posted 08-15-2007 02:40 PM               

Since the 1980's, I have managed to keep them all in a cool and dark place, in a Rubbermaid container laying flat, all separated in individual CD sleeves. I have always tried to keep touching the patches to a minimal.

I have heard of using those CD-style books for this purpose, but I have more than enough invested into my collection and would like to give it the respect that it deserves. Also, has anyone insured their patch collection?

posted 08-15-2007 03:42 PM               

For displaying the real gems in my collection, I frame them under UV glass against black, acid-free (museum quality) card stock. Using a laser printer, I create little description stickers (white font on black background), which I affix underneath the patch.

To hold the patches immobile in the display, I use double-sided fabric tape - the kind you get at fabric or sewing supply stores. You need to test it with the backing carefully, but I've found over the years that it works best for the vintage, fabric backed patches. It doesn't leave a sticky residue and it's designed to be removed from fabric and reaffixed. It holds well, but doesn't leave any kind of a mark on the patch when you remove it later.

posted 02-10-2009 07:11 PM               

Starting in one corner, the lowest row was the Mercury patches. Just above that, starting in the corner was the row of Gemini patches. Above that in a row were the Apollo patches then Skylab, then ASTP.

Then I started at the high point just below the ceiling with the Shuttle patches, and went all the way around the room. When they came all the way around to the starting point, I dropped down a row and started back the opposite direction.

It was a great visual depiction to see all the manned missions hung up on the walls. It was a fun conversation piece when friends visited.

Now I'm in a new house and the office ceiling is much higher and it would be more difficult to see the patches from the distance.

posted 01-14-2010 09:31 AM               

I tried sandwich baggies with Ziplocs, and although it kept them safe from coffee spills, it wasn't very tidy. I also tried the paper CD sleeves with the transparent windows. This wasn't much better than the Ziploc baggies. They were smaller and easier to stack end to end in a box, but the fact that it was paper made it more vulnerable to liquids. Also, there were a few spaceflight patches that were just a little too big for the sleeves and they couldn't be closed. And finally, they weren't entirely viewable.

I did some research and hit on this solution, not so much for open display, but for storage. This is a useful way to store your patches, but still be able to handle them and look at them if you're married and your wife doesn't want you turning her home into an aviation and space museum with stuff all over the walls. I purchased from a company called Clearbags (www.clearbags.com) some transparent "bags" that are really more like sleeves. These turned out to be perfectly ideal (and NO, I don't work for the Clearbags company). I bought two sizes; 4.625 x 5.75 + flap, Crystal Clear Bags Protective Closure (PC) (117x146) (100 pack) [B54PC], and 3.75 x 5.125 + flap, Crystal Clear Bags Protective Closure (PC) 95x130) (100 pack) [B3H5SPC]. It cost me $10.00 for a pack of 100 of the larger ones, and $5.00 for a 100 pack of the smaller ones. These are slim, thin, but very crystal clear.

The larger ones work for every 4" patch I have. There were a couple of snug fits here and there, but they all fit. The smaller sleeves work for all 3" patches. Yes, I realize that the 3" Mercury and Gemini patches, are, at best, 'souvenir' patches. True enough, but in case you want to keep them anyway, this is a good solution.

I created identification cards for each patch using a heavy, high quality inkjet matte paper, my word processor (I use MS Word) and an inkjet printer. For the three inch patches you can create up to three ID cards per page, and two per page for the larger sleeves. (Experiment a little first with placing your text and/or graphics on the page before you use up your expensive heavy bright white printer paper).

You then cut the ID cards for the 3" smaller bags at 5.125" x 3.75 ", and for the larger cards cut them at 5.75" x 4.5 ". These will fit perfectly inside the crystal clear sleeves. The flap is easily folded over and sealed using the adhesive strip built into the bag. If need be these can be opened and resealed several times. Now you can store these slim little packets in a box if you want, but you can remove them, handle them as much as you want without risking finger grime or spills, or adding wear to the embroidery, and you can perfectly view both sides, with the patch showing on one side, and your ID card on the other side. The sleeves really are crystal clear and it is almost like they are out in the open.

posted 01-14-2010 05:15 PM               

About 6 years ago, my wife and I put together a scrapbook of our son's Boy Scout Eagle Project. Afterward, I decided to use the skills and techniques I learned from the scrapbook for my patch collection:

I use 8.5 x 11" acid-free black cardstock and mount the patches with double-sided fabric tape, like Bill Hunt described earlier in this thread. Then I add appropriate photographs and information that I find on the web (I use MS Word to format the text for printing). When each page is complete, I'll slip it into a document protector sleeve for a 3-ring binder.

So far, I have had a lot of fun with my scrapbook method and I wind up learning a lot about each mission. Also, I find that I, and my space-enthusiast friends, go back and look at my collection time and time again. After all, what's the point of having a collection if you can't show it off?

posted 01-15-2010 09:39 AM               

The really good patches (Gemini, SMEAT, etc) get a whole page to themselves perhaps with some explanation of what they are.

I want to embark on an effort to get some better explanation put with some patches like the shuttle experiment or payload patches. My goal with those is to have the mission patch and its variants together with the respective payload that mission carried.

Amen to the call for an updated space patch book! Wasn't Bisney working on one?

posted 11-29-2010 12:48 PM               

The "glass" for the frames is actually UV Acrylic plexiglass (blocks out 98% of UV rays). See the photos below (click to enlarge).

posted 12-03-2010 07:34 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by GACspaceguy:
I display my "other" patches (some AB some not) in frames on the wall.

