is softened leather suitable for gluing?

[coppercone2]

I have some hard leather from an ancient leather equipment case. I want to cut and reuse it (the bag is worthless).

I read you can soften it by soaking oil into it.

After you soften it, is this type of leather gluable?

[CatalinaWOW]

Tough question.  The oil you use to soften the leather will kill adhesion with almost any adhesive.  But the very porous back surface of most leathers would allow a mechanical bond with adhesives such as hot glues, epoxies and such.  You could also go the route of softening the leather, forming it to your needs and then cleaning the oil off/out of the glued surface with appropriate detergents and solvents.  This would simulate the condition of most new leathers.  Then the spray on adhesives designed for upholstery should work fine.  Find them at auto parts shops.

[coppercone2]

Lol actually i soaked it in water because i realized it was glued to cardboard and then scrubbed it hard with a metal brillo then cut a oversized peice and dried it in a toaster oven for a while at like 60c measured w thermocouple.

It was good enough for my application. I had no idea they glued it to cardboard so i thought i would need to boil it in a vat of oil or something.

Its just for a pressure roller for tape. I glued it to copper sheet epoxied over a cast lead cylinder and sanded clean. Rubber cement worjed fine for joining the leather to the sanded copper. Hammered out a handle out of some steel rod and bonded it to a wood handle. Fuck you 30$ 3m roller lol. I would have used rubber but on projects like this i make em out of junk and glue thats going bad to save money.