This page has been made after I saw a post on the Sixth Army Group forum by David (P-59A) regarding how he had removed the emblem from the back of the DiD William Bowman jacket. So it got me to thinking about how I could do it as well, the only problem I had with doing this, is that here in the United Kingdom we cannot get hold of a US made product called Goof Off.

So after trying some model decal solutions which did not work, I decided to try a big experiment and use some neat Acetone instead, and because this liquid is so strong I was fully expecting it to ruin the jacket.

Note: Please use this product very carefully as it is both flammable and poisonous, and please do read this warning about it. And as with all paints and chemicals, I strongly recommend that the acetone is kept out of the reach of children.

In the pictures below I have followed the instructions by P-59A regarding how to use his Goof Off product.

For those who do not like the jacket art use Goof Off and a Q-tip to age or remove the art. Wipe it down with a terry cloth and Goof Off for a final clean then use brown shoe polish liquid or paste to cover the paint in the hard to get at leather wrinkles. The Goof Off used lightly will not harm the jacket. Note: As an added side note this method of removing the nose art on the DID Bowman flight jacket will not work on the 21st Century waist gunner jacket. The Goof off is too much and will strip the brown off.

When I used the acetone on my jacket I first poured a small amount into the lid, this is because it will not be affected by the liquid. I then dipped a cotton bud into it and very gently rubbed on the emblem on the back of the jacket. And I found that if the acetone is rubbed onto the jacket whilst still wet, it does remove the picture quite easily. I also found that the best way to do this is to rub with the wet cotton bud, and then dab and wipe this off with a clean tissue once the acetone has started to work.

1. 2. 3.

In pictures 1. & 2. above they show how the acetone does remove the picture, plus it also leaves some of the colour in the material creases. What I also found out by accident in picture 3. is if I use the cotton bud wet and then go over the jacket again with it, it helps to remove some more of the colour. Note: Rub very gently with the wet cotton bud, as you don't want to break the surface of the jacket itself. And in the last picture above, the emblem has been completely removed.

4. 5.

In picture 5. above is another photo of the jacket with the emblem removed, but I am afraid that I did not take any photos of the next stage, where I again went over the back of the jacket with a clean cotton bud again. As this helped a lot more in removing some more of the colour from the jacket. I think if I remember it right I did this twice, and each time it helped to remove some more of the discolouration, so that I was left with just the brown base colour instead.

Once I was happy that I had got as much of the emblem colour off the jacket as I could, I then gave it a wipe over with a clean tissue and left it to dry off for about an hour. As I was not sure about how the polish would react to the acetone and the jacket.

The final polished and finished jacket is shown above right in picture 5. after I have used a Dark Tan shoe polish on the back. Note: With the polishing stage here, which just consisted of wrapping a tissue around my finger, rubbing it into the polish and then onto the jacket. And then like polishing shoes, I used a clean tissue to buff it up. Plus, I made sure that I got the shoe polish under the seams of the centre back section of the jacket. Because when removing the emblem colour some of it ended up under the seams, this was left that alone as much as possible. As I was not sure how the acetone would react to the material.

6.

With the polish treatment I also rubbed some onto the top two sections of the jacket, so that it all matches up together as one brown colour. In picture 6. above I have a new boxed Bowman jacket on the left, and the jacket on the right with the emblem removed. And to say that I am pleased with the result is an understatement to be honest, as I was fully expecting the acetone to destroy the jacket. But I have found that with taking my time, keeping the cotton bud wet and gently rubbing with it. And then wiping and dabbing it off the jacket the emblem can be removed.

I would like to thank David (P-59A) for the original idea of this method of removing the jacket emblem.