How do you repair pertex?

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Laurentius

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 13, 2009
2,426
619
Knowhere
My Buffalo windshirt (the unlined lightweight variety) has sustained a fatal injury from brambles in that it has an actual tear in it, the first after many a years exposure to the outdoors. I have repaired it currently with a glue on tent repair patch, but I really don't think that is the best way to do it as the tent repair material is heavier than the pertex original.
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,966
4,616
S. Lanarkshire
What colour is it ?
If you can scrounge a few cms from someone then there's an iron heat powder glue that is excellent for repairing fabric with a hidden rear patch in the same material.
Failing that, if you have a pocket that you can sacrifice the inner pertex from (and patch that where it won't be seen, you can create a small tab pocket from the material.

If you take it to the local repair shop, the kind where someone capable turns up trousers, curtains, etc., they might offer to secure stitch across your tear and you could always sew a badge of some kind on top. You can even print your own out on your computer printer, in reverse, iron it onto something suitable and create your own 'patch'.

You're unlikely to hide the repair unless you make it a feature, like a pocket, a label, that kind of thing.

Sorry, I don't think I'm actually solving your problem though.

M
 

Laurentius

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 13, 2009
2,426
619
Knowhere
What colour is it ?
If you can scrounge a few cms from someone then there's an iron heat powder glue that is excellent for repairing fabric with a hidden rear patch in the same material.
Failing that, if you have a pocket that you can sacrifice the inner pertex from (and patch that where it won't be seen, you can create a small tab pocket from the material.

If you take it to the local repair shop, the kind where someone capable turns up trousers, curtains, etc., they might offer to secure stitch across your tear and you could always sew a badge of some kind on top. You can even print your own out on your computer printer, in reverse, iron it onto something suitable and create your own 'patch'.

You're unlikely to hide the repair unless you make it a feature, like a pocket, a label, that kind of thing.

Sorry, I don't think I'm actually solving your problem though.

M
The tear is on the back up near the shoulder, and unlikely place for a pocket or a badge.
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,294
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
My mom used to repair tears in my clothes by first stitching the edges, then covering with a patch where you have stitched the edges first, and stitching it to the fabric. Then she turned the piece outside in, and stitched the edges of the tear to the patch.

She once got fedup and angry at me and tought me how to do it.

I can sew in buttons too, the proper Wehrmacht way.
 

SiWhite

Nomad
Apr 1, 2007
343
22
45
Deepest North Hampshire
I've used Tenacious Tape on Pertex before - it worked well, but came off the next time the jacket was washed. Clear Gorilla Tape can be bought as well, which might do a similar job...
 
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RichardJackson

Forager
Jul 7, 2011
183
42
Beccles
I successfully used iron on repair tape to extend the life of my 16yo remploy buffalo copy by a couple of years in 2007. It peeled after a while, but I did need a total of 4m of it! The replacement 2ndhand special six is going strong. The original is in my canoe ditchkit - won't care that I look like a cross between sad 90s man and a bondage freak when I'm that cold and wet.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
 

Martin west

New Member
Dec 9, 2018
1
0
56
Watford
I too have damaged my buffalo. They kindly sent a large piece of material out but didn't send any instructions. Can someone explain how I use the patch please.
 

Billy-o

Native
Apr 19, 2018
1,981
975
Canada
Sail tape?

Failing that, try gaffa tape. Gives it the gnarly "I get out and use my gear" look.

No better sight than a glam downie with a 4" strip of duct tape on it :)

If everything else fails take it to the dry cleaners. They'll fix it so long as there is no material missing, and even then they'll probably fix that too.
 

C_Claycomb

Moderator staff
Mod
Oct 6, 2003
7,386
2,396
Bedfordshire
Like any craft skill, repairing clothing right takes knowledge, practice and the right tools. You will make better progress if you have a sewing machine and know how to use it. Any-which-way, there are a LOT of videos on YouTube showing how to sew light fabrics. I haven't looked at clothing, or patching, but Jellyfish and thejasonofalltrades have good sewing videos that could help with figuring out the mechanics of sewing light fabrics.

As said, a patch must be sewn down, and the damage sewn to the patch. The edges of the patch must be folded under, or edged in such a way that they do not fray. If the garment has multiple layers, and you only want to sew through the outer layer, then you have but two options; disassembly so that you can get at the inside of the outer layer of fabric, then put the garment back together, or you had stitch the patch.

I am sure there are plenty of instructionals about patching clothes.

Best of luck! And if the choice is between sewing, tape, or binning, you have nothing at all to lose from trying to sew first.

Chris
 

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,186
1,557
Cumbria
IIRC there's a technique called invisible patch. No idea what it is but my mum did it a lot with my school trousers a very long time back now. Not sure if it'll work with pertex but with school trousers you really couldn't tell there was a patch underneath.

Could just be magic though, I really don't know for sure. :)
 

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