Christmas In July

[MacLowlife]

Did you spend a lot of energy detailing exactly what you wanted, or did you just say " One of these please, only tasselled and in a different shade of brown"? Do you plan on wearing it as is, or will you be "working" it with Lexol (or Zymol) as you watch TV to break it in and knock the new off of it? Or is there no "new" on it? I suspect you chose a "no metal"/ no cantle style for its versatility, but do you have any other practical reasons for the way you spec'ed this one? Is there any one thing you love or hate more about it, now that you have it in your hot little hand?

Congratulations.

[thescot]

Christmas? That's Christmas, New Years, July 4th and your birthday all rolled into one. Beautiful.

That's what my wife would say if she were in on the cost.

@OC: the "vintage, classic, timeless" idea is what I was shooting for. I like to think that many decades after I'm gone, my grandson will be wearing it and telling everyone how Big Daddy had it made and wore it several decades before passing it down to him and so on. Ha.

I have admired the sporran of HRH the Duke for many years and wanted on that looked similar, and now I have it. I'm planning a kilted evening at the Celtic Tavern soon just for an excuse to show it off.

Anyone in the area: take note!

[tripleblessed]

What a gorgeous sporran! Now I can see why you've been in no rush to get me directions on how to return the one you so graciously loaned me. With the heat, my mortification is mistaken for sunburn, so I'm surviving. You, however, are very obviously thriving following
receipt of such kit. I'll watch for kilt night, so as to see it in person.

[artificer]

Two things I learned from my reading:
1. Lexol (which I own) and Zymol (which I've never heard of) are both excellent conditioners for the leather.
2. Buffing the strap with a hair dryer on medium heat will restore the luster to the strap itself.

Who knew?

Then, after exhausting the process and building the anticipation to a fever pitch, I removed the brown paper and bubble wrap to reveal what is arguable the most beautiful sporran I've ever seen. I had asked for a hunting style akin to the one you often see HRH the Duke of Rothesay wear, the one without the brass cantle. But I wanted tassels on mine instead of those little sewn-down flap things. I've always liked the tassels best (which he does have on his brass-cantled sporran).

Well, enough of that. I shall now show you the beauty that I have only just received. These are photos I took here at work, so I don't have one of the sporran on me yet. It's similar to the photo on Scott's site, but I wanted a darker brown and that is exactly what I got. The picutres won't do it justice, but hopefully you can see the excellent workmanship of the piece, the supple nature of the fine leather, and the suede lining.



This is the best representation of the true color of all the photos. You can see how supple the leather is; it just feels good to the touch.

Such patience, Jim! I'm terrible at that sort of self restraint. I really need to spend more time online, I totally missed this thread until just now. LOL

I'm glad everything arrived safe and sound and brought a bit of holiday cheer to your day.

A few things about the care notes-

Zymol does a huge range of car care products, but their leather conditioner is very gentle, something you rarely see from car related products. I use several other conditioners around the shop, but these can be a bit iffy on
certainly leathers and some are harder to find, so that's why I recommend Lexol and Zymol (another benefit is that both are also difficult to over apply, which is a risk some conditioners carry).

My belts are finished with oil and beeswax, so if they get scuffy over time, or caught in the rain and the finish gets damaged, a warm hairdryer will soften some of the wax that's imbedded in the leather and cause it to migrate toward the surface. A light buff will re-smooth the finish and you're off.

Waxed leathers aren't as "No-Maintenance" as leathers with an artificial surface (like an acrylic dye), but they age much better.

That's amazing!

It looks like it could be out of a Forsyth catalogue from the 1920s.

Vintage, classic, timeless.

Thanks, Richard! That's why I originally got into making sporrans, I couldn't find all the lovely treasures that, for some inexplicable reason, just stopped being made.
The irony being I've had no time to make either a brass cantle OR a soft hunter for myself yet.

ith:

[thescot]

Did you spend a lot of energy detailing exactly what you wanted, or did you just say " One of these please, only tasselled and in a different shade of brown"? Do you plan on wearing it as is, or will you be "working" it with Lexol (or Zymol) as you watch TV to break it in and knock the new off of it? Or is there no "new" on it? I suspect you chose a "no metal"/ no cantle style for its versatility, but do you have any other practical reasons for the way you spec'ed this one? Is there any one thing you love or hate more about it, now that you have it in your hot little hand?

Congratulations.

I love the detail you've asked about.

First off, there was a lot of thinking and planning and scheming and fretting about it--LOTS of energy. I don't spend that kind of money on a real piece of fine art without a lot of thought.

I wanted it just so or not at all, and Scott went to all kinds of trouble to get the color right; not too reddish or orangish, just dark brown. I'll be wearing it "as is" but also working it with Lexol over the years to add character and beauty. I used to put Lexol on my ball glove, so I'm used to its gentle characteristics mentioned by Scott above. There really is no "new" on it, to use your phraseology, so it already looks like a classic. Just brilliant.

I wanted this style because it is so versatile. I could wear it with a nice jacket or a sweat shirt or sweater. (Take a look at HRH the Duke!) anything less than a black tie affair would likely be OK with this sporran. And I just like tassels better than the little flaps (or whatever the are called!); it's strictly a matter of personal taste.

There is nothing that I don't love about it, but the best thing is the supple nature of the leather. I almost bought one of Scott's a couple years back, but I bought new irons instead. (Hey, golf is a holy thing!) I knew his quality was not to be surpassed, and I wanted one of his sporrans. I just had to decide exactly what. Once I saw his hunting sporran with that soft leather, I knew it was time to strike. We spent a lot of time back-and-forth with colors, details, etc. And Scott delivered a masterpiece.

I cannot overstate the quality of this sporran. It's a real dandy, and I am in the process of finding a good time for a kilt night at the Celtic soon. Already lined up trippleblesssed and several others, so it looks like it's happening pretty soon. I'll be preening!

@Scott: thanks for the advice and comments on the upkeep. It explains a lot, and I always do better when I understand the reasons behind the instructions!

[Orionson]

Congratulations and very well done to both of you in your creative partnership which has yielded yet another beautiful and fully functional, flexible work of Art.

I enjoyed the process of working with Scott so much that we're already quietly planning our next collaboration. (It was the only way to allay the "withdrawal symptoms" when our first project ended.) I've deliberately set a slow pace to stretch the process to maximise the enjoyment (and save up the dosh).

I look forward to seeing your "action shots" and the smile on your face.

Again, well done. May you wear it well for many years in the best of health.

Cheers!