Project Blog - Historic Sporrans / Brass Cantle Project

[BobsYourUncle]

Fantastic! True craftsmanship! I look forward to each new post.

[ShaunMaxwell]

You continue to out-do yourself! What a beauty...

[B R Gordon]

Artificer, your work is just outstanding. I look forward to each time you post new photos of your work.

[rsvpiper]

Away Scott you've stole me thunder cant wait for postman pat too come a calling

[Ryan Ross]

Astounding work, O, my Brother.

...in a couple hundred years, they well may not be able to tell the difference between yours and the originals without burn tests* and chemical analysis.


*Do you use linen thread?

[artificer]

Thanks lads! This one was a real treat for me to work on. I've got several others on the drawing board as well.

Astounding work, O, my Brother.

...in a couple hundred years, they well may not be able to tell the difference between yours and the originals without burn tests* and chemical analysis.


*Do you use linen thread?

I don't use linen thread right now, and have gone back and forth on the issue several times. I had a situation occur at the games this last weekend that has helped keep me in the nylon catagory for a while longer.

A chap asked me to look at his sporran to see if I could repair it. The games had been quite rainy on Saturday (I wasn't there) and his full mask sporran had gotten a bit 'damp'.

The piece was only 10-12 yrs old. The leather and fur weathered the storm (literally ) but the linen thread gotten soaked and had given out at the side seam right along the gusset!

It may have been a freak accident, but one of the saddle makers I always run into says the same thing about linen thread and crappy weather.

I still dwell on the issue, but for now, I'm sticking with nylon.

Away Scott you've stole me thunder cant wait for postman pat too come a calling

Action shots when it arrives?

ith:

[Ryan Ross]

Thanks lads! This one was a real treat for me to work on. I've got several others on the drawing board as well.

I don't use linen thread right now, and have gone back and forth on the issue several times. I had a situation occur at the games this last weekend that has helped keep me in the nylon catagory for a while longer.

A chap asked me to look at his sporran to see if I could repair it. The games had been quite rainy on Saturday (I wasn't there) and his full mask sporran had gotten a bit 'damp'.

The piece was only 10-12 yrs old. The leather and fur weathered the storm (literally ) but the linen thread gotten soaked and had given out at the side seam right along the gusset!

It may have been a freak accident, but one of the saddle makers I always run into says the same thing about linen thread and crappy weather.

I still dwell on the issue, but for now, I'm sticking with nylon.

ith:

Hey- I'm as old-school as they generally come, and nylon sounds like the ticket to me. Especially after hearing the above. But yeah, all of my good sporrans are nylon sewn, and I've never had problem one with any of them.

...speaking of, I wore Lugosi to Mass on Sunday and got several comps on it from a couple of guys over there who wear a kilt from time to time. That's the awesome thing about Lugosi- he may not be flashy, but when someone with a good eye spots him, the craftsmanship always stands out and impresses. ith:

[Micric]

Lovely work, the above sporran!

Re. linen thread;
Don't understand it giving out.
I have used linen thread for 40-odd years, and it's been out in all weathers, (used on harness, belts, haversacks, and what have you)
I Did once buy some very poor linen thread from a vendor Stateside, and it was useless.
Mainly, I have used "Wentzlels best linen thread", or "Barbour's Best linen Button Thread"
Both the above are as tough as hell, and I think you could hang someone with about four strands....It'll cut your fingers off before it breaks.
When using I wax it with beeswax, and as I said, have never known it to let go.
We still have some harness my grandfather made using linen thread, and he died in 1970, and the harness was made decades earlier.

Artificer,
If you want a bit of this thread to try, I'll send you a bit, just PM me here :-)

Richard.

[artificer]

Custom beaver sporran modeled on the 1867 illustration of John Campbell by Kenneth MacLeay.



The construction was altered to allow for greater storage. Rather than using a clan badge, the cantle was tooled to resemble beaver tail. Interior lined in red suede. Kidskin rear panel.


Detail of tooling


Interior w/ phone pocket.

This piece was scaled up in size to fit the commissioner.

edit: I'm not sure what's going on with this page right now. Photo links are not working and the "tools" at the top of the text box are missing. Mods? a little help?
On further inspection ALL the photo links are broken...

[BCAC]

Perhaps the fact that the links are https links might have something to do with why they are not showing.