Hand made Badger Sporran

**shawhighlander** · 27th February 07, 09:00 PM

Halo gang,
Wanted to show you the sporran that I just finished making for my Dad!

The fun part is Dad has shown increasing interest in the Scottish things that are so dear to me. Turpin took Dad on the "dime tour" of the Stone Mountain Highland Games here in Georgia and he came back to the tent all smiles saying the badger was his favorite...especially with the claws! (Well, at least he has something to scratch his nuts with)

lol j/k

Slainte, Aye

**Big Dave** · 27th February 07, 09:03 PM

Super Cool

, I want one of those.

**shawhighlander** · 27th February 07, 09:06 PM

I had to do some surgery with the claws on the right side...when I bought the fur from Trapper Wayne on ebay, the article stated: "badger with all claws"...when it arrived I noticed the three of the claws on the right paw were shredded nubs, probably caught in a trap. Sooooo...I soaked the foot for about 2 hours, cut a slit in each paw, removed the nub and transplanted three extra badger claws; then sewed up the paws and wal-lah! Just like new.

**turpin** · 27th February 07, 10:49 PM

Jonathan, that lacing was just the thing to finish off the raw edges. looks great!

**cessna152towser** · 28th February 07, 04:31 AM

Smart looking sporran, well done.

**Rusty** · 28th February 07, 06:15 AM

Great looking sporran I have a skunk skin that Iwant to turn into a sporran. Do you have any tips on construction and where did you get the eyes?

**Kilted KT** · 28th February 07, 06:22 AM

great sporran, although I would be scared to wear the thing! My dogs would go completely nuts!!

**shawhighlander** · 28th February 07, 09:19 AM

Originally Posted by Kilted KT

great sporran, although I would be scared to wear the thing! My dogs would go completely nuts!!

Pun intended of course

Originally Posted by Rusty

Do you have any tips on construction and where did you get the eyes?

Yes...TAKE YOUR TIME. Re-think and re-think. Turpinand I constructed similar sporrans at the same time, actually he had to drag me along at times, but the outcome really is superb. Turpin is the one who found the eyes...Seems that TANDY LEATHER is a great place to visit for your accessories! However, I found a small wooden egg at Michael's that, when cut in half, made a perfect badger head.

PS~Turpin has made a wee skunk sporran!

**TimC** · 28th February 07, 10:02 AM

I like the paws hanging down. Looks cool.

-Tim

**turpin** · 28th February 07, 10:51 PM

I got the eyes from Van Dyke Taxidermy. As Jonathan said, half a wooden egg makes a good start for a skull, supplemented by Sculpt-a-mold, a cellulose based product similar to paper mache to which you add water. Here's what it looks like - I used a Dremel to shap pockets for the eyes

One of the biggest tips if you have a tanned pelt is to soak the head in water long enough to soften the cartilege in the nose and ears so you can "pop" out the nose and ears back to their natural shapes, positioning the ears to look natural. This is what I failed to do on the skunk I made. The same with the claws. this is what you typically get with the pelt

after soaking the claws and doing any sewing or other repair, you let them dry like this