Can this tiny hole be repaired?

[Nos402]

Hey all. I have a vintage WWII British RAF Greatcoat that has a tiny little hole in the sleeve up by the shoulder seam.



Is this something a tailor can fix? I'm hopeful since it's so tiny but not being a tailor, I just can't imagine a good way to fix it. I thought maybe someone here might have some experience!

Thanks so much for your time.

[Peter Wells]

Hey all. I have a vintage WWII British RAF Greatcoat that has a tiny little hole in the sleeve up by the shoulder seam.



Is this something a tailor can fix? I'm hopeful since it's so tiny but not being a tailor, I just can't imagine a good way to fix it. I thought maybe someone here might have some experience!

Thanks so much for your time.

I wouldn't trust it to a tailor. The best method I know of, and which I have tried on similar projects, is to use a blade or knife to scrape some fibers from another (inconspicuous) area, put a small dab of glue in the hole and glue your scraping in place. Done carefully it can be quite effective.

[Nige H]

Wool serge can be invisibly mended by most dry cleaners, its a service which is out soured to a dedicated company, however one word of warning its not cheap.

Nige H

[SteveR]

Leave it alone it does not hurt anything at all.
SteveR

[3002steve]

id consider the fibres and glue method , theres companys that do the same for repairs to cars seats if you dont want to try it

but some clear glue and a few shavings from a hidden place should see it done easily

[Zeller]

I would fix it with cyanoacrilate glue and fibers shaved from a hidden place too.

[davejb]

The trouble with super glue is that it dries hard, you need to use fabric glue, which has some flexibility, once dried you can tease the fibres gently to reform the nape of the serge. ive done this on several battledress tunics and it doesnt look too bad looking again i noticed that this is possibly a burn hole as its discoloured around the edge, you would need to scrape away the edge gently so that any fibres you add match in with the surrounding ares

[Zeller]

I've never used fabric glue but what you write make sense and I agree. I would have glued only the bottom part with a very light amount of glue, then use the fabric around the hole to cover it, using a needle.

[RayR]

Some very good answers here. I have a 1943 Officers Greatcoat with 1 tiny hole like that near the inside cuff of the right sleeve. I may try the fibers method as I have a bit of experience around the house with fabric glue.
You really do have to be careful of what glue you use. Example being a NATO WO coat I have. It is unissued. Absolutely perfect....except there was some kind of damage done to the left sleeve right at the shoulder which someone fixed by using glue. This left a hard patch. It didn't look bad, but not great, either.

I took this to a professional tailor who showed me the problem. He fixed it up so now the area is soft and the spot barely noticeable. It is about the size of a quarter, but you would have to know where to look for it.

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Please excuse the improper rank. As you can see, the coat is very Torchwood. I was having a bit of fun.