prc77ro

Thanks for the statement Johanna, I dont blame the mods for having that responsibility, it would like someone going to the Library of Congress and ripping every other page out of all the books.

We are all individuals each with different opinions and different personalities so for everyone who has responded on this post to have the same opinion would be ludicrous. People are going to agreee with certain things and disagree with certain things, it all depends on who you are. When it comes to feeling at home, well, I feel at home in my house and joined Leatherworker.net to learn, improve my skills, ask those who have more experience questions, and maybe make a few friends along the way. I am not trying to offend anybody here but because you contribute, IMHO, doesn't mean you have ownership. If you feel that you should because you do well thats on you. If you contribute to The United Way would you feel ownership? I contribute to the Air Force Aid Society because it helps my fellow Airman when they or their familys are in need but I don't feel ownership. When every member, contributing or not, filled out the registration form and clicked submit you agreed to the conditions of this site. So I do agree with the statement that if you don't like how things are done here then move on. If your posting then you should proof your own work and if you misspell, use incorrect grammar, put up the wrong price then report it ask for it to be fixed or be quiet and accept it. I don't always spell everything correctly and I apoligize to anyone that bothers but this site is for leatherwork so as long as I get my point across I'm happy. This is a great community with wonderful people who are willing to help and give suggestions. Its ok to have differing opinions.

Looks terrific, is it completly Elephant or just the front panel? Any issues molding it?

Ok, I've been watching this thread for a while and did some research. First off there are definitions on the different types of patents and what they cover on the patent website-www.uspto.gov. Second, US Court of Appeals for The Federal Circut:2006-1562 EGYPTIAN GODDESS INC.(Plaintiff) vs SWISA, INC and DROR SWISA has some very interesting info if you have the time to read it all. One of the main things in it is how the courts come to their findings and this seems to hold true with Design Patent infringement::: The Gorham Court then set forth the test that has been cited in many subsequent cases: "f, in the eye of an ordinary observer, giving such attention as a purchaser usually gives, two designs are substantially the same, if the resemblance is such as to deceive such an observer, inducing him to purchase one supposing it to be the other, the first one patented is infringed by the other." I intrepret this as if someone makes a dog collar with shell casings on it and you put it and this schmuck's collar on a table side by side, if it looks or gives the appearence of "his" collar then you have infringed on his design patent. As stated in some older posts, if you use the conchos, do some tooling, maybe add some sheriff star conchos, do the edging and stitching like I know the members of this forum can, then there would be no question in the average joes mind that IT IS NOT this guys collar. And I 100% agree, if he has not started court procedings or you have not received papers from an attourney then I wouldnt even give it a second thought........and I would still sell them because he would have to show in court that yours COULD be mistaken for his.

you could try some saddle soap. And just my 2cents worth, i use the Angelus dyes, Angelus Acrylic clear, and the Angelus Antique. I'm still new to the finishing part so I am waiting on feed back from the performance of some of my items, but I can say that I am pleased with my results so far. I did find out that with the acrylic clear it works better 50/50 with water and brushed on smaller projects and airbrushed on with an auto detail sprayer for larger projects. I'm still playing around with the antique, the last holster I did with it i got a similar effect as your first two photos, but as the dye is alcochol based i just used the dye thinner and it took everything of all the raised areas and the holster turned out awsome. One last thing i do before applying the clear acrylic is I apply a good layer of Lexol and really rub it in good and allow it to dry thorughly.

They both look terrific. I like how the second one looks old, I think its a great look. On the first one though, it looks as though the buckle was installed incorrectly, the leather end is going around the end of the buckle instead of around the center bar?

If you are using an awl, it looks like you don't have the angle quite right, also a groover will make a big difference with helping your front stitches lay neatly in the front.