Project Blog - Historic Sporrans / Brass Cantle Project

[artificer]

Very cool - you should contact/collaborate with Kate Macpherson in Scotland. She's one heck of a traditional sporran maker and your designs are pretty much what she does and is all about, with the exception of her also focusing on head-on animal sporrans...

Thanks Kyle. I'm (of course) familiar with her work, she is definitely an artist where the Full Mask is concerned.

Something else to put on my wish list!

One step ahead of you Terry, the moment Scott started the project, the "change bucket kilt fund" sprung into action. You wouldn't believe how much "shrapnel" ends up in the bottom of your sporran.

I've got a change jar, but between my rarely using cash anymore and my son's pilfering of the 'good stuff' (he's 5 and likes to "collect" coins ) I seem to lose ground in my change jar all the time.

A few small additional updates:
1) I'm in contact with the mfgr of the brass turnings for the knobs and samples should be on their way by early next week.

2) I've found some great sources for bag materials that I think will be pretty exciting:
classic pigskin,
long haired goat (6" hair),
some very fine kid skin that can be custom dyed as well as VERY nice chrome tanned kid,
Also, some wonderful elk and buffalo- elk for a soft, smooth grain, buffalo for a very deep craggy grain but with a very soft hand.

On the MacLeay horsehair sporran side, I've just ordered some of that very nice kidskin to make up the first of the Stewart sporrans. The hides should be here by Monday. As soon as I can find time in my schedule I can start cutting and stitching a sporran that probably hasn't existed for nearly two centuries.

Pewter is going to take a bit longer. We've had a LONG cold winter so far, and the wood shop is in the garage. 12*f + fingers + power tools = accidents = fewer intact fingers.