Preserving a vintage backpatch

KleiniMon, 15/07/2024 - 20:53

If there’s already a thread regarding this topic, I haven’t found it - feel free to point me to it, if that is the case. I hope, I’m posting in the correct category as well.
Alright - hey there! I’m pretty new to TSS, at least as a registered user, and I’ve got a topic that I would like to hear your opinion and/or tips and tricks about. My issue is with my vintage Kreator Backpatch: my vest is not finished for all to long now, but the backpatch is already showing some pretty serious signs of wear after the last festival. It has already seen a pretty crazy Napalm Death moshpit that definitely contributed to this, nevertheless it seems like the print is getting damaged pretty quickly. While some signs of wear are of course fine with me - it only makes everything look more oldschool - I am a bit concerned at the rate it is happening, and if I might not end up with a blank backpatch at the end of the year if it continues this way. Obviously, that piece is rather rare and wasn’t all that cheap, that is not quite what I want to happen. So I was wondering - are there any ways to preserve a backpatch better and/or slow down this process?

One thing I was thinking about is sewing it on even more, i.e. sewing the middle/ around the figures to make it more firm with the denim, as it is a pretty large bp and I’ve probably been grabbed around the area of the damage, as I assume. Another thought I had was spraying on a light layer of clear coat, but I don’t know how that would react to the fabric, this might just as well be a horrible idea to do. Maybe some of you folks more skilled at DIY patches can say something regarding that.

I’ve attached a picture and I’m looking forward to what you guys have to say!

Cheers, Nick

File attachment:

tss--1db10a8642cbe72f644151ee853e4f66.jpg

RnReiner on Mon, 15/07/2024 - 22:55

The more you sew, the more damage you do to the structure of the actual back patch. Thus, I would not recommend it, unless you sew over existing cracks. Applying clear coat/varnish comes along with the risk that the whole patch gets stiff and less flexible - more damage to the print could be the result.
Even though it's hard to accept, patches are commodities subject to wear and tear. After all, isn't a used look what many of us are aiming at? I lost a Painkiller back patch to a Nuclear Assault concert, so I know what I am talking about. ^^

The patch as it looks should easily last another couple of years. In the meantime, you can hoard another back up copy or prepare a shirt without the annoying demon in the foreground as a replacement. The Terrible Certainty back patch is not as rare as you might think. You can get a mint copy for 35-50 € from the right seller. ;)

Cheers!

Kleini on Tue, 16/07/2024 - 13:03

Thanks a lot for your advice! My point of sewing more was to make it more structural with the denim - due to its size, if it gets bend, the patch can fold outwards while the denim could fold inwards - and therefore making the patch more vulnerable as if it would have the structural support of the denim behind it. But you made a good point, I’ll rethink that!
Also, yes, showing some wear and tear is definitely the icing on the cake for a vest, I was just getting a bit worried (or maybe paranoid) about how fast it happened. It'll definitely stay on there for now and we'll see, how long it lasts.
If I manage to snack another copy somewhere inbetween 35-50€ I’ll definitely take that opportunity, haha. Lets just say I payed a bit more than that. Especially with vintage patch prices being were they are right now, it feels increasing difficult to acquire them, at least for me, someone who was born 10-15 years after most of the cool patches were made ;)
Again, many thanks for your reply and cheers!