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Black on Black and Red on Black.
Sorry, photographer I am not.

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Pic of both of them on top of the iPad
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cool! btw what password lock programme are u using?
 
OK, I took one for the team by trying out Neatsfoot Oil on my unused Tan smart cover.

I got it from a local saddlers, but it's easily available online. Just sponged it on fairly liberally (I masked off the metal bits with tape), and although it's not perfectly smooth that's kind of the idea anyway. I can always put more on later.

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There seems to be some info floating around that Neatsfoot shouldn't be used for aniline leather, but I think that's mainly due to the major darkening (the leather may not last 100 years, but anything is better than the immediate cracking you get without treating the Smart covers).


WOW.
Looks great. That's my favorite color in leather. I guess I will buy the tan smart cover and do what you did. I can't find the exactly can of Neatsfoot Oil in the USA though.
 
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Here's my "custom" smartcover. Started out as Tan, and then I darkened it using leather oil.

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Looks beautiful!

It looks like most of the folks tried the satining process on a "tan" cover. I was wondering about doing on a "cream" leather smart cover and what kind of results would occur?
 
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Do you have it yet? Willing to post some pics up of it?

Yeh sure, box is a bit dirty, also I've never seen a genuine Apple Smart Cover so I don't know how it compares. Seems to look and work the same what I've seen on vids, quality looks good as well.
 

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Yeh sure, box is a bit dirty, also I've never seen a genuine Apple Smart Cover so I don't know how it compares. Seems to look and work the same what I've seen on vids, quality looks good as well.

Looks the same!
 
Note that it says "Smart Case" in big font, not Smart Cover. These knock-offs are everywhere on eBay.

Yeh thanks for pointing that out :). I wanted a Black cover, didn't want to a pay kings ransom for a Leather Apple Smart Cover. Anyway £30 from apple for a cheep cover that doesnt offer much protection is ridiculous.
 
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I knew I should have gotten green instead of orange with the white pad...how is the green holding up?
 
Red leather conditioner

I will.. I hate to be the guinea pig though!! :). Although seeing some of these pictures really has me wondering (optimistically) what the red would like like with a few coats of that oil on it.. A nice, smokey brick red maybe..?

.... and the pictures also having me REALLY liking the earthy, natural tan. :)

Decisions, decisions...


Hey Cinca,

Just curious if you ever went through with conditioning the red leather smart case
 
I can confirm that using olive oil on the red cover is not a good idea.

Not that I set out to destroy the cover, but some grease got splashed on the cover so I thought I'd try olive oil since it was all I had and the cover was messed up anyways.

After several coats, it turned to a deep maroon color that doesn't look that bad. The only problem is, it is saturated with oil and I've tried baking it in the oven, leaving it in the sun, etc., but anytime I pick it up, it has a squishy greasy feeling. :(

I'm thinking of cannibalizing the hinge for my forthcoming Miniot cover and seeing if I can't ruin two covers. LOL.
 
I can confirm that using olive oil on the red cover is not a good idea.

Not that I set out to destroy the cover, but some grease got splashed on the cover so I thought I'd try olive oil since it was all I had and the cover was messed up anyways.

After several coats, it turned to a deep maroon color that doesn't look that bad. The only problem is, it is saturated with oil and I've tried baking it in the oven, leaving it in the sun, etc., but anytime I pick it up, it has a squishy greasy feeling. :(

I'm thinking of cannibalizing the hinge for my forthcoming Miniot cover and seeing if I can't ruin two covers. LOL.

Thanks for the tip, I will be sure to stay away from Olive Oil :D

So, I'm guessing you didn't attempt to treat it with leather conditioner before hand?
 
I can confirm that using olive oil on the red cover is not a good idea.

Not that I set out to destroy the cover, but some grease got splashed on the cover so I thought I'd try olive oil since it was all I had and the cover was messed up anyways.

After several coats, it turned to a deep maroon color that doesn't look that bad. The only problem is, it is saturated with oil and I've tried baking it in the oven, leaving it in the sun, etc., but anytime I pick it up, it has a squishy greasy feeling. :(

I'm thinking of cannibalizing the hinge for my forthcoming Miniot cover and seeing if I can't ruin two covers. LOL.

Someone mentioned talcum powder earlier in this thread to soak up some of the oil...might lighten it some too though.
 
Just ordered my minoit cover! it's going to be a custom one! with two colours of wood! and you can choose your own color of microfiber lining.
It's just wonderfull! and only 70€!
the only downfall is you have to wait for 5 weeks. no problems for me cause that's about the same I need to wait for my Ipad :confused:
 
You mean like this?
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If so, then yes, it does. It's pretty sturdy as far as pushing back on it, but it feels like it could easily fall forward. Not like the wind's going to knock it down, but if you bump it from behind, it would.

Oh man, this just happened to me. It fell forward on a granite counter top, and that was enough to crack the screen.

I love the cover and it looks great, but I would not recommend using it as an iPad stand.
 
Oh man, this just happened to me. It fell forward on a granite counter top, and that was enough to crack the screen.

I love the cover and it looks great, but I would not recommend using it as an iPad stand.

That sucks! Did you have it in portrait mode like the picture or was it the horizontal mode? I don't think the smart cover was intended to be used as a stand in portrait mode because apple doesn't market it that way.
 
That sucks! Did you have it in portrait mode like the picture or was it the horizontal mode? I don't think the smart cover was intended to be used as a stand in portrait mode because apple doesn't market it that way.

Portrait mode like this:
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/8039/magiccover2.jpg

Better shot of the damage. Once the little pieces of glass fell out:
http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/6919/magiccover3.jpg

I would not use the cover as a stand in any orientation. It's too expensive of a device and too fragile.
 
I would not use the cover as a stand in any orientation. It's too expensive of a device and too fragile.

Cover makes a pretty stable stand in landscape orientation. I use it all the time in that mode, and while it will fall if you push it hard enough, it shouldn't happen under normal usage. IMO, the cover was never meant to prop up the iPad in portrait orientation. Of course it will be extremely unstable if you try to use it like that.
 
Cover makes a pretty stable stand in landscape orientation. I use it all the time in that mode, and while it will fall if you push it hard enough, it shouldn't happen under normal usage. IMO, the cover was never meant to prop up the iPad in portrait orientation. Of course it will be extremely unstable if you try to use it like that.

I feel bad about your cracked screen but I also agree with these comments. I've had my ipad 2 for two months now and I use the smart cover to view in landscape mode just about everyday for lunch and dinner. It has never tipped over.
 
The red leather looks sexy with black

What are ur thoughts about the lack of protection?

I feel some addition grip from a case is nice
 
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