Whats the big deal with Iron on patches? not much really - except maybe that you don't have to sew anything. What is the best way to iron on your patches? Patch Attach - its a good quality iron on glue that gives you a permanent hold to your patches. The only downfall of iron on patches is that the bond is usually permanent - you can't ever take them off of your uniform or gear. We think a better solution is sewing on the patches - you can remove them with minimal damage to the patch and the material underneath.
Lets look at Patch attach - its a type of glue that is made for patches - you apply a thin coat of the glue to the patch, spread it evenly around and then use the iron to iron on the patch to your uniform. Its a strong bond, so be careful what you are doing - there is no turning back once you have applied Heat. Also, you need to remember again that there is no removing the patches - they are there permanently. I would also be super careful as to the glue placement - you need to make sure that the glue is spread evenly across the back, and out to the sides - you don't want any lumps or issues having the merrowed edge not stuck to the uniform. Once the heat is applied, the glue penetrates the materials and gives you a super strong bond.
As always, when you are ironing on patches, make sure that you use a cover or tea towel or something so that you are not applying the iron heat directly to the patch - if you hold it there, you might melt the stitching! The thread is made out of twisted polyester, so scorching is definitely a possibility too. Its also a good idea to iron from the front, and then iron the patch from the back as well - just to make sure the glue is heated up and will adhere strongly.
Patches with iron on coatings will of course do the same thing - but its not really as good. The iron on material on the back of the morale patch is a thin layer of heat activated glue - although it looks like plastic, its not really. When you apply the heat, the plastic glue melts and then penetrates the material and then stops - it gives it a decent bond, but usually it seems that there is not quite enough glue to hold properly. Also if you have applied too much heat to this plastic glue part, it will simply melt away and not hold the patch very well, so you have to be super careful with what you are doing!
Our best solution: either buy one of our PIP patches that has the soft side of the velcro on it - so you can sew on the PIP patch and then add other patches and remove them, or simply sew on the patch to your uniform. The sewing can be removed carefully and there is little or no damage to the uniform or gear - so if you are not 100% sure that you want the patch on your gear forever, go for the sew on so you can change your mind later on.
Sew on patches- is the best solution for most applications.
