repairing synthetic fabrics

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telemark
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repairing synthetic fabrics

Post by telemark »

I have a pair of Prana Brion travel pants with a rip in one knee, about an inch to an inch and a half long. I thought I could apply an iron-on patch and make them usable again, but the instructions for the patch say
Not intended for use on plastic, nylon, rayon or fabrics made of monofilament polyesters.
and the tag on the pants says they are 97% nylon, 3% elastane. Should I experiment anyway, on the grounds of having nothing to lose? Is there a better way?
sport
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Re: repairing synthetic fabrics

Post by sport »

Nylon is a plastic. If you try to iron on the patch, you may melt the clothing and make a bigger problem than you already have. Your best bet may be needle and thread.
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CAsage
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Re: repairing synthetic fabrics

Post by CAsage »

This could be easily fixed by sewing, ideally with a zig-zag stitch, a supporting patch (anything, cotton is fine) under the edges to secure it. But good luck finding someone with a) a sewing machine and b) any experience.
Last edited by CAsage on Wed Jun 29, 2022 7:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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kevinf
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Re: repairing synthetic fabrics

Post by kevinf »

Most dry cleaners in my area also do garment repair.
tunafish
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Re: repairing synthetic fabrics

Post by tunafish »

telemark wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 2:55 pm I have a pair of Prana Brion travel pants with a rip in one knee, about an inch to an inch and a half long. I thought I could apply an iron-on patch and make them usable again, but the instructions for the patch say
Not intended for use on plastic, nylon, rayon or fabrics made of monofilament polyesters.
and the tag on the pants says they are 97% nylon, 3% elastane. Should I experiment anyway, on the grounds of having nothing to lose? Is there a better way?
Just sew it by hand. You don't need a sewing machine to do this.
DoubleComma
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Re: repairing synthetic fabrics

Post by DoubleComma »

Not sure where you are, but if you don’t have someone locally to you there is a service is Truckee, TEC Tahoe, that does exactly this. It’s always been affordable and high quality repairs. We have used them multiple times for Ski Race gear clean, repair and or restore after the season.
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Cheez-It Guy
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Re: repairing synthetic fabrics

Post by Cheez-It Guy »

Billy Mays has the answer! And he will shout it so you can hear!

https://youtu.be/lt3A2780agg
livesoft
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Re: repairing synthetic fabrics

Post by livesoft »

A brand new pair of equivalent pants is $25 on sale. Wrangler makes them.
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Cheez-It Guy
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Re: repairing synthetic fabrics

Post by Cheez-It Guy »

Wrangler makes 97/3 nylon/elastane pants?
livesoft
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Re: repairing synthetic fabrics

Post by livesoft »

Cheez-It Guy wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 6:23 pm Wrangler makes 97/3 nylon/elastane pants?
Wrangler makes many such pants. Example.
Note that spandex is a brand-name for elastane.
Available at Walmart and Target, too.
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Todtuga38
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Re: repairing synthetic fabrics

Post by Todtuga38 »

Check out noso patches, they work for all kinds of synthetic gear!
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telemark
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Re: repairing synthetic fabrics

Post by telemark »

Thanks for all the replies! Some additional details: there is a lot of fraying and tearing around the edges, due to my knee hitting the sidewalk with the pants in between(I lost a little skin but the pants took the worst of it). My sewing skills are limited to things like replacing buttons and I don't have access to a sewing machine, even if I knew how to use one. Will look into the other options. I'm travelling over the weekend and had thought I could use the iron in my hotel room, but with that off the table there's no particular hurry.

The Wrangler pants look pretty good, but I'm still interested in fixing the ones I already have.
Katietsu
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Re: repairing synthetic fabrics

Post by Katietsu »

I caught my nearly new ski jacket on a door frame and put a tear on the arm. I used a Gear Aid Tenacious Tape patch to repair it. It held up great and is barely visible.

I think it would work on the Prana pants unless the stress is just too high on a knee. Avoid cutting the patch with sharp corners or points that can peel. Use a circle or oval type shape. My first thought was to put one patch on the inside and one on the outside. Might look to see if anyone uses the patches this way.
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BL
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Re: repairing synthetic fabrics

Post by BL »

I did a Google search on "Prym nylon patch" and got a page full of stick-on patches (no ironing!) and a youTube demo as well. I haven't tried doing it, but this old company sounds familiar for other sewing aids, so that is what I would look at first. I did look at the video and it shows a sticky patch put on the right side as far as I could tell, so getting a color that blends well might be good.
If desired, sewing a blanket stitch or machine zigzag or fancier stitch around the edges could be both useful and decorative. If sewing, a piece of fabric on the back could strengthen it, and could be trimmed after sewing around the patch.

As others have said, using a needle and thread with a piece of fabric on the back might work well but it might take a while to get it done.
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Cheez-It Guy
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Re: repairing synthetic fabrics

Post by Cheez-It Guy »

livesoft wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 6:37 pm
Cheez-It Guy wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 6:23 pm Wrangler makes 97/3 nylon/elastane pants?
Wrangler makes many such pants. Example.
Note that spandex is a brand-name for elastane.
Available at Walmart and Target, too.
Interesting. I only knew them for denim.
Mr. Rumples
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Re: repairing synthetic fabrics

Post by Mr. Rumples »

The fabric is synthetic and recycled. Its going to be difficult to find an exact fabric match thus take fabric from the pants where it would not be noticed such as the rear seam or if you sew up a pocket, that frees up the pocket fabric. A visit to a sewing store should yield a good match for the thread.

Then follow this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Bkd_upomuk

Be sure to match the fabric grain:

https://oliverands.com/community/blog/2 ... grain.html
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livesoft
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Re: repairing synthetic fabrics

Post by livesoft »

Cheez-It Guy wrote: Thu Jun 30, 2022 3:59 amInteresting. I only knew them for denim.
Quiz: How many different kinds of nylon/spandex pants does Wrangler sell? 5? More than 10? More than 20? Add shorts in as well, 50?
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Cheez-It Guy
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Re: repairing synthetic fabrics

Post by Cheez-It Guy »

livesoft wrote: Thu Jun 30, 2022 6:50 am
Cheez-It Guy wrote: Thu Jun 30, 2022 3:59 amInteresting. I only knew them for denim.
Quiz: How many different kinds of nylon/spandex pants does Wrangler sell? 5? More than 10? More than 20? Add shorts in as well, 50?
I'll guess more than 10.

Alternate Quiz: How many Chinese factories mass-produce synthetic pants-weight fabric for any global brand that wants to slap their logo on it and call it theirs?
livesoft
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Re: repairing synthetic fabrics

Post by livesoft »

Cheez-It Guy wrote: Thu Jun 30, 2022 7:08 amAlternate Quiz: How many Chinese factories mass-produce synthetic pants-weight fabric for any global brand that wants to slap their logo on it and call it theirs?
Since I have been to China more than once, I would think there might be hundreds of such fabric manufacturers.
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Cheez-It Guy
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Re: repairing synthetic fabrics

Post by Cheez-It Guy »

Correct!
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