Breaking in a sporran?

[McELT]

Does anyone have a method of breaking in a sporran?

I mean something similar to breaking in a baseball glove, softening the leather a little bit.

Both of my sporrans are very stiff and I thought they may benefit from some softening up.

[Kiltman]

Wear them a lot. If the leather is too stiff you can get products to help with it. However, using them is the best way to soften them up.

[george7]

I'm a volunteer sporran breaker-inner. Just send a sporran and I'll kindly give it years of breaking in.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

"Put everything in the sporran that you ever intend to carry, then submerge it in a tub of hot water for 45 minutes, adding more hot water as the tub cools. Once you have finished soaking your sporran place it, without removing the contents, in your oven with the temperature set at 450 (or gas mark 4) and leave to bake for two hours. The sporran will now "form fit" those items you intend to carry and will only require the occasional application of neatsfoot oil to keep it in tip-top condition. Bauer's "Bag Balm" may be used if you are out of neatsfoot oil."

From So You're Going To Wear A Sporran (Second Supple Edition) By Jay Charlie Tommsen, Bagmasher Press, 1982

[george7]

Put everything in the sporran that you ever intend to carry, then submerge it in a tub of hot water for 45 minutes, adding more hot water as the tub cools. Once you have finished soaking your sporran place it, without removing the contents, in your oven with the temperature set at 450 (or gas mark 4) and leave to bake for two hours. The sporran will now "form fit" those items you intend to carry and will only require the occasional application of neatsfoot oil to keep it in tip-top condition. Bauer's "Bag Balm" may be used if you are out of neatsfoot oil.

Then promptly log on to Amazon and order a replacement phone and camera and zip over to Zazzle for new business cards.

[An t-Ileach]

You need some leather treatment stuff. I wouldn't use neatsfoot oil/mars oil as you won't be able to shine it up afterwards, and saddle soap though excellent for cleaning doesn't really penetrate deeply enough and treat the leather.

I've found by far the best stuff is an Australian product - Oakwood Leather Conditioner - it's very penetrative and excellent for softening (I've used it on saddle flaps that had been allowed to get so dry they were practically sticking out at right-angles). It's best to work it in with your fingers I've found (I suppose, like most of these products, it's mainly lanolin) although the pot recommends a soft cloth.

They have a website (oakwoodproducts.com). They're located at 10 Parkview Crescent, Singleton, NSW 2330 (phone (02) 6571 5711; fax (02) 6571 1615). They seem to have an American agency, phone number (888) 388-1370, and a European one located in the UK (phone number 0800-783-4862). I got this off the pot in my workshop, I hope it all's still current. I usually get new pots each year at the BETA Show, so as this one's been with me since February the gen is probably still current.

[McMurdo]

I would say it would depend on the quality of the sporran, there have been in the last few years a glut of sub-standard off-shore products flooding the market, if you were to immerse one of these in water they would no doubt fall apart. Therefore I think you would be much further ahead getting a higher quality sporran, for example my Freelander never needed to be "softened" up nor did either one of my Ferguson Britt sporrans, just my two cents.

[arrg-isle]

If you do decide to treat your sporran with a softening or conditioning compound (and mind ye I'm standing to neither side of the do/don't debate), I can heartily suggest giving Bear Leather Dressing a try, if for no other criteria than its neolithic simplicity: it's formulated from bear grease & beeswax, and that's about it!
It was originally marketed in Finland in the 1920's, and is now made & distributed by House of Laurii, in Contocook, NH.; you can google their name for more info.

[PiobBear]

"put everything in the sporran that you ever intend to carry, then submerge it in a tub of hot water for 45 minutes, adding more hot water as the tub cools. Once you have finished soaking your sporran place it, without removing the contents, in your oven with the temperature set at 450 (or gas mark 4) and leave to bake for two hours. The sporran will now "form fit" those items you intend to carry..."

ain't no friggin' way i'm doing that to my scotch!

[george7]

ain't no friggin' way i'm doing that to my scotch!

I was trying to think of some liquid more precious (ounce for ounce) than scotch... I came up with two, but only one exists: Your own blood and a serum that could cure cancer.