In the past, there have been stickers of the various science symbols (from page 68 of the rulebook) available at check-in, for people to put on their science kits. But as far as I know, all the stickers are gone, and personally, I could never get them to stay attached.
I heard that, in the near future, more stickers will be printed, and freely distributed. But for my own use, I'm trying to screenprint some fabric patches. I don't want to commit a lot of time and money to this project just for myself, so I figured I'd ask everyone: if I made a lot of these patches, would anyone be interested in buying them?
I "should" get one for that green case I carry around, but I need it easily removed. It's actually a backgammon case, and my little sister has been promised the set, if she ever gets back to Massachusetts to visit, so I can't make permanent mods
In your case, I'd suggest gaff tape, which peels off without leaving residue. But the nice thing about patches is that there are many ways to attach them, permanently or not, almost all of which will work better than stickers.
Great! Unfortunately, in order to make this project worth the investment, I need to make at least 14 patches, sold for $3 each. If anyone else wants a patch (or ANYTHING with a 4x4" science symbol on it), please let me know.
I'm thinking about running this through Kickstarter, and just making the patches themselves the investment rewards...
And even beyond that, at $3 each, I have a few characters I wouldn't mind having patches for... I'd probably want at least two, maybe more for personal use.
custom patches can be done fairly cheaply. That said find someone with an embroiderie machine and pay them for their time (it'll help THEM out and be far cheaper than a commercial outlet)
I also have access to a laser cutter/etcher. If you get me materials and designs, I'd be willing to do most reasonable things. However, mine can't do metal, but I can do most plastics. And poptarts.
If you're etching plates, you can likely make them Velcro hook-side backed with
industrial-strength Velcro, obtainable pretty easily at Home Depot. I have a roll.
What format do the designs need to be, people with laser cutters/etchers?
Rob, my plan wasn't to get this done commercially, but get the help of a screenprinter who lives in my building. Embroidered patches would probably look better, but I don't know what the cost difference is.