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Patching a Buzz L-2a

M

Mich

New Member
Hi all,
First post here, please be gentle.

I have a Buzz Rickson L-2a which i would like to patch up with some correct vintage (or repro) patches, but i'm not really sure with what.
And how to best apply the patches without doing maximal damage to the jacket.
Any ideas from you guys would be greatly appreciated!

Regards, Mich
 
Rutger

Rutger

Well-Known Member
The ultimate original:

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=12113

The squadron patch has been personalized, of which I've seen samples in the past. Never on ebay though, and never with any other sellers of patches.

Whenever on ebay, cross check with http://www.usafpatches.com/gallery/ for comparing details and era when which patch was used.
There are many reproductions around that don't deserve to be put on a BR.
There are quite often decent originals for decent prices (like $30 or $40) on ebay.com , many of them Strategic Bomb Wing/Sqdn and Fighter Interceptor Wing/Sqdn.

I consider the patches that BR uses of very high quality, but leave others entitled to their own opinion. I don't know were to buy them anyway.....

Imo there's really only one way: sew them on. I once removed a sewn on patch from a blue B-15C(mod), and it really surprized me that it's almost impossible to notice that a patch was ever sewn on to it.
From what I remember the patch was pre-attached with double sided sticking tape, and then stitched.

welkom trouwens.
 
M

Mich

New Member
Dank je! Nice to see another Dutchy around.

I noticed the original 334th L-2a, it's so nice.
The patches from that Sqdn. i've found so far are different both in colors and layout, and are not half as nicely detailed as the original though.
The USAF Patches site might be very helpfull, thanks for that link!
BR patches should be available on Rakuten, i know my way around Japanese shops, i'll have to check around, they might be costly though.

Good tip on the double sided tape, i think that will make sewing them on a lot easier.
 
Peter Graham

Peter Graham

Well-Known Member
Mich said:
And how to best apply the patches without doing maximal damage to the jacket.
Any ideas from you guys would be greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...

Machine sewing them is the correct and authentic method. Do some research and use the correct thread. Also look for period photos to get the placement right. If you ever remove them there is very little evidence that they were ever there if they are sewn on correctly.
Here's an L-2B I patched a while back.

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=11615
 
M

Mich

New Member
Peter Graham said:
Mich said:
And how to best apply the patches without doing maximal damage to the jacket.
Any ideas from you guys would be greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...

Machine sewing them is the correct and authentic method. Do some research and use the correct thread. Also look for period photos to get the placement right. If you ever remove them there is very little evidence that they were ever there if they are sewn on correctly.
Here's an L-2B I patched a while back.

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=11615
Click to expand...
Very neat job on that L-2b.
I don't have a machine capable of doing the job, but i might try a tailor i know if he would be able to take care of it.
Otherwise i'll just do it by hand, after all wouldn't the pilots have handsewed on patches by themselves in the past?
What thread would be correct, all cotton and what approx. thickness?
 
Rutger

Rutger

Well-Known Member
Find a local tailor, and ask if they can handle the tough material that many patches are made of. They can do for a handfull of euro's what's going to take you at least an hour with less than professional result.
Just make sure you get the position and orientation exactly the way you like, and how and were you want the stitching.
Round patch obviously is easier than patch with complex contour.
 
a2jacketpatches

a2jacketpatches

Active Member
Actually, plenty of machine stitching readily available on an AFB with new guys coming in all the time needing their patches stitched on new uniforms etc. Also, rank changes all the time. I was dropping off my stuff to a Philippine wife of a friend on a regular basis with the rest of my flight. Dependants living on base did this kind of thing frequently for extra cash and knew exact placement according to regulations. Not to mention there was a shop at the PX doing it as well. WW2 in theater is where you'd expect a pilot to maybe do it himself and there plenty of examples for sure, but even then, sewing machines were pretty common. Cotton thread is appropriate for anything any era, I'd prefer it on a 1960's garment even though synthetic was around.
 
a2jacketpatches

a2jacketpatches

Active Member
I can provide hand guided machine embroidery, very typical of KW and later patches made in different parts of Asia if you can't find an original. Very accurate. A little pricey because it's a tough process, but available.
 
Peter Graham

Peter Graham

Well-Known Member
Another thing to look out for. Military jackets always have the patches sewn on through both layers of material. A tailor may assume that you don't want the stitches showing on the inside and go to the trouble of opening up a seam and sewing the patches on through only one thickness. It happened to me. The seamstress was not happy when I asked her to re-do the whole thing, except less neatly ! Tell them exactly what you want done. Looking forward to seeing the finished result.
 
M

Mich

New Member
Two more questions,
What color of thread would be used, just plain black, the jacket color, or the color to best match the outline of the patch?
How to find out about the exact placement of the patches?
 
T

Tim P

Well-Known Member
you often see tan or olive green thread contrasting with the patch in a quite pleasing way.
try ebay seller nchs for e excellent Korea era patches. or their website, search on national capitol historical sales
 
Peter Graham

Peter Graham

Well-Known Member
Tim P said:
you often see tan or olive green thread contrasting with the patch in a quite pleasing way.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Standard US Army thread was most commonly used as I guess it was the most readily available. I got a bit obsessive when patching my L-2B and ordered the correct thread from Mash, Japan, but saying that I was also having the knits replaced so I thought it was worth it. It's come in handy for many repairs since so it was a good investment.

http://www.mash-japan.co.jp/oversea/cgi ... cgi?cno=89

As far as placement goes, patches on the arm are centred along the shoulder seam and very close to the top of the arm, a few cm's down from where the arm joins the body. I guess yours will be dictated by the location of the decal already there. I would cover that entirely. Chest patches are governed by the size and if you are fitting a name tape. If you're only fitting one patch it would normallly be placed on the same side as the arm pocket.
 
M

Mich

New Member
I'm thinking of placing only two larger sized patches, one on each side of the chest.
No name tag, and also no shoulder patch as it would cover the original decal, and i don't want that.
Thanks for the info on the olive drab thread, i'll honestly say i'm not really sure on that detail yet, but i'm going to give it some consideration.

Obviously i will post some pics of the end result, might take a while though because i'm in no real hurry, i wanted to start the job well informed to get a satisfying result.
 
T

Tim P

Well-Known Member
have you an idea of the unit or type of aircraft squadron you intend to use? e bay member sabre business! or sabre-business! does some nice mustang patches... Very nice indeed.
 
M

Mich

New Member
Actually... Not yet, at that point i'm just not educated enough.
So i'm busy doing some research at the moment, i know it will be from the Korean War, that's all i know right now.
Also the time span the blue jackets were issued is pretty short, from 1950 untill just after the war i believe, although lots of pilots still wore their's long after that.
 
oose

oose

Active Member
Hi,
Here are a few, for you, hope this can help you a little, notice that patch position varies a great deal even within a squadron.











All the best
stu
 
watchmanjimg

watchmanjimg

Well-Known Member
Rutger said:
lj militaria has a large amount of originals, with good pics of many patches. Browse the site, they're for sale though I never bought with them. Maybe someone else has.

http://www.ljmilitaria.com/
Click to expand...

I've dealt with LJ Militaria in the past, and although the prices are high Jack is very fair with trades. I cleaned him out of several of his best pieces years ago. You can view some pics in this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=4010&hilit=nylon
 
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