Help Needed with Sporran Repair

[LRRobertson327]

Hello, I need help finding someone to repair my (Donnie Hailey create Sporran) , It seems storage location had mice. and they remove part of 1 tassle. I tried contacting Donnie at Wyvern Leatherworks, and he is unreachable. website no longer exist or changed. photo attached. the other tassle is completely intact.
Thank you in advance for any guidance
Lester "Robbie" Robertsonsporran2.jpg

[Pleater]

It will most likely be easiest to get a pair of new tassels put on, rather than trying to dismantle match and repair the damaged one - mice are so destructive. I have lost quite a few things to their busy jaws over the years, though quite a few have met their ends under the claws of my cats and the snap of my traps.

I hope you can find some local leatherworker to put things right for you - there are quite a few people here in the UK who dabble in craftwork for various reasons, but these days sending items between here and the US has subsided into stunned hesitation for many, particularly in the last few weeks with the realisation that small sales and lower value items are now to attract import duties.

Anne the Pleater

[EagleJCS]

When you search online, don't limit your search to sporran tassels. Shoe tassels - like those for loafers, golf shoes, and ghillie brogues(!) - will work as well, and may be easier to find.

[OC Richard]

Finding the exact matching leather- even for the original maker- might not be possible. (They'll probably keep using what they have to hand until it runs out, then get another piece, which most likely won't quite match.)

So you'd end up making two new matching black fringed end-parts.

Making them is simple, I've made quite a few for my sporrans.

The difficult thing, potentially, is the way the black fringed portions are mounted under those brown braided things.

You'd have to figure out how the braided things are attached, and whether they can be removed without damaging them. If you can, no problem, just disassemble both tassels and reassemble them with new black fringed things.

If in trying to remove the brown braided things they get messed up, then you're looking at new tassels, probably a different style.

I've done a few sporrans with this style, having metal "bells" (which can be cone-shaped or round).



Margaret Morrison sells various styles of "bells" https://morrison-sporrans.co.uk/coll...n-tassel-bells

[Pleater]

The tassels are a strip of leather cut part way, as seen in a couple of OC Richard's pictures. The solid edge is wrapped around the core, then a bootlace is wound around and woven, wetted so it stretches and is drawn tight - it shrinks as it dries to clamp everything tight.

Anne the Pleater

[OC Richard]

Using metal bells makes it fast and easy.

I put some glue (just a little, you don't want it oozing out) on the top un-cut portion of the fringed thing, wrap it tight around the "bolo" cord (you don't want any glue getting on the cord) and bind it tight with a nylon zip-tie until the glue dries. (Photo below, bottom right.)

It's easiest if the bell has been put in place first, further up the bolo cord.

Then I slide the tassel to where I want it along the bolo cord, then slide the bell down over the top of the tassel.

Just to make sure the tassel can't slide off the cord I put a zip-tie under it.

[LRRobertson327]

Thank you for your help, I ordered black fringe, and I found how to take the tassles apart without destroying the other components. With your input, I believe I can recover this sporran, and I will be much more careful to store it for longivity. Thank you all Again!!!!!!!!!!!!

[LRRobertson327]

sporran2.jpgsporran 3.jpg
With your help I was able to repair my sporran. Thank you All