Dog Collarsdog Collars

[collarmom]

Good Morning All,

I'm a leather newbie. I was looking for a nice leather collar for both my dogs and I amazed by the pricing (I know why now).

I've attached pic of my first 3 collars.

The one with the purple one with BIG bling is my 1st collar.

My Second collar is the green one with the name plate

My 3rd one is the one with the shotgun shells

and

My 4th one is the stamped collar.

Just wondering what you all think.

Thanks!!

[Mijo]

i'm not a fan of conchos or bling on collars but I like the 4th collar out of the bunch.

[GoldenKnight]

i'm not a fan of conchos or bling on collars but I like the 4th collar out of the bunch.

Very cool. Nice work. Really like the black collar with the name tag.

Some observations and feedback from some of my similar projects:

As a dog owner, remember that conchos that stick out past the edges of the collar present a risk of getting snagged on something (even a paw's claw during a scratch session).

Also, on an indoor dog, any time you have metal attachments on a collar (other than a buckle or D-ring for leash), they are more things to potentially scratch furniture, wood floors, door jambs, or snag cloth furniture, drapes, or carpet, etc.

On an outdoor dog, it could get snagged on brush/shrubs, wire fences, etc.

An option is to counter sink the area of your project where the concho will be placed in same the dimensions of the concho so that the concho doesn't stick up so high. You could also inlay it (lots more work and double thick ...).

When I add conchos, I will also use contact or epoxy cement between the concho and leather so it won't spin over time. Also, I use LockTite or clear nail polish on the concho's screw to ensure long-term durability without coming loose.

Keep up the good work. The name plate looks really nice.

One last observation: rivets. For longer durability, use solid copper rivets instead of double cap or rapid rivets - especially with larger dogs or dogs that pull a lot. Just something that keeps customers happy. I'd rather have a happy customer that buys 1 or 2 collars that lasts and them spread the good word about a quality product, than someone who buys 1 or 2 collars and still never buys again because a product was poor quality and they spread the bad word about a product. Just my $0.02.

What I did was make the collar and then tool or stamp the dog's name and artwork on another piece of leather and that is cemented and stitched it to the collar. Edges were skived down reasonably to avoid snagging. Had very positive feedback with that method -- feel free to use it with your projects. With the collar one color and the tooled/stamped name tag in another color, it's been a hit.

Keep crafting. Options are endless.

P.S. --- love your dog's brindle coat --- beautiful.

Edited July 9, 2012 by GoldenKnight