Copy isn't copying everything?

Question

Hey ya'll                                                                                             Level: Newbie'ish OS: Win 7 64bit  Ps: Cs6
So, i went back to an image i made a while ago because i wanted to remember how i went about doing something. i also got out my notebook where i kept track of particular aspects of the lesson.
sadly, i do not seem to have written down the one thing i am looking to recall.
Here is a pic
see the open path that defines the arm inside the red circle?
well, i'm working on a female version of this but i can't seem to recall how i went about duplicating the path so that the stroke and layer styles are copied as well.
This is how i made it ...
i selected the pen tool > set to path > drew out my path > right clicked to select stroke path
then i double clicked on the layer to add a gradient overlay and a drop shadow
now, when i made the guy above all i wrote down to do is to copy and transform but now when i do this only the path is copied.
i have tried copy, copy merged, paste, paste special and paste in place.
when i use ctrl + J and then flip it the stroke and ls's aren't copied. ??
ctrl + j makes a new layer with the layer styles listed but when i did it the first time this is what my layers look(ed) like
see how the "right arm" layer doesn't list the layer styles?
can anyone Please remind me how one goes about copying and pasting an open path such as this so that one has a layer without the styles listed?
i have also used alt + ctrl + t and dragged to copy but this also makes a layer with the styles listed.
i know, i know ... this may seen Crazy to want to know but i do just really want to recall how i ended up with a copy on a layer without the styles listed.
thank you so much in advance for your time & efforts. you're much appreciated.
yup, i've been all through the FAQ's and when i got to the manual i think maybe i'm just not using the right key words to find the answer.

Answer 1

Hi conroy ...
thank you for reading my post. that works great for Copying without the Layer Styles
however, that wasn't quite what i was looking for and so i think i did not ask my question the right way.
while going through the Layers of my original image i noticed that the opposite side of the open Path that defines the arm did not have any Layer Styles listed on its layer and i could not recall how i went about creating the opposite side so that the Layer Styles are Copied but the Layer of the Copy did not list the Layer Styles.... and so that the Styles are also Flipped/Transformed accordingly.
i would use Ctrl + J to duplicate the layer but when i would go to Transform/Flip it Horizontally this is what would (and does) happen ... it appears that only the Path is Duplicated and Transformed... (this was drawn with the Pen tool set to Path)
but actually when the Move tool is selected you can pull out the Copy made by Ctrl + J ... like this ...
but what to do with that pesty Path with the Handles?? to get rid of this go to the Paths palette (if you don't have it open over by your Layers palette just go to Windows > Path) and click the Trash Can icon at the bottom of the Paths palette.
Now, once you've removed the Path with the Layer of the Copy selected in the Layers palette go to Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal
but this leaves you with an image where the Layer Styles are not Flipped accordingly like so ...
so, what to do? and this is what i was trying to recall what i had done with my original image and why the Copied Layer did not have the Layer Styles listed
in order to Duplicate/Copy a Path or Shape so that the Layer Styles are also Transformed accordingly
1. Have the Layer selected in your Layers palette that you've drawn on
2. Go to your Paths palette and click the Delete/Trash can icon (you're deleting the Work Path)
3. Press Ctrl + J
4. Click the New Layer icon to make a new layer above the Copy
5. Shift click to select both the Copy and the Blank New Layer > Go to the Drop down arrow to the right where your Layers & Path palettes are and choose > Merge Layers OR hit Ctrl + E (this flattens the artwork so that the Layer Styles will be Transformed accordingly)
6. Go to Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal
see how the Drop Shadows are now the same?
here's what the Layer panel looks like for the image above...
well, there ya have it. my bad ... i think i asked my question the wrong way.
i didn't want to leave anyone hanging and also i really needed to figure it out. hope this helps a "newbie" like me
conroy ... i REALLY APPRECIATE your taking a whack at trying to decipher what i was trying to ask
take care everyone
ps. the reason i said ... "copy isn't copying everything" is b/c it seemed like the stroke wasn't being copied when i flipped it and only the path outline w/the handles was visible ... i did not realize the copy was underneath the original