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On The Brite Side
wooohooo!!!! love these bears! My mind is just flying with different ideas for bears. Here is my second bear, did a panda with some kind of synthetic stuff. I used the cotter pin technique for joints. What do most of you use? The limbs seem to be way to loose and floppy this way or are they suppose to be like that? I bent the cotter pin as close as I could to the disk, what about those plastic child safe joints, they look like they would be more stable?
This bear was a little easier cause the fur was shorter than the first one I did, that makes a big difference when it comes to having to trim the muzzle. I would like to try some real fur, there are several places here for a variety of furs. I still need to work on the paws, I needle sculpted but they still dont look like how I picture them to be.
Sheri
Tuppies TeddiesSheri, your second bear is great. Keep working at it, it is a very addictive craft.
Love the colours of your Panda...
Posts: 17What a fabulous bear!
Plastic safety joints are tricky unless the fabric is the fabric is thick enough to be smushed between the "teeth" on the joint peg, also they tend to loosen over time and there isn't anything you can do to fix that.
A lock-nut type joint might give you something closer to the feel you seem to be looking for. Also, what tools did you use to tighten your cotter pins? Maybe you weren't able to give yourself enough leverage to achieve a really snug fit?
On The Brite SideI used needle nosed pliers to bend the cotter pin. Are there instructions somewhere for the lock nut joints on how to do them?
Sheri
Matilda Huggington-beareWonderful second bear Sheri. Be sure to post her up on SHOWCASE for all to see. 
TIP: You will find that using 'proper' tools(I use the term loosely) will give your bear a more professional polished look. Sometimes improvising is not the way to go . You will find this out with the more bears you make.
The tools can be expensive , just add to them slowly and eventually not only will your collection of tools have grown but also your bear making skills.
What you needed was a cotterpin turner. They come in two sizes. One for larger cotterpins and the other for mini cotterpins.
Alll the best with your bear making
Delartful BearsYour bear is amazing. Funny to read you're not happy with the feet because I think they are amazing!!! I would love to acheive the same look on one of my bears!
Wendy is right about the cotter pin turned, but I personally use pliers, I can get them much tighter than if I were to use a turner. It also takes practise - when you start by rolling the pin, try leaving a tiny bit over your pliers, so you don't start right at the top - that's what I do, and my joints are very tight. It also depends on the size bear you're making - for larger bears, it's recommended that you use locknut joints (which personally, I feel are pains in the rear!).
Danni
Terrifc job on the bear Sheri ! I think his toes look wonderful myself. I also love the color 
I use cotterpins for my mini bears but locknuts for all others. Her is a picture which may help explainghow they work. Some people use "set screws" or "grub screws" instead which is a bit different. Daphne has a great tutorial on her wesbite for using those type. http://www.backroadbears.com/joints.htm
I hope this is helpful !
MerBear Originalsfabulous job for a 2nd bear or a 50th :clap:
I only use cotter-pin joints and with practice you'll be able to get them tight.
Marion
Wonderful bear Sheri!! And I agree... you did a FAB job on his feet!!
I prefer bolts and locknuts on my bears over 8". In many cases I use them on my 8" bears too! I glue the head of the bolt to the washer... and to the disc with epoxy so I can tighten it with just the nut.
On The Brite SideI have some bolts and lock nuts here of my husbands I was messing with, my question is.... if you use the bolt and lock nut wouldnt you not be able to get it tight cause the locknut will not go past the end, other words it wont tighten down to the disk? or am I doing it wrong, I can see where the set screw would tighten but not with the bolt???
Can I use the ones my husband has or are there different ones, these look the same except the disks instead of being the hard board they are metal. But the bolts and lock nuts are the same I'm sure.
Sheri
Sheri, the locknut is hard to tighten past the screw end by hand, but with the tool you can get it VERY tight. The nice thing is they stay very tight so the joints hardly loosen. They will loosen a bit once you sutff the bear, so I always tighten more than I want on my fur bears especially.
You can use the ones your hubby has, they are the same thing. Just make sure the nut has a rubber inner part so it stays tight- that is a true locknut. You can also just used a screw driver on the screw and pliers to hold the nut while tightening.
Good luck !
Chaska, MinnesotaSheri: your bear is adorable. Your paw pads are great!
Michelle
.... if you use the bolt and lock nut wouldnt you not be able to get it tight cause the locknut will not go past the end, other words it wont tighten down to the disk? Sheri
Sheri I use epoxy glue and glue the head to the disc. It is VERY secure this way. Now I can just tighten the nut and it WILL tighten.
I tried a gel super glue... but sometimes it would not work when I tightened. Always works with the epoxy glue!
whoooops think I misread your ?. I find that I cannot tighten lock nuts with my fingers. They only go down the bolt a short bit that way. I have to use my nut driver to get them all the way down to the disc. A nut driver is much easier to work with than a wrench.
NebraskaWonderful bear Sheri! My first bear was so-so but my second was UGLY ... I thought at that point that I was going downhill .............
That's exactly what it was like for me...my second one was so strange looking that my family laughed at him for 5 minutes...no lie. They had tears in their eyes they were laughing so hard.
And I stoped using joints after my 2nd bear, becaue it seems easier to me, and they're more cuddley that way. I still use a joint in the neck, but that's all.
I like you bear, good job!
Posts: 8,574Sheri
What a perfectly lovely bear~!
I, for one, and delighted that you are hooked.
And good for you getting us piccys...we love pictures second only to chocolate
gollyhugs
dilu
Tami Eveslage Original Teddy BearsSheri,
He's adorable! I think you did well with the paws too.
