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Thread: sporran makers

  1. #1
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    sporran makers

    Does anyone know if you can make a sporran with human hair? My girlfriend has long beautiful red hair and wants to make a sporran for me. Any suggestions?

  2. #2
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    Not a sporran maker but I poked around the web a bit...

    This company called Holy Heck Leather makes horsehair sporrans by hand. Perhaps it would be worth contacting them to see if they'd work with human hair...

    http://www.holyheckusa.com/product/s...ran-han?tid=22

    Human hair was used a lot as decoration during Victorian times so I can't see why it would be a problem for a sporran maker.
    Last edited by JRB; 28th December 14 at 02:24 PM.
    Jay
    Clan Rose - Constant and True
    "I cut a stout blackthorn to banish ghosts and goblins; In a brand new pair of brogues to ramble o'er the bogs and frighten all the dogs " - D. K. Gavan

  3. #3
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    If I'm reading this right and you/your lady are looking to DIY, there are a few existing threads that might help. Try searching the various DIY forms here for "horsehair." For example, LINK.

    Frankly it sounds a bit creepy to me but I never liked that Victorian hair work either
    Proudly Duncan [maternal], MacDonald and MacDaniel [paternal].

  4. #4
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    This could be an interesting creation and would certainly be a conversation piece. Are you thinking of using the hair a la a horsehair sporran or just for tassels? The above link discusses attaching horsehair to leather. Other fur and hair sporrans involve pelts, probably not an option here.

  5. #5
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    You can make a sporran out of anything, leather, fabric, fur, metal or hair it matters not whether Horse, Goat, Human or Mammoth.
    Go for it and post a pic of the completed article.
    Cheers from NZ

  6. #6
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    I've never attempted to make a hair sporran but I'm thinking that if what you have in mind is something like a traditional horse hair sporran, might human hair be a little too soft for the purpose? I base this thought only on the basis that MOH's long hair gets into terrible knots in windy conditions.

    But good luck, whatever you decide!
    Regards, Sav.

    "The Sun Never Sets on X-Marks!"

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by glasgow32 View Post
    Does anyone know if you can make a sporran with human hair? My girlfriend has long beautiful red hair and wants to make a sporran for me. Any suggestions?
    I would recommend leaving it where it is.

  8. The Following 11 Users say 'Aye' to Arnot For This Useful Post:


  9. #8
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    I second the thoughts on leaving it atop her head. I can appreciate the sentiment.....but I'm a long hair kinda guy anyways. Besides, human hair and animal hair are NOT the same. It will be fly-away and out of control at best. and...not to mention creepy.

  10. #9
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    As someone who has made more than a few hair sporrans, let me drop in a few thoughts here-

    Even the coarsest human hair is still MUCH MUCH finer and more fragile than horsehair.

    As such, you can expect a LOT more shedding of the hair over time.
    Once you lose a few hairs the stitches begin to lose their grip on the other hairs under each individual stitch, and others begin to slip out.

    I double glue and triple stitch horsehair, and I'd STILL be immensely nervous about using human hair.

    Should you find someone to actually make this sporran for you, you'll need probably close to 1lb of hair at roughly 19" or so. That is a LOT of hair.

    Unless there are amazing mitigating circumstances that weren't addressed in the OP, I'd recommend following Arnot's advice.

    ith:

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  12. #10
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    I agree with the suggestion for leaving it where it is. If she decides she has to do somthing with it, I have another suggestion. I'm not sure where you are from, but here in the USA, there is an organization called locksoflove that take donated human hair and create wigs that are typically given to children who are undergoing chemo/radiation treatment for various cancers.

    just my $0.02....

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