The America Needs Fatima Blog: Instructions for Attaching Rosary Rally Banners to Supports:

ANF supplies all of our Rally Captains with free banners! On occasion, we will get phone calls from folks asking if there is a better way to display the banner, other than having two or three people holding it during their rally.

Our answer; Yes, there is!

The following instruction is one out of many possible solutions for answering this request. We realize that there are other wonderful ideas for making this project work well. However, we have tested this particular idea and have adopted it for both its ease of construction and for its relatively low materials cost and durability.

Please carefully read the following!

Materials Purchase List:

1. “VELCRO” 15 foot by ¾ inch wide strips. You will actually need about 7 feet of this material. It comes in white or black - your choice! (See Notes1)

2. One, 10 foot piece of plastic PVC pipe, 1-1/4 or 1-1/2 inch diameter. (See Notes2)

Materials Tool List:

1. Tape measure.

2. Scissors.

3. Felt tip marker.

4. Hand saw, or other tool for cutting PVC pipe.

5. Straight edge or yard stick.

6. Clean rags and/or paper towels.

7. 409 Cleaner or its equivalent.

REMINDER!

Organizers Kits and banners are for Captains only! NO EXCEPTIONS!

NOTES for Materials Purchase List:

1. The PVC pipe can be purchased at any local hardware store; or local lumber or plumbing supply outlet. The 1-1/4 inch diameter is a very good size for most people. This diameter is comfortable to hold on to and is easily manageable. It comes in 10 foot sections. In many instances, the store will cut the pipe for you for no additional cost. If you have to do it yourself, the pipe cuts very well with most any hand saw; or you could elect to use a standard PVC pipe cutter, if you are fortunate enough to have one to do the job. Otherwise, a saw will do fine!

The cost for a piece of pipe is between $5.00 and $7.00. It is strong, lightweight and quite manageable! It serves our purpose very well and will out-last the banner itself!

2. The Velcro that we advocate purchasing is called a HOOK (Hard) and LOOP (Soft) system. The Hook is the harder piece of Velcro while the Loop is the softer piece. You must have both in order to connect the surfaces together. You can easily tell the difference between the two once you handle them. They are usually sold as a combination package and you will need the ‘Sticky Back’ kind for this specific project. The Sticky Back is the type which when you peel off the back protector from the adhesive side, it is ready to be applied immediately to your surface. The adhesive used in Velcro is impressive under most circumstances. It secures very well and is durable. As long as the receiving surface is well cleaned, and you keep your fingers off of the adhesive side of the Velcro, you will usually acquire very satisfactory results! If done correctly, it will suffice well for affixing our banners to the PVC pipe.

PROPER PREPARARTORY CLEANING OF BOTH BANNER AND PIPE is a must if you want maximum desired results and satisfaction! The cost for approximately one, 15 foot long by ¾” wide roll of Velcro Sticky Back is about $18.00. This is more than enough to do this project. The left over is good to have on hand in case you need to make repairs later on. $18.00 may seem like a lot of money to some folks. However, when you consider this cost when spread out over a period of several years, and the convenience it provides you during the rally, it is a minimal cost. This project could last for years if it is taken good care of!

You can find wider assortments of these packages at LOWES or the Home Depot. Some fabric stores may carry good selections as well! Again, local hardware stores are also worth trying. If you have several rallies in your area, you might consider buying Velcro on-line, perhaps at a discounted cost, and then splitting those costs with the individual captains. For the over achiever, you may consider purchasing the ‘industrial strength’ Velcro! It has a much stronger adhesion rating than the standard sticky back, but it is also much more expensive. It comes in widths of 1-1/2 inches to over 4 inches. Application to the banner material and the pipes is the same. In any case, the standard roll of Velcro should provide you with a great service.

We hope this helps! God Bless you!

(Please observe the following instructions carefully)!

DIRECTIONS:

The Banner:

1a. The banner measures 3ft. wide by 10ft. long. You will not have to concern yourself with the length. We are only interested in using the (3) three foot side of the banner.

2a. Begin by finding a hard surface to lay the banner onto. A dining table or a card table will work fine. Roll out only ONE END of the banner, printed side down, and let the remainder fall off the edge of the table. NOTE: A hard surface is necessary for tightly securing the Velcro as you will want to press hard while fastening it (See Figure 1).

3a. Identify both your hard and soft Velcro pieces. The difference is obvious and easy to distinguish. (See Figure 2). Measure out a strip of the HARD Velcro and cut it at 3 feet. You will need two at this length, one for each end. NOTE: Be sure that you use the HARD Velcro for both sides of the banner.

4a. (See Figure 3) Using a clean rag or paper towel, spray a non abrasive cleaner, such as ‘409’ (or a cleaner like it) onto the rag or paper towel. Clean the entire edge of the banner where the Velcro will be applied. NOTE: Make sure that the edge is thoroughly dry before applying the Velcro. Peel off the protective backing from the Velcro (See Figure 4). NOTE: Only peel off the amount that you are applying at any particular moment. In other words, DO NOT remove the protective backing entirely before applying the Velcro. If you do this, the portion of Velcro not being applied at that moment WILL most likely cause you grief by sticking to unwanted surfaces. Simply peel the protective backing off by about an inch or two AS YOU APPLY the exposed Velcro to your surface. Peel and apply as you go (See Figure 5).

5a. Apply the Velcro to the banner (See Figure 6). Be careful to work slowly and keep the banner FLAT during the application. Allow for no wrinkles. Apply the Velcro to the entire width of the banner. It is preferable to leave a gap of 1/8 of an inch from the edge of the banner. This ensures that ALL the Velcro adheres entirely to the banner and leaves no room for it to ‘run off’ the edge. Also, be very careful to guarantee uniformity, from top to bottom, in placing the Velcro along the edge of the banner.

In other words, do not place the Velcro 1/8” from the edge at the top of the banner, while half way down the banner the Velcro ends up being 1” from the edge. If you start with 1/8” from the edge, FINISH with 1/8” from the edge. If you do not pay attention to this, you will have problems later when you attempt to secure the banner to the PVC pipe. NOTE: Press hard to ensure that all the Velcro is adhering to the entire banner (See Figure 7).

6a. After you have finished applying the Velcro, the completed side should be straight and uniform

(See Figure 8). When you have finished with this end, proceed in the exact same manner to complete the other end of the banner.

DIRECTIONS:

The PVC Pipe:

1b. Cut the 10 foot PVC pipe in half. This means two, 5 foot lengths. Then, using a rag and your selected cleaning agent, thoroughly clean the two pieces of pipe, removing all grease and dirt. Be sure to CLEAN THEM WELL! This is important as the Velcro will not adhere to a dirty surface! Let them dry completely (See Figure 9).

2b. From the NON-CUT end, using a tape measure, locate 4-1/2 inches and mark this point with a felt tipped marker (See Figure 10). DO NOT REMOVE THE TAPE MEASURE. Continue down the pipe with the tape measure and find 40-1/2 inches. Mark this point with your felt tipped marker. (See Figure 11). Both marks should be in line with one another so as to create two points for a straight line. Remove your tape measure and repeat the process on the other pipe.

3b. Now, between the 4-1/2” mark and the 40-1/2” mark, a distance of (3) three feet should be noted. If it is not 3 feet, you have measured incorrectly. (Repeat step 2b). These measurements are important and it is necessary to keep them accurate, otherwise the banner will not fit correctly from pipe to pipe. If, between these points, you have a measurement of 3 feet, you have measured correctly. Repeat the process on the other pipe.

4b. From the 4-1/2” mark to the 40-1/2” mark, draw a straight line and connect the two points, using your straight edge or yard stick. Repeat the process on the other pipe (See Figure 12).

5b. Using the SOFT piece of the Velcro, cut a 3 foot (36”) length. You will need two pieces, one for each pipe. Begin applying the Velcro along the edge of the 3 foot mark that you made with your straight edge or yard stick (See Figure 13). This 3 foot mark serves as a visual guide to help you attach the Velcro in a straight line. Repeat the process on the other pipe. NOTE: Press hard to ensure that all the Velcro is adhering to the entire pipe. Also, be sure that there are no wrinkles while applying the Velcro. Your finished product should resemble Fig. 12 (See Figure 14).

6b. Affix the banner to both pipes by joining the Velcro (Hard and Soft) pieces together

(See Figure 15). This is accomplished by matching both pieces of Velcro face to face to one another. Then, by rolling the pipe onto the banner, you will join the Velcro together. Be sure that the 4-1/2” portion of the pipe is AT THE TOP AND the banner is positioned, ‘right-side-up’! PRESS FIRMLY (See Figure 16). The 4-1/2” spacing from the top of the banner, to the top edge of the pipe, allows for even large hands to easily hold the banner for display (See Figure 17). When you are finished using the banner, simply roll it up by starting at one end.

The beauty in this is that YOU DO NOT HAVE TO REMOVE THE BANNER FROM THE PVC PIPE! We would recommend that two people be involved in the roll-up process for purposes of convenience, especially if it is windy. Additionally, we also recommend rolling it up in such a way that the ‘printed side’ is turned inward, as opposed to out. In this way, you protect the banner from possible damage to the printed side. Once it is rolled up, the two pipes should be touching one another. Simply rubber band or tie them together and store in a safe location.