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6-7. REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE
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Prior to repair, each item will be inspected to determine the amount of repair necessary. Repairs will be made as
fully as skills, facilities, funds, and local conditions permit.
a. Organizational Maintenance.
(1) Cleaning. Thoroughly clean each item with damp or dry cloths or brush, or by scrubbing with mild soap
and water.
(2) Repair. Replace missing or defective drawcords.
(3) Iron-on patches (barracks bag only)
(a) Materials (Sec. Ill).
(b) Cut patches to the desired size and shape, such that the patch, when applied, will extend
approximately 3/4 inch (1.9 1 cm) in all directions from the tear or damaged area. Patches will have
rounded corners.
(c) Place the area to be patched on a wooden or other nonmetallic surface not affected by heat of
ironing. Pre-warm the area to be patched by pressing with a household electric dry iron or steam
iron used dry. Set the iron at “cotton” or as high as possible without scorching the fabric for about
5 seconds.
(d) Immediately cover with patching material cut in the desired size and shape. Hold the iron on the
patch for about 8 seconds. Use only a slight rotating or reciprocal motion of the iron. Allow to cool
for about 5 seconds, or long enough so that the patch will not lift off when the patched bag is
removed from the table. Adjust the heating time as required for the specific material being used.
Check the quality of the adhesive bond periodically as follows:
When adjusting the iron periodically during the work, test a patch by picking at the edge until a
tab is formed 1/4 inch (0.635 cm) long. Pull hard on the tab. A well bonded patch will be difficult to
peel off. This will indicate that your iron adjustment and heating time is adequate for the
application. Replace the check test patch with a new patch or re-iron the old patch.
(e) Patches that are longer than the iron may be applied in sections, starting at the center and
completing each section before proceeding to the next section. Overlapping of the iron over a
bonded section is permissible.
(f) If the adhesive strikes through the patch cloth, too much heat has been applied. Reduce time of
pressing or temperature of iron. A small amount of strike-through is not objectionable for barrack
bag repair, provided the patch meets the check test.
(g) A bonded patch which has a lifted edge or which is found by the check test to be weakly bonded
may be re-ironed, i.e., replacement is not required.
6-6
TM 10-8400-203-23
