DIY retro sporran project

[OC Richard]

The thing started around a decade ago when I picked up this vintage cantle on Ebay.



It's one of the most beautiful cantles I've seen. It's solid heavy cast "German silver" AKA "nickel silver" AKA Cupro-nickel which was the most popular metal for Highland buckles, sporran fittings, bagpipe mounts, etc throughout the Victorian period up till around WWII. Since it's cast it must have been made in quantity, but I've not seen another.

It was probably made between around 1910 and 1940.

It came attached to a new military-style horsehair sporran, not my cup of tea. So when a modern goathair sporran (with ugly bronze cantle) came up on Ebay I bought it and partnered the c1930 cantle with the goathair body, the result seen above.

This is fine, but not suitable for many outfits, so I began looking for inspiration for a different body to go with that cantle.

As it happens, in the Edwardian period silver-topped Day Dress sporrans were common, here's a Mood Board of those. (The King's, upper right, is quite recent but follows that tradition.)

Lower right is a c1910 catalogue page of Day Dress sporrans intended for wearing with tweed Day outfits. By 1930 the style at upper right on the catalogue page, fur with silver top, was becoming popular in Evening Dress, eventually more popular than the long white hair Victorian silver-topped sporran, though never fully replacing it.



I created a Mood Board of various vintage (and neo-vintage) sporrans I liked



Out of this came some collage mockups



Which in turn led to me cobbling together what, in effect, is a "working mockup" or test sporran.

I picked up a seal sporran (being sold as "faux fur") on Ebay for $28.

Upper left: The Pakistani seal sporran with ugly dark grey-painted cantle, and tassels, removed. As per my Mood Board and collage mockups I decided to go with buff/natural leather braided cord.

Upper right: I put on my vintage cantle and punched new holes in the fur body.

Lower left: The braided cord added. I sanded off the grey paint on the "bells" and underneath was a promising silvery layer. What I didn't know was that under that was a third layer, the base, which is brass. I went too far with the sanding and I'm left with brass bells.

Lower right: Cords and temporary bells installed. I have two sets of proper bells ordered. The sporran will eventually have a 4th tassel as per the collage mockups. The tassels will have nickel bells and matching buff/natural leather fringe.

[MacKenzie]

Vey nice.

I like the goat hair also. But , as you said, different occasions.

[piperalpha]

I like what you're going for. Here's my two pence.

-The cords should be darker. They would look really good if they were the same colour as the mock up.
-You should try having the cords laid out/tied the way they are in the leopard sporran photo. They might sit better. Is there a way to make the knot smaller?

It's a very nice work in progress. I can't wait to see it when it's done.

[OC Richard]

The cords should be darker. They would look really good if they were the same colour as the mock up.

I'm attracted to two sporrans in particular, here.

Left: a sporran in the 1938 Rowans catalogue.
Right: Peter MacDonald's Ocelot & buff leather re-bag of a vintage cantle.



From what I see, the small round silver & seal sporrans which by the 1930s were becoming the most popular Evening Dress sporran, started out as Day sporrans. The Day-ness showed in the leather tassels as we see in the Rowans example. They used buff leather, which I really like the look of.

You should try having the cords laid out/tied the way they are in the leopard sporran photo. They might sit better. Is there a way to make the knot smaller?

Yes my knots are too big and wonky. I'll go without knots, each pair of cords going down to the bell in a "V" as can be seen in the Rowans sporran above. Peter's sporran has quite long cords and knots are called for, while mine will have four short pairs of cords.

It's a very nice work in progress. I can't wait to see it when it's done.

Thanks! I should be receiving the proper bells later this week and I'll post an update.

[EagleJCS]

Yes my knots are too big and wonky. I'll go without knots, each pair of cords going down to the bell in a "V" as can be seen in the Rowans sporran above. Peter's sporran has quite long cords and knots are called for, while mine will have four short pairs of cords.

Rather than tying both sides of the cord into a knot, make one side (it appears to be the right side in the McDonald example, as we're looking at it) a tad longer and tie that into a knot around the other side. That will reduce the size of the knot. Slip your tassle/cone over the ends, THEN tie both cords together. The larger knot then provides a better stopper.

