Can this cantle be saved?

[Jags]

Leather military sporran cantles of that type from the late 19th/early 20th century if they haven't been properly maintained, turn out with what you have. Moisture has most likely damaged that one and I don't think anything can really bring it back to the original look without disassembling it. I have two, one from the Boer war era that has always been taken care of, and one from the 20's that got wet and not dried properly and is in just a tad better shape than yours. Getting the badge off and on is extremely difficult as you surmise, not fun at all. I highly doubt that is liquid lustre on it, that's more of an American shortcut than British.

Thank you. This is very helpful.

[Tobus]

I couldn't say whether Leather Luster is at play here, but something sure is. To be blunt, this is not simply the result of old leather. I have a lot of military leather items dating well back into the Victorian era, and none of them display this kind of surface effect. This has to be the result of "something" that was put on the surface of the leather which has likely dried up and shrunk over time, then cracking and/or taking on the shape of anything that was pressed against it. And again, in the latest sporran photo, I don't see any brittle leather flakes or any signs of the actual leather showing through. This is all surface finish/treatment of some sort, which has not aged well.

Without knowing what it really is, and wanting to try to restore it (with the understanding that it may just have to be replaced entirely), I'd start with various chemicals to remove it gently and try to get it back to the original leather. Alcohol, naphtha, lacquer thinner, acetone, etc. Try each one with a cotton boll and see if it has any effect.

[LKM]

Looking at the picture I thing the question should be it is worth saving? There is a good chance that it would be more affordable and better looking to replace the cantle even if it can be saved. I would agree with others that this damage is most likely from what was used on the leather, most likely in an attempt to "help" the leather look better, and this kind of damage might not be worth the effort in the long run.

If I were you, I would take off the cantle and use it to make a pattern for a new cantle. There are may places where inexpensive leather pieces large enough can be found. The stitching is a saddle stitch, and I would advise using a high strength thread or leather sinew for the stitching. I would probably also replace the tassel tops on the sporran so that they look better with the new leather.