How warm can you get leather before you damage it?

[tombear]

The situation is I will be sewing on a thin, say 1.3mm cover onto a a wooden scabbard while the leather ( veg tan calf skin) is damp and cold. I'd like to apply some hide glue to various parts of the scabbard first, let dry, sew the damp cover on then once it has dried and shrunk tight then use heat to reactivate the glue so it bonds the leather to the wood and horn slide.

Can this be done without damaging the finish on the leather?.

The last time I heated some leather, in a an attempt to get some tallow and beeswax to penetrate deeper, using a hair dryer I scorched a darker patch into the leather. I was not a happy bunny.

Advice please!

ATB

Tom

 

[dwardo]

Would it be possible to stick the leather where you want it, slide the wooden part out glue then pop it back in?
I would be very wary about taking heat to leather, especially that thin.

 

[tombear]

Unfortunately it will be going on very tight indeed. The glue melts at 140F which is "only" 60 C.

I suppose I'll just have to try it on a spare bit of the wood and see.

Thanks!

ATB

Tom

 

[British Red]

Tom,

Given the hide glue is water based, if you soften the leather with hot water before stitching it on, the glue should adhere.

Red