Edwardian Sporran - Help!

[SlackerDrummer]

Sounds like a technique worth exploring Harold. Perhaps I could shear the original sporran and re-use the hair.

Have any of the rabble done this? I need a tutorial.

I'd be happy to do it for you. Of course if it gets "lost in the mail" on the way back to you, I couldn't possibly be held responsible for that.

[BobsYourUncle]

Many thanks for all your helpful comments and, especially to OC Richard for your insight on engraved sheet cantles preceding the cast versions. The bells are also engraved sheet rather than cast construction. All the evidence suggests that the cantle is older than the sporran but is the first cantle that was fitted to it.

The bright red trim, Artificer, is the result of the earlier and more competent repair which was mainly re-stitching. The unmatched flap, the result of a later and bodged repair.

Using the original as a pattern, I think making a near copy could by my winter project, perhaps with a gusset and fully-opening bag.

My next appeal for advice is, where can I get about 8 square inches of goat skin with long blond/white hair that has been properly tanned and will not moult?

Your best bet is probably Wagman Primus. They called me earlier in the week to tell me that they now have goat hair in stock. There websit is here: http://www.wagmanprimus.com/product_...e=product_line . Happy Hunting. Cheers!

[OC Richard]

Here's what I did. I bought a lovely vintage cantle on Ebay, which came affixed to a modern horsehair sporran body. It's much later than your cantle, being probably from the first quarter of the 20th century.

Then later I bought a modern goathair sporran which likewise came up on Ebay. Though it had a hideous modern bronze cantle, it had just the body I needed: goathair with a huge gussetted opening body.

I switched the vintage cantle to the goathair body and Bob's your Uncle.

Here's the result. I love this sporran because it's completely different from anything anybody else is wearing and is extremely practical, being amazingly roomy. (The body, like those of 19th century sporrans, is somewhat wider and longer than modern sporrans.)



I didn't like the way the sporran loop was on the inside, so I had a local shoe repair guy sew straps on the back, which works great. You can see how the sporran opens wide with its side gussetts.






I bought both the vintage cantle and the modern goat sporran from "bugpiper" (Steve McVeigh) in Northern Ireland.

Here's another goat sporran he had up for sale a while back. Shift your lovely Victorian cantle onto a sporran like this and you're good to go.

[MacRobert's Reply]

... for all your helpful advice. I now have at least four options for my winter project. Description and pictures to follow later in the year.

[MacRobert's Reply]

The Edwardian sporran cantle was acid tested by my local jeweler and, although not hallmarked, to my delight tested positive for silver.

Following all your helpful advice, I decided that an Edwardian sporran moloch wasn't for me. I prefer the smaller functional sporrans of the 18th Century but was determined to make use of this interesting cantle.

I had a little-used modern black leather sporran bag that appears well made but was fitted with a poor-quality cantle. I modified the shape of the top to accept the silver Edwardian one. While at the Dunkeld Highland Games last month, I came across a chap selling dear hides and purchased a small dark Roe Dear winter pelt for £10. I bonded a section of this to the front of the bag. Ebay yielded some thin Italian red leather for a further £8. From this I made the cantle gasket (is this the correct term?), lining and tassel. Why just one? Well, the silver bells were odd and a single tassel has a more 18th Century look (IMHO). The catch is a modern magnetic one. A small amount of fettling is still needed but here is the result so far.

Before:


After:






Comments, recommendations and criticisms welcome before I finalise it.

[JSFMACLJR]

That's a very fine sporran indeed!

If it were mine, I would be inclined to get a nicer sporran chain, made of silver, perhaps large links such as this one:



http://www.iangrantofedinburgh.com/i...roducts_id=227

[Pleater]

I think you will get more use of the one you have made than if you recreated the whole thing as you bought it originally.

The red leather is a very nice touch.

But I don't use bags with the magnetic fasteners as I had a lot of bother with my credit cards not scanning when I had a bag with those fasteners. Since I changed to a different bag I have not had a problem.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[CMcG]

I really like what you've done with it. The single tassel is an uncommon but nice touch!

[Lime]

Beautiful. It is sometimes difficult to pull off the whole "dark colour - red motif" thing but you have done so very elegantly; it is one of the few fur sporrans I have seen that I would wear and would wear with pride. Well done!

[davidlpope]

My next appeal for advice is, where can I get about 8 square inches of goat skin with long blond/white hair that has been properly tanned and will not moult?

I have some Angora goat hide that you might be interested in. It is curly/wavy in it's natural state. Not sure if that's what you're going for, although I quite like the look: