Leather Sporran Colors

[Troglodyte]

or is that colours?

From what I have seen so far, it seems like leather day sporrans are produced in a wide rainbow of colors, as long as black and brown are the only colors in the rainbow.

Is that true? Would the sight of a sporran in oxblood be shocking? (red-brown color, not actual blood, just to be clear) Or should I go with Spanish Brown (an orangish light brown) without objection?

What about a really dark green or navy blue?

Trying to get a sense of the sensibilities before starting a few upcoming projects.

(intending to link the Fiebing's dye color chart, hopefully it works)

Most retailers of sporrans are not the makers - but buy-in from the maker what is both economic and likely to sell fairly quickly. Naturally enough, colour choice is limited.

There are now only a couple of actual sporran-makers left in Scotland, working on what you might call a commercial scale, but these offer a choice of shades and finishes in their colours readily available. They will also make up a sporran from materials supplied by the customer.

High Street shoe-repair services usually offer a leather dying option, so buying a light-ish tan sporran and having a tint of the shade you are after may be a good and easy alternative option. Dying already coloured leather is always a bit of a risk, as they dyes may combat each other, and the amount of residue oil in the leather will be an influencing factor. Also, they type of leather needs consideration - bovine leathers respond differently from pigskin or goat leathers.

In other words, a bit of trial and error before applying dye to a finished sporran is highly recommended..!

Ox-blood is usually a deep red/brown, or chestnut, colour which can be very attractive in a sporran - indeed, some vintage sporrans are ox-blood and appear much less muddy or chocolate-toned than many browns.

It is also useful to remember that oil-based leather treatments (avoid wax-based for sporrans) will often take the leather colour a shade darker than original - especially if the leather is particularly dry. The oils from the hands that get transferred during handling do the same thing, but may take years to do - and gets called patina.

As for other colours, vintage fur-front sporrans are often seen with red or green backs, and occasionally in blue, so coloured leathers have always had their role in sporran-making.