Hunting sporran for Bible Monkey!

[biblemonkey]

I really like the work you've done here!
Not to be disparaging and mostly from ignorance I speak but is not a hunting sporran supposed to fully close so as to allow nothing to spill while stalking and such? Or is the style hunting just to mean less formal than say day wear?

Actually, as far as formal vs. daywear, the hunting sporran is one of the most versatile designs. That’s why I prefer them. That and I’m not big on tassels. That is also why Nighthawk and I went with a combination of brown and black and why we came up with the removable cantle with replaceable riveted screws. That way, when the metal cantle is on, more black is shown than brown for formal wear and when it is off, an equal amount of both colors is shown for daywear. It can go equally well with brown leather accoutrements and black. As far as closures on hunting sporrans go, all of the hunting sporrans I have seen in person are closed at the top in a similar fashion. The stiffer leather used in hunting sporrans usually presses together so tightly at the top that between that and the way a sporran hangs, you would have to be skydiving to have so much as a penny fall out. If anyone is interested, I can explain the significance of the visuals used and the particular verse I had him stamp into the cross. At least what they mean to me and why I requested such specific detail. Don’t know if anyone would care but it makes the item just that much more special to me.

Hugh

[Nighthawk]

I really like the work you've done here!
Not to be disparaging and mostly from ignorance I speak but is not a hunting sporran supposed to fully close so as to allow nothing to spill while stalking and such? Or is the style hunting just to mean less formal than say day wear?

They actually close like a normal formal sporran. This one doesn't close quite as tightly as other hunting sporrans simply because of the removable metal cantle. See this hunting from Sport Kilt-

http://www.sportkilt.com/product/214...k-Leather.html

Gives a good idea of the closure, and of what I meant when I said that the tab on Bible Monkey's doesn't come over the front like it does on others. I found in test fitting of the parts that doing it that way interfered with the cantle.

If anyone is interested, I can explain the significance of the visuals used and the particular verse I had him stamp into the cross. At least what they mean to me and why I requested such specific detail. Don’t know if anyone would care but it makes the item just that much more special to me.

Hugh

Hugh, I have actually been meaning to ask that very thing. I just got so caught up in making the thing that I didn't get around to it! So yes, I would love to know what the significance of the verse is. I looked it up and read it, so I have a basic, general idea.

Also- I'm putting the final touches on your sporran. I didn't make the D ring attachment because I was out of D rings. That's done. And I realized that I didn't put the trim on the back side- top of the sporran. So I guess it wasn't quite finished. Stupid ADD!

[biblemonkey]

[QUOTE=Nighthawk;934145]Hugh, I have actually been meaning to ask that very thing. I just got so caught up in making the thing that I didn't get around to it! So yes, I would love to know what the significance of the verse is. I looked it up and read it, so I have a basic, general idea.QUOTE]


The reasons for this particular design are many and if this comes out long winded, I apologize.

It all started about two years ago when I lost my drafting job. It was the second time in five years that I had lost a professional and promising job due in some way to my personal problems. Though my employer really liked me and my work he just couldn’t have me in the office until I got myself together. At the time I was so despondent and depressed (clinically runs in the family) that I finally admitted to the things that I was going through to my pastor as I could no longer contain the hurt alone even though that was what my stubborn male ego told me to do. I went through then and still am now, counseling on various emotional and personal issues and though I got a sales job that paid the bills for a time I was miserable there. After I got myself back together (for the most part)through a whole lot of meditative Bible study and prayer (something I was never good at and really had to work hard at) as well as support from good strong men of God who had been there themselves, I ran across 1 Peter 5:10, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” I let that verse hold me steady as a reminder that my strength alone was not all I had to lean on and someday this hurt would pass and I could make a better life for my family. God would restore me Himself and, as long as I was faithful in keeping my end of things up, it would turn out alright eventually. I just had to fight to get there for a while. Then, when a man in my church mentioned another drafting job he knew of which I then got and still have (nine months now!) and love, the verse became my motto. It is a reminder to me of the things I needed to remember in my darkest days when the worst parts of me were all I could see. The oak tree on the cross is an artistic representation of strength and perseverance as well as the “tree of life” which I view as flowing from the risen Christ as well as the one from Genesis that promised another type of eternal life. The green helps it stand out from the rest and draw the eye but not clash visually. The brown on the circle and the oak leaves in the circle continue the visual of the tree branches without distracting from the cross too much. The fact that they are brown leaves and the rest of the “tree” is green has come to mean the changing of time and of the seasons. Some of these things came to me later in the development of the design and some I had in mind from the beginning.

