Pips on Uniforms?

[capchiro]

One of my new cadet 2Lt.'s brought to my attention problems mounting the pips on the shoulder boards, such as the pins breaking off of the pips, the pins being too short to go through the shoulder boards and still be held on by the "frogs" or whatever the clips are called to secure them.  There was also a problem with the Officer device on the service cap and the pins being too short to allow them to be held on properly.  What solutions do you learned gentlemen and ladies have?  As usual, I appreciate it.

[SarDragon]

There's a pretty good thread on CS about the shoulderboard issue:

http://forums.cadetstuff.org/viewtopic.php?t=4847

[MIKE]

What solutions do you learned gentlemen and ladies have?

• Don't wear service dress.
• Wear flight cap.

[/Smartass] 

[lordmonar]

Cut the pins off and use a hot glue gun.  The glue does not ruin the boards and holds pretty good.

[ZigZag911]

I hjad the same problem (insignia breaking off) as a cadet officer back in the early 70s.

isn't it time either to improve or eliminate the darn things??? (shoulder boards)

[Psicorp]

Makes me wonder if the manufacturer has gotten a little cheap (shorter pins)...I never had that problem as a cadet.   

Has the new C/2nd LT (congrats on the Mitchell, btw) tried creating pilot holes first?  I found that I had to do that with the epaulette in order to get the single post of the mini insignia to go through the silver center marker.   

[DNall]

- Hot glue
- could make boards w/ embroidered or pre-attached but the concet (which doesn't work, see glue) is for you to be able to change them when you get promoted - well it kind of works, but you can mess them up too if you aren't careful in teh change over.
- cheap manufacture? Actually, it's not so much the short pins as the cheap softer thiner metal that's chromed over rather than thin plating (stronger/thicker metal core). The pins are too short. Design issue got screwed up changing manufactures several times back.

-Hat device: It's not supposed to pin thru. It's got a screw post in the center & I guess nut it's called to attach. The pointy things are just to stick in & hold it from spinning around, not meant to attach on the inside. (been a while, hope I'm explaining this right from memory).

[afgeo4]

Why are we still using hard shoulder boards for cadet officers?  Senior officers aren't.  Wouldn't it be easier to just switch to the soft ones for all blues combinations?

Yes, I know... cause the regs say so and we have no uniform board that would take in suggestions from members at large.  phooey!

[capchiro]

DNALL, the cadet officer hat device for the service cap doesn't have a screw on device, it has two pins and both are short and weak and easily broken.  The pins on the pips break off even if you look at them sideways.  Considering the cost and the delay in getting stuff from Vanguard and the cost of the shoulder boards, this is a real pain in the tush and frustrates the cadets and their proud parents.  I am still seeking some workable suggestions..TIA   

[Major_Chuck]

Gorrilla Glue, blue lock tite,  JB Weld, Dermabond, spot welding....

[DNall]

Why are we still using hard shoulder boards for cadet officers?  Senior officers aren't.  Wouldn't it be easier to just switch to the soft ones for all blues combinations?

Yes, I know... cause the regs say so and we have no uniform board that would take in suggestions from members at large.  phooey!

For that matter, considering C/officer insignia is dif than real military insignia, you could just pin the large size metal insignia on the epaulets. Still got CAP on the lapels.

You know I was just talking to one of my cadets that's also in AFJROTC. Seems w/ the new style enlisted service coat - the C/officers also wear the enlisted coat, saves logistics that wat - they pin metal device on the lapels same as enlisted. Don't know if I like that, but it's an idea.

[Psicorp]

DNALL, the cadet officer hat device for the service cap doesn't have a screw on device, it has two pins and both are short and weak and easily broken.  The pins on the pips break off even if you look at them sideways.  Considering the cost and the delay in getting stuff from Vanguard and the cost of the shoulder boards, this is a real pain in the tush and frustrates the cadets and their proud parents.  I am still seeking some workable suggestions..TIA   

Ack...when did they change that?  It used to be exactly the same type of attachment as the (Senior Member) Officer service cap device.   If it were me, I'd either find an old C/Officer cap device or saulder/tack weld a screw onto it.   Same with the pips, if they really are that flimsy now.  Tack weld a stronger, longer post to the center of the pip and cut the other ones off.

Uniforms should not be this frustrating, especially for Cadets.

[MIKE]

I think somebody bought the female device.

[Psicorp]

I think somebody bought the female device.

Ha! Good catch, sir.  That would explain it.

[SJFedor]

DNALL, the cadet officer hat device for the service cap doesn't have a screw on device, it has two pins and both are short and weak and easily broken.  The pins on the pips break off even if you look at them sideways.  Considering the cost and the delay in getting stuff from Vanguard and the cost of the shoulder boards, this is a real pain in the tush and frustrates the cadets and their proud parents.  I am still seeking some workable suggestions..TIA   

Couple others beat me to it. The one you have is the female C/Officer hat device. You'll need to reorder the Male one, which has a single screwback post that goes through the hole on the service cap.

[Jolt]

The two devices are the exact same when it comes to the part that people are supposed to see, so if you can get the one with the pins onto the hat, no problem.

I had the same problem with my shoulder boards.  I only wore them once as a C/Lieutenant (I didn't have service dress, I borrowed a jacket for the wing conference), but I could never get the pins on after the insignia was on the board.  You usually don't need the frogs because the insignia's so hard to get on, the odds of it popping off are small.

For the three pips I used a drill to get through the plastic part of the boards (because the pins were outboard of the little strip that doesn't have any plastic behind it) and after they were on the boards, I hit the pins with a hammer (I couldn't find the needle nose pliers) until they bent in and it stayed on like a staple.  I don't plan on taking them off, though, because the holes on the side are going to look bad if I'm wearing C/Maj insignia.

[Eclipse]

Snip the pins and mount the insignia with heavyduty carpet tape, the sit real flat, looks great, and doesn't poke the epaulet so when you get promoted you won't holes.

If you can't find a good grade carpet tape, 3m makes outdoor foam tape (with red backing) that works well, too.

[MIKE]

The two devices are the exact same when it comes to the part that people are supposed to see, so if you can get the one with the pins onto the hat, no problem.

I think the female version is smaller, but YMMV.

[Jolt]

The two devices are the exact same when it comes to the part that people are supposed to see, so if you can get the one with the pins onto the hat, no problem.

I think the female version is smaller, but YMMV.

That's what I thought, too, but my friend got one with pins and I couldn't see any real differences in them.

[DNall]

The two devices are the exact same when it comes to the part that people are supposed to see, so if you can get the one with the pins onto the hat, no problem.

I think the female version is smaller, but YMMV.

I thought that also, but who knows as many times as we change suppliers. Seriously, how any shades of ultramarine blue are there, and even when you get them in the same order from the same place. I swear.