a2jacketpatches
Active Member
The first photo is the real deal 23rd Fg. The following photos are of my repop, not meant to be an exact facsimile of the original but more so an example of what an original might look like hot off the press. I didn't artificially aged it or touched it up after completion. The leather used is my best guess ( or anyone's guess ) as to being correct based on the texture. The border yellow is brown smooth grain cowhide leather painted with oil based yellow paint, the wings are white oil based painted goatskin, and the shield is navy blued dyed pigskin suede. Lots of little issues during construction that I could foresee, but did not let it concern me because it would be inaccurate to do so. I believe that period artists would just deal with a problem as it came and move on.
Some problems encountered-
1) paint not covering completely as in originals
2) paint being a bit sticky and preventing smooth operation under the foot of the sewing machine
3) some paint being disturbed because of the foot
As you can see, the end product is a reasonable representation of a what newly created theater made patch would look like. I believe that in time, this patch would wear down, paint smell would dissipate, and the color would flake off a bit. It would look as original as could be if applied to a brand new top notch repro A-2 and allowed to wear and tear together for a few years. In another 70 years, it would fool anyone.
So to any and all that require authentic materials and methods, the look of limited artistic ability, and the unforeseeable future of how it will hold up over time, it's as simple as placing a detailed order. As in the originals, there is no guarantee that the paint won't lift after you get rained on, or that it won't rub off on your car seat, fade color over time, etc.
I'm sure that any artist out there that is "overdoing" it, can recreate anything and everything a customer can dream up, from a super detailed Varga pin up, to a distorted B-17 that looks like someone painted it with their feet, just order it that way. Airbrush, paintbrush, whatever you choose, hell, I'll even fingerpaint it if you want.
The purpose of this project was to show that it is very easy to have the authentic look of original WW2 period patches and painted jackets reproduced accurately, but are you ready to stick it on your 1000- repro?
I didn't show my wife this patch until it was completed, you should have seen the look on her face when she said in her Thai accent " It is not beautiful" :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Patch is being offered at my regular rate based on time involved, 75 bucks. Cheaper than an hour at Jiffy Lube
Some problems encountered-
1) paint not covering completely as in originals
2) paint being a bit sticky and preventing smooth operation under the foot of the sewing machine
3) some paint being disturbed because of the foot
As you can see, the end product is a reasonable representation of a what newly created theater made patch would look like. I believe that in time, this patch would wear down, paint smell would dissipate, and the color would flake off a bit. It would look as original as could be if applied to a brand new top notch repro A-2 and allowed to wear and tear together for a few years. In another 70 years, it would fool anyone.
So to any and all that require authentic materials and methods, the look of limited artistic ability, and the unforeseeable future of how it will hold up over time, it's as simple as placing a detailed order. As in the originals, there is no guarantee that the paint won't lift after you get rained on, or that it won't rub off on your car seat, fade color over time, etc.
I'm sure that any artist out there that is "overdoing" it, can recreate anything and everything a customer can dream up, from a super detailed Varga pin up, to a distorted B-17 that looks like someone painted it with their feet, just order it that way. Airbrush, paintbrush, whatever you choose, hell, I'll even fingerpaint it if you want.
The purpose of this project was to show that it is very easy to have the authentic look of original WW2 period patches and painted jackets reproduced accurately, but are you ready to stick it on your 1000- repro?
I didn't show my wife this patch until it was completed, you should have seen the look on her face when she said in her Thai accent " It is not beautiful" :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Patch is being offered at my regular rate based on time involved, 75 bucks. Cheaper than an hour at Jiffy Lube
