[QUOTE=hylander;1007279]You can pound a nail with a rock, but does that you give you the best result? If all you want to do is recreate one sporran like the sporran he skillfully executes in the film, you of course could use any number of objects to hack out a similar look. For me the point is the artist in the film doesn't use a butter knife in the process, he uses a tool appropriate to his trade and appropriate to the work at hand. I like making sporrans, I like tools, I like having the right tool for the job. I found in anything involving tools that the right tool makes the job easier. I realize that many here aren't interested making leather work a full time obsession as some of us have, and for those folks your suggestions could be helpful. But for me the film was instructional in seeing what tools he did use to create the sporran he made. Some of those tools I have, some I don't but would like to have. I wasn't suggesting that you couldn't make a sporran without the tools in the film, but there are levels of artistry that are achieved with the right tools. For example, I could make a tassel as he did, but without the pinking tool I would be cutting each pinked slit with an xacto knife, 10 cuts per slit x 8 slits, 80 indiviual cuts per tassel, in the film he achieved the same result with 8 whacks of a mallet with his pinking tool, I'd rather do it his way.[/QUOT]
i agree with you 100%. i was only trying to be encouraging. i just did my first and i have some of the tools he used. i don't have any pinking punches. i wouldn't even know were to get them! i just started doing leather as im a full time fine artist i found it to be an interesting change of pace from painting. i would have been much faster if i had the right tools. because i do other art i had many tools that could be used. like i have a bone folder not a tool the advrige person has around. i made a belt many years ago for a kilt i had. so i had some punches i found Tandy to be quite helpful in getting me started. she recommended several different tools but it was a rather complex design. more like sewing next time going to try a molded leather sporran much much simpler and i think fairly elegant .
thanks to every one for commenting. it is a wonderful film. you don't see really helpful instructional films these days most are so schlock. i would have been nice if they had shown just a few more steps but i did get the idea with some forethought i was able to muttal threw.