Dyeing a fur sporran?

[pascs]

I have a semi dress sporran which is black leather with a light colour fur front, I think its seal skin but the fur feels a bit rougher than my seal skin full dress sporran so I'm not 100% sure.

Now I dont use this semi dress sporran, which is a waste as its nice quality. I was thinking to dye the fur black instead of its light colour. I would then be much more likely to use it as a day sporran and I dont have a black day sporran.

Does anyone have experience of dyeing fur? I'm thinking that I could use permanent hair colour but that seems a bit too easy

[AKScott]

If it really is a light colored seal skin sporran I am _confident_ you can trade it exactly as is for any number of perfectly adequate black leather day sporrans.

If it really is a light colored seal skin sporran I am not at all confident it could be sucessfully (evenly) dyed.

Pics of said sporran?

[pascs]

Here is the said sporran



and I thought I might be able to make it more like this or maybe with no tassels

[sydnie7]

+! on the idea of trading it for something that you know will look good, vs. taking the risk of ruining it!

[madmacs]

Yep trade or sell...

Or just enjoy it as it is... I dont have a problem with mine for casual that has similar colouring...

[Tobus]

It looks like seal skin to me, although it would be impossible to say from just a picture. But I have seen seal skin with fur of that colour.

Dyeing a fur sporran may not be as easy as using hair colouring. It will really depend on what kind of fur it is. Some animals (like deer) have hollow hair that's completely different than human hair, and may not take the dye. I really can't say for sure, as I've never tried it, but I'm just pointing out that not all hair is the same.

I suppose you could always try a test patch in a hidden area, like under the flap. Or try to snip off a little bit of fur and apply dye to it to see if it holds. But honestly, I think I have to agree with the others. It's a good looking sporran that would probably fetch a decent price that you could then use to get the sporran you want.

[AKScott]

I agree with Tobus that is likely seal skin, but I am not expert enough to say definitively over the internet either. It isn't one of the Alska varieties with which I am familiar but the texture looks about perfect.

I am subject to the Marine Mammals Act and thus ineligible, but curious to know how expensive is the sporran you do want, for which you would be willing to trade this one?

[pascs]

I paid about £25 for it 2nd hand and it was advertised as seal skin. The colour is a bit darker than the picture but from your comments I'm thinking to leave it as it is and probably keep it for now. I'll keep my eye out for a black leather sporran instead

[Arnot]

That's a nice sporran. If it were me, I would just wear it. If you want it toned down a bit, remove or replace the tassels. You could replace them with something like the ones from the Scottish Tartans Authority online shop.

http://www.staonlineshop.co.uk/produ...epair-kit.aspx