---

posted 09-02-2012 09:16 AM               

To affix them to the wall, I attached a long strip of masking tape to the backing (it doesn't leave any residue as long as it doesn't get too hot, and it's very easy to remove. It may be too weak to stick to some backing materials so you might want to use something stronger if some fall off).

I then attached masking tape to the wall with foam mounting tape. Mounting tape is very strong, so on most patches it only took a very small piece. However you don't want to attach the foam tape directly to the patch. On some of the waxy-feeling backings, it can be removed easily but on most, it's moderately hard (especially the plastic iron-on kind) and may even tear the backing material.

If a patch wasn't staying down flat, I used one to three rolled pieces of masking tape to hold them in place.

As others have mentioned, I've also found double-sided fabric tape to work very, very well as a temporary adhesive. It could make a more effective replacement for masking tape in the method I described above. However if it gets too hot, it can leave minor residue on patch backings.

posted 09-05-2012 06:05 AM               

I then "moved" them all to new bags, ones with out holes in them, and put them in boxes. I've used this system ever since. As I've also assigned a serial number to each patch using a numbering scheme that aids in identification, I also put the serial number in a spreadsheet with tabs/worksheets for each major project or area (Gemini, Mercury, Apollo, STS, locations, DOD, Company patches, non-official patches, coins/medallions, other items, etc.) I keep the latest copy of the spreadsheet in email/Google Docs so I can access it anywhere/anytime. This method then allows me when visiting a space center to quickly "see" what I have so as to avoid duplicates.

Through the years of collecting and with my current collection size, I recently expanded my collection of storage boxes. I use those plastic storage boxes that are a little bigger than a shoe box. Six inch ziplock bags fit in them very nicely standing on edge. I then have cardboard dividers between each project or area (there's a divider between Gemini and Mercury for example). Each box will comfortably fit about 100 patches this way. (I also keep a "placeholder" in the front of each box so that when I remove a patch to look at it, I put the "placeholder" where the patch goes so I can easily put the patch back in its spot.)

With the serial number on a sticker in the top corner of the bag (inside the bag so it can't be separated from the patch), all the serial numbers are then displayed in a row along the corners of the bags allowing me to find a patch very quickly. I currently have six of these boxes and I need to add another or two as a couple of them are getting full.

While this method may not be perfect, it has served me well through the years and with each series/area labeled on the end of the box, I can quickly find any patch I'm looking for, with or without the serial number from the spreadsheet. As the serial numbers are related to the mission, I usually will know the serial number without the spreadsheet (Gemini 5 would be G-5 for example, Apollo 11, A-11 - although there's several of these!)

posted 07-22-2013 06:05 PM               

The only "big" expense I had was the last time I ran out of bags of the size I used (5" x 5" for most patches) I had to order 1,000 online. And even then it wasn't too bad. If I recall correctly, it was like $35US for the case.

The boxes are can be found at department stores (Target, WalMart, etc.) and will only be about $4-5 each. So yes, it's a pretty simple and cheap solution that also gives them great protection. The only downside is that to look at them, you have to get them out. But if you're interested in the patches, that's not a big deal.

posted 09-01-2018 06:51 AM               

I'm thinking of using acid free clear pages with the patches attached to either card or felt. Is felt safe for this? Has anyone else done this and got any pictures for me to get some inspiration and ideas? Thanks guys.

posted 09-01-2018 07:35 AM               

I attached the patches with double sided tape.

posted 09-13-2018 02:00 PM               

My collection is close over 3000 patches and decals and almost all are in these. I then use some thicker vinyl tag holders for the large rectangles and have only a few in larger round patches in baggies. All of these are stored in plastic bins/totes. Takes up a lot of space really, but for now they are protected.

posted 09-16-2018 01:31 AM               

What I really wanted was a central location where I could store everything and find specific items (with the help of a FilemakerPro database). I decided to repurpose one of my closets and optimize it for small item storage (something that most closets are not really designed for).

Fortunately, I had a corner kitchen closet that had pretty poor space utilization to begin with. As you can see in the photos below, I ripped out the built-in shelves, refinished the interior and installed some heavy-duty commercial wire shelving. My closet footprint was just over 4x4 feet (reduced significantly by the corner with the door being sliced off on a diagonal), but it was 10 feet tall, with a lot of wasted space at the top with the original shelves. Here’s the transformation of that closet…

With the shelving in place, I needed some plastic storage boxes that fit the shelf dimensions well and were good sizes for patches, pins, documents, etc. I found five basic types at Target that were sturdy and stackable. For larger items (shirts, caps, flight suits, model kits, etc.), I found some inexpensive heavy duty PVC foot lockers at Walmart. Medium size prints and posters are stored flat in some larger containers on the top shelf. Here are photos of everything in place with some preliminary labels.

I outfitted the closet door interior with small shelves and bulletin boards and had enough space left in the middle of the closet to accommodate a rolling cart with more boxes, another stack of boxes on the floor and a set of folding steps (my mobile access platform) for reaching the upper shelves. In its final form, I now have 220 boxes of various sizes in there (over 150 cubic feet of useable storage), all labeled and readily accessible.

posted 06-16-2020 02:12 PM            

My preference is to have them stored in those plastic divider pages in a binder, like four to a page maybe. I found some dividers for Boy Scout patches however they're either too big or too small. My patches also have plastic backs, not velcro so I can't put them in a velcro book.