Moulting sporrans

[Steve Barclay]

I have a couple of lovely old horsehair sporrans that are forever losing hair, has anyone any tips for reducing/stopping this please? Thanks

[MacMillan's son]

You could shoot Norcalpiper a PM, he is our resident horse hair sporran expert.

Good luck!

[artificer]

How old are they?

Your best bet would be to inspect the 'base' of the front piece where the hair is glued/stitched.

If it's single stitched, the problem MIGHT be old glue. Older natural glues tend to dry out over time. It may be possible (but time consuming) to go back in and re-glue.

If it's the stitching, a re-build might be in order.

If the construction is such that the hair is stitched in 'laps' with strips of leather holding the base of each layer, you may have a harder time seeing exactly what is the matter.

A brief search on the internet reveals that some species of clothes moths also eat horsehair. While that is probably long odds, you might wish to look around at the area where your sporrans are kept to make sure that moths AREN'T the source.

[Chas]

It is my understanding that all horsehair sporrans will shed. I believe that it is down to the construction. The hairs are secured in bunches, so if one hair is lost there is less tension on the remaining ones - leading to further loss. But there comes a point when it has shed all it is going to shed and stays stable.

I have five horsehair sporrans (three adult and two boy's). The two vintage ones have stopped shedding, but do look a bit sparse in places. The last is brand new RRoS in black with white tassells - and it can't stop shedding.

Just for the record, none of mine are glued - all are stitched in place.

Regards

Chas

[Steve Barclay]

Thanks guys, I think that maybe the most likely cause is old glue drying out, so I will have to look at re-gluing them.

[NorCalPiper]

I always suggest that DIY'ers use gorilla glue for this function. Start with the lowest rung of layer , glue, let dry (Gorilla glue has a tendency to kinda' "poof" up as it dries. Just push down and flatten as its drying and it will create a flush permanent bond over the stitching), move up to the next layer and repeat. If you can hit all the seams, it will never shed again!