Hard leather sporrans

[scotswelshrunner]

Recently I ordered a leather sporran from the ebay. The photos are always delightful and then you get the product: not great but not the worst I've seen. But the leather is very hard and needs to be softened up a bit. Feels like pressed leather from a machine actually. Are there ways to soften the leather and make it more pliable?? I know spending more on a better sporran is the better option but as I have it already, why not see what I can do.

[artificer]

Put simply, probably not.

It's impossible to say for certain without pictures of yours, but most of the cheap sporrans on ebay are leatherboard (pressed leather, like you said).

If you hydrate this leather with a conditioner you run the risk of delaminating the thin leather face from the pressed 'stuff'.

ith:

[scotswelshrunner]

I figured that it was made of that but thought I'd ask. I've actually been fortunate on a few sporrans and had them show up as nice,softer leather. But you don indeed get what you pay for.

[MNlad]

*** Artificer. I was recently asked by a gent if I could rescue a fur faced sporran with a pressed leather back/flap that had been caught in a rainstorm. Closer examination showed the backing for the fur front was of the same material and hopeless. Unfortunately, many conditioners could easily have the same effect.