to post #11) this is one of 7 cases I built http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...amp;#entry43191 Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
semperbee Posted June 16, 2009 Share #14 Posted June 16, 2009 Tankpatches - Nice setup on the frames, did you say you have 7 of them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tankpatches Posted June 16, 2009 Share #15 Posted June 16, 2009 Tankpatches -Nice setup on the frames, did you say you have 7 of them? Yes- each case holds 99 armor triangles, except the one in the picture, cause of the way I have the top two rows set up That picture is a few yrs old now, most of those "empty" spots are filled now. Hopefully in the near future I'll take a few pics of the updated cases Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M1Marksman Posted June 17, 2009 Share #16 Posted June 17, 2009 I use clear plastic poster & picture frames, the shadow box type that has a cardboard box inside. I attach some old blanket material to the front part of the cardboard box (which is the backing for the picture/poster/patches). The backing on the patches is usually coarse enough to keep the patches from sliding down when hung on the wall. Sometimes, if the back of the patch is too slick, I'll use a small piece of scotch tape. I'm not having alot of luck finding the larger poster frames lately, but the 8 1/2"x11" are easy to find at Target stores. I like to mount my patches in groupings, separated by Commands, Forces, Divisions, etc. Below is a pic of my Air Force grouping in an 18"x24" frame (it's been changed around since the pic was taken). I have 2 other 18"x24" frames that hold a.) US WW2 Armies, Groups & Corps & b.) US Army Infantry Divisions. I also have 2 11"x14" frames with a.) US Army Service Commands & b.) the remainder of the Infantry Divisions. I have several 8 1/2"x11" frames that contain Schools & Replacement Depots, Commands, Forces, etc. & 1 5"x7" frame that has my 1st SSF grouping. Very plain & simple. Not as fancy as wooden frames, but alot cheaper considering the amount of patches that reside in those frames. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobrahistorian Posted June 17, 2009 Share #17 Posted June 17, 2009 Hey all, I'm looking at this problem from a slightly different point of view. From a preservation/conservation aspect, the LAST thing you want to do is put any sort of adhesive on the backs of your patches, to include any form of tape. Adhesive, unless it is an archivally used type like Polyvinyl Acetate (PVA) or Wheat Starch Paste, is going to be acidic and will damage your patch over time. The best method for displaying a large number of patches is a method that I'd seen a number of WWII era collectors do during the war. Sew them on a wool blanket (or some type of fabric) with a fine thread and needle. I realize that many of us have minty patches that have never been sewn on anything. For those, get a sheet of mylar and sew it to the fabric, making a capsule for the patch to stay in. Sewing on a large fabric backing is a pH neutral, reversible method that will not damage your patches in the long or short term and allows you to display as many in as large a frame as you'd like! Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Baker Posted June 17, 2009 Share #18 Posted June 17, 2009 Yes-each case holds 99 armor triangles, except the one in the picture, cause of the way I have the top two rows set up That picture is a few yrs old now, most of those "empty" spots are filled now. Hopefully in the near future I'll take a few pics of the updated cases I'd sure love to see those cases....... :w00t: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cowboy12 Posted June 18, 2009 Share #19 Posted June 18, 2009 I use picture frames with a cloth military laundry bag backing and velcro dot's to hold the patches in place. Cowboy12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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