The Bespoke Process Start to Finish

[artificer]

I'm sometimes asked "Why Bespoke?" or "How is ordering from you different than 'custom' ordering elsewhere"?.

The answer is quite simple, as long as it’s legal and physically possible in a given material, bespoke work allows you nearly unlimited possibilities.
EVERYTHING can be made to your requirements- from start to finish, every single element of a sporran can be 'spoken for'.

I’d like to use one of my most recent commissions as an example of how involved the bespoke process can get, if desired.



This commission was for a metal cantled hair sporran for an upcoming wedding.

Originally the commissioner was thinking about a MacLeay-style horsehair sporran.
 After some emails exchanged back and forth discussing hair and cantles we couldn’t find a perfect fit.
He mentioned that he had his grandfather’s Heintz Art Metal trophy that he’d found in the garage as a boy.


Heintz was a New York firm in the early Twentieth Century that had a very unique look and technique of brazing silver onto spun bronze.


Their works were classic Art Nouveau/Arts & Crafts, a style heavily influenced by Scotland's Glasgow School of Art (the school's architect was none other than Charles Rennie Mackintosh.)

He wondered if a sporran inspired by the memory of his grandfather and this treasured heirloom might be possible.



After a transatlantic phone call where we discussed the various possibilities, some of the limitations, and general pricing, sketches began.





We kept the cantle shape wide and a bit more shallow than is commonly seen today as a nod to MacLeay, although there were a few stylistic variations with both the lower profile and the overall height.
The commissioner didn't want an exact copy of the trophy's detailing, just inspired by the Heintz style.


Several revision and alterations were made, designs tweaked (phase 2), and finally once the cantle pattern was set we moved on to potential liner colours and patterns (phase 3).


The commissioner’s ideal colour for the bronze was close to his trophy, not bright polished, but not the classic ‘museum brown’ bronze finish of statues either.
He also didn’t want a perfectly uniform finish but something with a bit of variation like on the trophy.


More research and samples, emails, and a phone call resulted in the below patina samples



In addition to the very traditional deep red and black liners I thought a dark British Racing Green might be a nice compliment to the bronze and chestnut.
After a lovely spring day the commissioner decided that was the way to go, as the colours very nicely echoed those of his Hebridean home, and were reminiscent of an old
favorite car that he had owned. It was decided that it would also be the rear body colour.

At the same time we were picking out the patina we were discussing the colour of the horsehair and tassels. He knew he wanted Chestnut for the body but couldn’t pin down the tassel colour.



The tassel bells were specified in plain bronze patinaed to match the cantle, braided leather cords rather than chains would suspend the tassels.
The lower profile of the body hair was to be a slightly shaggy “V” shape reminiscent of the MacLeay sporrans that had started the process rather than the neat and straight-cut Piper/Military style.


Some time filled with much sawing with a jeweler’s saw, sanding, brazing, and polishing passed.

Then things came together, quite literally in this case.









In the end, the commissioner has a piece that is unique in all the world, with a particular sentimental attachment. I was told that he's planning to keep a picture of
both the trophy and his grandfather in the rear pocket.

Obviously not everyone needs or wants this level of detailing, sometimes the general order is "I'd like that sporran, but larger, and in a particular shade of brown",
but the possibility is there.

As always, contructive commentary is welcome.

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