Yardstick
Well-Known Member
Sometimes I come across a patch that doesn't really catch my imagination but then when I recreate it, it comes out much better than I had expected. The following two patches from the 7th Bomb Group, are good such examples. It seems that the the majority of the patches produced in the CBI for the 7th BG and its constituent squadrons fall into the more 'naïve' end of the skill spectrum. I haven't researched much about the Group but I suspect it spent very little time in the areas of India producing the highly detailed and skilfully executed multi-layered patches that are more typical of the originals we see pictured in books and collections. However, having dug around I managed to find these two examples and I really like how they turned out.
First is the 492nd BS. Stained and painted veg tanned goatskin detailing on a custom stained veg tanned cowhide background. The lettering is hand written in black ink. The use of cowhide is less common in CBI patches but the thickness and look of the backing disk on the original, points to something other than goat or sheep.
The second patch is from the sister squadron, the 493rd BS. This uses a mix of smooth and grainy goat again on a custom stained veg tanned cowhide background. The text in this instance was hand painted. I cut the centre section out of the backing to reduce the overall thickness of the patch which even then was 5 layers in places.
First is the 492nd BS. Stained and painted veg tanned goatskin detailing on a custom stained veg tanned cowhide background. The lettering is hand written in black ink. The use of cowhide is less common in CBI patches but the thickness and look of the backing disk on the original, points to something other than goat or sheep.
The second patch is from the sister squadron, the 493rd BS. This uses a mix of smooth and grainy goat again on a custom stained veg tanned cowhide background. The text in this instance was hand painted. I cut the centre section out of the backing to reduce the overall thickness of the patch which even then was 5 layers in places.
