Mission: Repair the Shield!!

Crisis: Both Captain America Shields are broken! This is a job for..."Super Mamaw!" Can I rise to the challenge and save the day? Stay tuned and read on...

Everything seemed to be going great with "super" grandsons Landon and Lucas, until I got the call from son Joshua.  "Mom", he said, "Both of the Captain America shields are broken. Can you fix them?" They had tried to fix them, but unfortunately were unsuccessful in their attempts.

Of course, I agreed to try. I know how serious those boys are about their super hero toys, just like their Daddy was (and still is!). Landon actually owns the shields, but he shares with his brother Lucas. I didn't know how, but the shields would be repaired! "Super Mamaw" to the rescue!

Shield 1

Shield 1 had strapping, and one of the straps had pulled out from the shield. I pushed the strap back in place and glued it with E6000 glue. I knew from experience that the glue alone would not hold the strap. My superhero grandsons are tough!

Next, I tried sewing with heavy thread. Good idea, but not with a shield that is primarily made of a type of art foam. The thread just pulled right through the shield.

Finally I came up with the winning idea: sew the straps on, but secure with buttons on the back side so it wouldn't pull through.

I used heavy crochet thread and a thick darning needle with a hole big enough for the crochet thread to go through.

I have quite a collection of buttons, and I picked out some assorted sturdy red buttons trom my collection that would match the shield.

Ms. Nancy's tip: Make sure the needle will go through the holes in the buttons before you start to sew!

I threaded the needle with the crochet thread, pulled the thread through until both threads were even, and tied a knot in the end.

I put the needle through the strap on the back of the shield, and pushed it through to the front.

I then pushed the needle up through the button, back down through the button, and through the shield.

Again, I secured it on the back of the shield. I repeated the steps to sew through the button 1-2 more times. Without cutting the thread, I repeated the steps above to sew another button to the other end of the strap. 

I cut the crochet thread, leaving about 3 inches. I tied 2 knots in the thread close to the shield, and cut the thread. I applied Fray Check to the threads and knots to make the repair stronger. If you don't have Fray Check, a craft glue would work.

Repair is done!

Shield 2

Shield 2 has elastic straps, and one had pulled loose. I did a similar repair, again with the buttons and crochet thread. I used 2 buttons for this repair, one on top of the shield and one on the bottom. This made it a little tricky to match up the holes in the buttons while I sewed. 

Shields 1 and 2 - Repaired!

2 Captain America Shields! (Almost) Good as new - until...

several months later...

Disaster Struck again!!!

This time, the call was from Landon. "Mamaw", he said, "Both Captain America Shields are broke, and you need to fix them". "Who broke them?" I asked. "Lucas broke one", Landon said, "and when you fix them Lucas can never play with my Captain America Shield again!" "Who broke the other one?" I asked. "I did", Landon said. I guess he can still play with them!!

When I received the swords for repair, I was relieved to find out it was not my repair that had broken. It was more straps broken from the original factory job! 

I knew how to repair them this time! 

For this repair, I did add a button to the back of Shield 1 for extra security.

Back, Shield 1

Shield 1 - Repaired, again!

Shield 2 - Repaired, again!

Back, Shield 2

It's been several months now, and the shields are holding up well. But, if I get another frantic call about broken shields, I will be ready for the mission!

Evidently, Landon has a new respect for Mamaw's abilities. When his friend's toy was broken at school, he told her, "My Mamaw can fix that!"

"Super Brothers" Lucas and Landon

Landon posing proudly with his repaired Captain America Shield