[Patty Logan]

Sorry if I sound ignorant... I never owned any "haired" sporrans or seen any in person but just in case I want to buy one in the future. will the hairs shed if not maintained? will there be any maintenance needed otherwise?

[OC Richard]

Sorry if I sound ignorant... I never owned any "haired" sporrans or seen any in person but just in case I want to buy one in the future. will the hairs shed if not maintained? will there be any maintenance needed otherwise?

I've owned that goat sporran for around 10 years now and it doesn't shed.

Horsehair is a different matter! As any violinist can tell you.

They're called "bow bugs" or "bow mites", dreaded by string players.

[Patty Logan]

Horsehair is a different matter! As any violinist can tell you.

They're called "bow bugs" or "bow mites", dreaded by string players.

I know that all too well, my bother is a Professional Cello player with the Montreal Orchestra.

[Troglodyte]

The thing started around a decade ago when I picked up this vintage cantle on Ebay.



It's one of the most beautiful cantles I've seen. It's solid heavy cast "German silver" AKA "nickel silver" AKA Cupro-nickel which was the most popular metal for Highland buckles, sporran fittings, bagpipe mounts, etc throughout the Victorian period up till around WWII. Since it's cast it must have been made in quantity, but I've not seen another.

It was probably made between around 1910 and 1940.

It came attached to a new military-style horsehair sporran, not my cup of tea. So when a modern goathair sporran (with ugly bronze cantle) came up on Ebay I bought it and partnered the c1930 cantle with the goathair body, the result seen above.

This is fine, but not suitable for many outfits, so I began looking for inspiration for a different body to go with that cantle.

As it happens, in the Edwardian period silver-topped Day Dress sporrans were common, here's a Mood Board of those. (The King's, upper right, is quite recent but follows that tradition.)

Lower right is a c1910 catalogue page of Day Dress sporrans intended for wearing with tweed Day outfits. By 1930 the style at upper right on the catalogue page, fur with silver top, was becoming popular in Evening Dress, eventually more popular than the long white hair Victorian silver-topped sporran, though never fully replacing it.



I created a Mood Board of various vintage (and neo-vintage) sporrans I liked



Out of this came some collage mockups



Which in turn led to me cobbling together what, in effect, is a "working mockup" or test sporran.

I picked up a seal sporran (being sold as "faux fur") on Ebay for $28.

Upper left: The Pakistani seal sporran with ugly dark grey-painted cantle, and tassels, removed. As per my Mood Board and collage mockups I decided to go with buff/natural leather braided cord.

Upper right: I put on my vintage cantle and punched new holes in the fur body.

Lower left: The braided cord added. I sanded off the grey paint on the "bells" and underneath was a promising silvery layer. What I didn't know was that under that was a third layer, the base, which is brass. I went too far with the sanding and I'm left with brass bells.

Lower right: Cords and temporary bells installed. I have two sets of proper bells ordered. The sporran will eventually have a 4th tassel as per the collage mockups. The tassels will have nickel bells and matching buff/natural leather fringe.

I really like what you are doing with this sporran, and am keen to see the final results...

With my nickel cantles, I find using a silver-brush (like an oversize toothbrush with bristles like a shoe-brush) as that keeps off any unwanted tarnish without giving too bright a shine - it works well with pewter, too.

The pictures below are the sporran I finished a short while ago (perhaps you recognise it from another group) with which I tried to get the same sort of day-wear fur-front style with leather tassels, for the same reasons you talk about. I have also, on another metal-cantled sporran, replaced the chain-mounted tassels with braided leather to produce what I think is a practical 'smart day-wear' item - which gets admiring comments.

With the braided cords, I have found that knotting one cord around the other (which is left unknotted) keeps the bulk to a minimum while doing the job, but I have seen it done with two half-knots (one from each cord, tied around, or looping through the other's half-knot) with good effect.

I intend to do this with one of my future projects.




DSCF0625.jpgDSCF0628.jpg

[OC Richard]

That's lovely!

Quite a similar aesthetic to what I have in mind.

Today's WIP collage:

Top row L-R
-the Pakistani dark grey cantle and bells removed
-extra holes punched in Pakistani body
-tassel leather in progress, colour tests (the leather scrap didn't quite match the leather cord)

Bottom row L-R
-painting the scrap leather to match leather cord
-antiquing the bells, enlarging the holes
-bells and tassels ready for assembly