Looking to make a patch board for all your earned GORUCK patches? Or maybe want to make one for your badass significant other? Below is the image of my most current homemade patch board. If this is something you would like in your home then please read on, if not then you can stop here and go do some burpees (or if you have 3 other people around do some PTP).
Things you will need to create your patch board:
Replacement Trailer Bunk Carpeting
Body Shop Heavy Duty Headliner and Carpet Adhesive
Wood Frame
Whichever size you plan to make the patch board
1/8" Hard Board
Size should be to fit within the frame
Ring Hangers w/ screws (x2)
Hanging Wire
Must be long enough to span across the width of the frame, plus about 6 inches extra on each side
Razor Blade
Staple Gun w/ 3/8" staples
Table Saw
Spray Paint
If you want to paint your frame a specific color
The first thing you should do is find a frame that you want to use, as this will determine the sizes for everything going forward. For this patch board I went with a 40" x 32". If you are painting the frame do this ASAP or at least before step 4 to allow it to dry.
Step 1: Using the table saw (or having whichever lumber store you purchased your hard board from) cut the hard board to fit within the frame.
Step 2: Once you have your hard board cut to size, get your trailer bunk carpet out, most trailer bunk carpeting comes in a roll which is 12" wide, in this case I went long ways across the board with 3 strips 43" x 12". The length is an inch or 2 longer than the width of the board.
Step 3: Once your carpet is cut to cover the whole board use the carpet adhesive to glue the carpet to the hard board, when doing this it is best to go slowly and glue one strip at a time, pressing down on the carpet and working from left to right (or right to left if you're into that thing). Try and line up the strips as tight as possible and make sure you have a decent amount of glue in these areas (shown in the image below, the seam is in the middle of the picture).
Once you have glued everything down run your hands over the carpet to help smooth it out and help it adhear. Let it sit for the recommended time to dry.
Step 4: Once dry, using the razor blade, cut the excess carpet that is hanging over the edges of the board.
Step 5: Place the now carpet covered hard board within the frame, using the staple gun staple the hard board posteriorly into the frame roughly every 2-3 inches. You can use a hammer to flatten the staples down if you would like.
Step 6: Install the ring hangers and hanging wire to the posterior of the frame.
Step 7: Hang that thing up and sign up for more GORUCK events to fill it up!
Any questions please feel free to contact me via ClevelandAreaRuckingCrew@gmail.com