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iPad/smart cover color thread

section215, awesome!

I was about to return my tan one because I think it looks too light / orange, but now I'm going your route. Thanks for the idea!
 
NOT Dyeing my Cream Cover

After talking to my friends who work at the genius bar, apple replaces Smart Covers for the issue that i have on my cream cover. With that said I'm not going to dye it anymore. At least not for a while. I still hope to get a red cover for my birthday next month. :D
 
glen e said:
Jeez i guess many of you have not treated leather....the oil will dry dark and change the color of the leather. It will not come off and is not wet. It is a dye like oil that permanently changes the color. The trick, and nicely done here, is the uniform application so you dont create darker spots.
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Jeez??? Many have, many haven't.. So what? You come across like an expert?
 
TrulyYuki said:
After talking to my friends who work at the genius bar, apple replaces Smart Covers for the issue that i have on my cream cover. With that said I'm not going to dye it anymore. At least not for a while. I still hope to get a red cover for my birthday next month. :D
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I've got a red in the box, and I'm wondering what to do with it. Been seeing reds that have been out in the wild for a while, and they don't appear to age well. Black and tan appear to have character, reds just look dingy.
 
clyde2801 said:
Tried CL, and not even one message. May try to take it in for an exchange and get applecare instead
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i think an exchange is best. I mean you can try making money off of it because the red are so hard to come by, but not for long. The will be in stores again soon. by then the hype of the red will be over. my Fiance has the black, it looks so sleek and professional. I think the Navy will do the same. Black just ends up being the best and easiest to manage.
 
TrulyYuki said:
i think an exchange is best. I mean you can try making money off of it because the red are so hard to come by, but not for long. The will be in stores again soon. by then the hype of the red will be over. my Fiance has the black, it looks so sleek and professional. I think the Navy will do the same. Black just ends up being the best and easiest to manage.
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I also have the black and it's holding up really good so far. Any dirt I get on it seems to just rub off fine.
 
sotie said:
I also have the black and it's holding up really good so far. Any dirt I get on it seems to just rub off fine.
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my green poly case I use the magic eraser for removing any dirty marks. the microfiber however... not sure how anyone cleans that.
 
Neatsfoot oil for UK folk

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.

Photo%20Apr%2016%2C%2010%2057%2053%20AM.jpg

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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).
 
I wish I had gotten tan like I had originally planned, alas I didn't think the cream would turn out the same if I used the oils so I got dye instead. Just put it on before, very streaky, but I don't mind, kind of looks like wood grain.

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It works better of the leather I tested it on, but it's treated so it didn't soak it up the very second I put it on like the smart cover.
 
White iPad, tan cover:







Not sure how I feel about the smartcover. It's definitely nice to have something to cover the screen, and it does help you grip the iPad when it's folded back (otherwise I find the alumium to be too slippery) but I would much rather that it propped it up in portrait rather than landscape, and I don't think the angle is very useful for typing on—I can see why third party covers tend to use three folds rather than four.
 
Somerton said:
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.

Photo%20Apr%2016%2C%2010%2057%2053%20AM.jpg

Photo%20Apr%2016%2C%2010%2056%2046%20AM.jpg


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).
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Ww.. I think your cover looks sharp. I, personally, love the not-totally-even coloring you get when I (and you it appears) use a leather conditioner on the tan.

I was a little disappointed the tan turned such a dark, dark brown and, after doing a bit of research on the Internet, successfully lightened the brown by covering it with talcum powder overnight and brushing it off in the morning. I repeated the process and ended up with a much more mellow brown -- somewhere between the original very light "corrugated cardboard" tan and the (in my case) almost-mahogany brown I got after using leather conditioner.
 
Neatsfoot smart cover in action

Here are a few shots of the cover in action. I find it's best to fold the cover in half, then fold it behind the iPad - leaving the leather side out. This makes is easy to hold, protects the back on tables, leaves the camera visible, and yet doesn't expose the furry inside of the cover to grit and dirt that could scratch the screen. It's starting to get a nice patina... :)

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Somerton said:
Here are a few shots of the cover in action. I find it's best to fold the cover in half, then fold it behind the iPad - leaving the leather side out. This makes is easy to hold, protects the back on tables, leaves the camera visible, and yet doesn't expose the furry inside of the cover to grit and dirt that could scratch the screen. It's starting to get a nice patina... :)
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Thanks for sharing the pictures. It does look great. I totally agree that the patina looks sharp. Really gives a high tech, slick device a touch of organic, human earthiness.

Random question -- after you applied the leather conditioner did your cover get a bit of a "waxy" feel on the outside. I posted about my cover getting a bit of a moist, tacky, waxy feel that stayed for the few days following and I was forced to let it dry off of my device. I am wondering if it's because if used maybe WAY too much conditioner..? Or maybe too many coats? A few commenters thought it wasn't a big deal and just recommended letting it dry. I also wonder if this is why my cover was maybe so, so, so dark.

Anyhow, after 4 days it's still didn't feel quite right I read about "removing" oil from leather using talcum power or cornstarch. I used talcum powder. It lightened color to a warm, saddle brown (lighter than yours) and removed the waxiness and I am quite happy.

Dd the treatment change the texture/feel of your leather..? I recall me original tan cover having a slightly suede-like feel... A most like fabric. Now it is still soft (and very thin feeling) but definitely has a bit more of a smooth, leather feeling.

How about yours?
 
Hmmm... It does have a slight waxiness about it - if you mark the cover with a fingernail or something you can smear the mark away with your fingers. However, it doesn't look or feel unnatural, nor does it leave any residue on your fingers or anything.

The talcum trick sounds good if you've overdone the oiling, but I'm happy with mine so far. It looks dark in some light, but can look quite pale in others - at the moment the small persistent "patina" marks are making it a tad lighter, so we'll see how it ends up.
 
Some pics of the black leather smart cover on the white iPad, white iCarbon skin on the back next to my mbp with also the white iCarbon skin.
 

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yegon said:
Heh, cheers, that was my impression. Probably plump for a poly one then.
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I own both ("collect them all"m- they got me) - the poly I use for dirtier environments - outside, etc - and the leather for informal business, so like anything else, depends on your application for the ipad...The poly is definitely easier to clean and takes no maint. The leather should be cleaned and fed once a month with hide food or whatever leather treatment you like.
 
Finally made it to the Apple store, they exchanged my Cream Smart Cover... because of price difference I chose these two items and still received $1.10 back. Pink bumper is going to look AMAZING on my white iPhone, I have it on my black one for now.

 
If anyone happens to have a green poly smart cover and one of the black 'smart cover companions' from eBay, I'd love to see how it looks together :)
 
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