Good times and good friends are as much a part of
sailing as are fair winds and favorable tides. Here’s something
you can do to preserve that good memory. In an article about Boy Scouts,
Steve Downs shows us how easy it is to create a scenic patch. Of course,
it doesn’t have to be a patch, necessarily. You could just as easily
screen print a burgee, a tee-shirt, or maybe even a coffee-mug. So, why
not paint a memory for your next get-together? Every respectable pirate
needs a patch or a burgee. It's easy to do.
I's always fun when you're on your way back from a Camporee
to pull out that patch you just earned and mentally relive all the experiences
you've just had. Patches always help you remember the good times you've
had on a particular outing. That's their purpose. How many times have
you been on a hike or camping trip where there was no patch available?
I'd been on a few so I decided to figure out a way to make patches that
closely resemble those that are made commercially. I found the answer
one day at a service station. The mechanic had a name patch on his overalls.
It was a white oval with dark blue embroidery around it and the name "Dan"
silk-screened on the inside. That was the answer! I remember learning
about silk-screen printing in high school so it didn't take me long to
figure out how to put the whole process together. That was back in 1986
and I've been making patches for the Scouts ever since, when a regular
patch wasn't available.
From my experience, the hardest part of making a patch is deciding on a design. Keeping clip art from newspapers and magazines can help with ideas. Sometimes the site of the activity itself offers its own inspiration. With the design in mind, the first step is to put it on paper and color with markers or colored pencils to see where the colors are going to be, keeping in mind that each color will be a separate screen. I put all the color layers on the same screen in the interest of cost. Those layers not needed can be blocked out with masking tape.
Remember that the background color of the patch and the stitching around
the edge add to the color of the whole patch. So even if only one color
of ink is used, you will have a three color patch.
As far as fabric goes, I use the heaviest I can find. I have used canvas,
poplin, twill, denim, etc., depending on what I can find in the color
I need. I also get the heaviest fusible interfacing I can and fuse this
to the back of the fabric. The shapes are then cut out with scissors or
a rotary cutter, depending on the shape. I find it useful to trace the
shape onto the fabric with a pencil or chalk using a cardboard template.
With the color mock-up on paper, take a piece of mylar or tracing paper and trace each color area using India ink. Mylar is best because it stays flat. Tracing paper tends to buckle when the ink dries. Press-on letters or hand drawn letters work well. I like to punch up the letters I need on a computer and print them out on a sheet of applique film (sticky-back) in the laser printer, cut the letters with an x-acto knife and place them where they need to go. Remember, you're making a stencil that light either passes through or is blocked by the ink. One thing I need to stress, don't let your line work get too thin. Keep it big and bold or it won't show up in the developing process. I use a #2 technical pen for my smallest line width. When the stencil is made it's time to transfer it to the screen.
The silkscreen is just a wood frame hinged to a base so that the screen
goes to the same place every time. The screen fabric can be a special
fabric just for silkscreening or you can buy polyester organdy at the
local fabric store. It's a lot less expensive. Staple the fabric to the
frame or force a rubber (screen door) spline into a groove cut into the
frame. Either way is fine but make it tight as a drum.
Hunt-Speedball has a photo emulsion available in a kit for about $18.00. These can be purchased at your local art supply store or write to Hunt Mfg. Co, Statesville, NC 28677 for the location of a distributor.ville, NC 28677 for the location of a distributor. A lot of screens can be made with one bottle. Mix four parts emulsion to one part sensitizer. The sensitizer makes the emulsion light sensitive so work in a place where there is low light. Turn the screen upside down and pour the emulsion on one end of the screen and squeegee the length of the screen with a squeegee or a piece of cardboard that will reach all the way across, flooding the screen with emulsion. Dry with a hair drier.
When the screen is dry turn the screen right side up and place the stencil where it needs to go. Put a piece of glass over the stencil to keep it flat against the screen. Position a lamp with a 150w bulb about 11 inches above the stencil. Turn the light on and leave it alone for about 45 minutes.
When the time is up, take the stencil and glass out of the screen and
wash the screen with warm water, both sides. Rub with a wash cloth or
a fine brush until the design washes out of the fabric. Hold it up to
the light to see that the design is clear and open. After the screen is
dry (use the hair dryer again) check for pin holes or other openings that
should't be there. These holes can be filled with screen filler that paints
on with a brush or just cover on the bottom side with pieces of masking
tape.
Using
2" wide masking tape, cover the edges of the screen inside and out.
This tape can also be used to cover up those color layers you are not
printing at the time. It's almost time to print.
Pick out the layer you want to print. It needs to be registered with
the base so you will know where to put the patch blank. The easiest way
I have found to do that is to take a piece of cardboard, a piece of an
old cereal box is great. Cut a hole the shape of the patch toward one
side. Put the color mock-up you made at the beginning and tape it to the
back of the card-board so that it shows through the hole. Lower the screen
over the cardboard and move the card-board around until the mock-up lines
up with the color layer you are going to print. Tape the cardboard down
to the base. Now you have a place to drop the patch blank so it will be
printed the same each time. Drop a blank patch into the hole and lower
the screen.
Drop a blank patch into the registration pocket and lower the screen. Put in the desired color of ink and squeegee across the screen and back again. If the ink is too thin, one time across will do. This is why I make five or six extra patches in case I mess up a few. A squeegee and special silkscreen inks meant just for fabrics are available at art supply stores or sign painters supply shops. As far as squeegees go you can use a car window washer, just take off the handle. About the time I get through cleaning the screen and moving the registration guide to the next color layer, the patches are dry. Keep printing until all the color layers are done. Just remember to start with the background and work to the foreground. The detail and lettering are usually the last to print.
The screen can be used again and again. Mix up a solution of one part water to one part liquid bleach. Mop onto both sides with a paper towel and let stand for 8-10 minutes. Wash with warm water and the emulsion will be gone and ready for the next project.
Now the patches are ready for the final step - the edging. I like to
use bright shiny rayon thread. It comes in many colors and works well
in any machine. Just set the machine for satin stitch as wide as it will
go and work it around the patch. You may have to go around two or three
times to fill it in properly. A serger machine may do a more professional
job. I've never used one so I don't know. After the stitching is done,
press each patch with a hot iron. This not only makes them nice and flat
but also sets the ink into the fabric.
These patches may be homemade but they provide just as many good memories
as the commercially made ones, maybe even more.
Back Yard Yacht Builders
A non-commercial association of amateur boat-builder enthusiasts.
All our wooden boats are Stevenson designs.