The practical reasons for the design are as follows.

I wanted a hunting sporran because I am partial to them and they are versatile. The idea for the removable metal cantle and rivets came from my ignorance of basic sporran design and I wanted that feature so I could use that same custom sporran for casual and formal events and not have to have two identical sporrans with only that minor difference. The initial color suggestions came from Nighthawk and we worked on different color combinations over the last few weeks as well as other ideas springing to life through mutual creativity.

As an aside I feel like I should mention that I came to my faith later in life and through the early years I had to fight my way through a lot of misconceptions and bigotry directed toward the Church. For about half of my life I wanted nothing to do with God and had a very cynical attitude toward the Bible. My mother was not very supportive of my eventual faith but after a few years came to accept it and now views it as an “odd personal choice”. Because of my personal battles and having to learn as much as I could so I could explain my faith to the secular world (and some know it all Brothers in the faith) knowledgably, there are some things that mean a great deal to me as I have seen them worked out practically in my life. The items on the sporran are among them. Faith should be real and should be meant to start heartfelt and open conversations. It is my hope that this sporran will start many open conversations about my faith, my family, and kilts in general. I also hope to point a few folks in Nighthawk's direction as he was truly great through this whole process.

Sorry for the long winded reply and I hope this story was worth the read.
Thanks,
Hugh

[tripleblessed]

My thanks to both of you for the info. Both stories underline one of my favorite observations on life. I'm one those would say I'm not a religious person, particularly, but my spiritual life is why I am. No large life, lots of hard knocks,
but through it all the flow of grace can seen in large and small things, in
unexpected, at the time often unwelcome, but serendipitous happenings.
Without it I would never have survived this far.

[MacRobert's Reply]

That's a great testimony Biblemonkey and the nearest to a sermon that a sporran is likely to be! Thanks for sharing them both.

[tripleblessed]

As ever, I am impressed with with Nighthawk's tool and dye work. Being a
gatherer and purveyor of people's stories and what makes us tick, I do have an interest in knowing the rest of this story, if you're of a mind to share.
While I do have strong acquaintance with being out in left field by myself,
I would think I'm not the only one who would be happy to share what's important to you.

[Nighthawk]

As ever, I am impressed with with Nighthawk's tool and dye work. Being a
gatherer and purveyor of people's stories and what makes us tick, I do have an interest in knowing the rest of this story, if you're of a mind to share.
While I do have strong acquaintance with being out in left field by myself,
I would think I'm not the only one who would be happy to share what's important to you.

I was blessed to have a fantastic teacher, who happened to be a true master. His work can be seen all over the world in the various reenactor groups associated with the Vikings Vinland. Thanks for the kind words- I like to think that Farman is in Valhalla looking down me from time to time. I do my level best to justify all the time he spent teaching me! Everything I know is because of him. If you notice my makers mark, it's my initials in Norse runes. The stamps I use were his. (I mention this because you did say that you're a gatherer of peoples stories. If you would like to know more about my time with Farman, feel free to ask!) Here's a link to something else that would be of interest to a purveyor of stories:

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...bracers-60619/

And a link to Farman's Viking profile page:

http://www.fjellborg.org/Farmans_gallery.htm