posted 04-17-2006 09:44 PM            

I got an STS-115 patch today, with no coating what so ever. It is just fabric all the way through. I can feel the fabric texture on the back.

Is this an unusual mistake, or just a common error?

posted 04-18-2006 08:47 AM               

For the most part The STS patches you reference should have a plastic or waxy coating applied to them. AB emblem who is the official supplier to NASA uses the coatings you have described on the patches you have.

There is a mixed bag of coatings used and they can be clear, dark, white, plastic, waxy, etc. depending on who and where the origin of manufacture. Some patches almost appear to have a vacuum sealed application.

If you are buying a STS patch that is uncoated and it is from the current missions, typically they are not from an official source and are reproductions that could have been manufactured anywhere. Cheaper to make. (Not necessarily a bad patch)

This is not true however for older STS patches as the Lion Brothers patches for the early STS flights will mostly be found without coatings.

Vintage patches prior to 1975 (Apollo era) typically do not have the waxy, plastic, or Iron on adhesive coatings. Prior AB Emblem had a thin coat of vegetable paste (STARCH) that was applied to the reverse side.

Modern AB Emblem Apollo era mission patches will have the plastic/waxy coatings you speak of.

There is much more to the story than I have explained.

posted 04-19-2006 11:21 PM               

"Flown" patches are just that, they have made it into space by being placed aboard a spacecraft. The astronaut does not have to personally carry them. Patches that are flown can come from many different places. They could have been the official NASA patch emblem given to them, they could be a special patch that the astronaut had made, they could be patches given to the astronaut or sent aboard the spacecraft by a NASA contractor, in which case a contractor may have had the patch made by a different company they do business with. So to answer your question there is no answer to whether "all" flown patches have coatings on the back.

Concentrating on the execution of the art design on the front of the patch will tell you 99% of the story. Most patch identification is comparing the execution of the art design from one patch manufacturer to the other. The coatings on the rear, more often than not, just help to confirm the identification when in doubt. Mike you, related that some patches have clear coats, some have white, some have a black plastic coating. You will find all three of these coatings on AB Emblems patches. AB Emblem contracts with several embroidery companies to carry out the patch manufacturing process.