Care of your Hayden Harnett

[Stormy Heart]

Originally Posted by jaejaebee

Hello everyone! I'm an avid reader of this forum but this is my first post! Stormy, I've read through this thread and don't think this is specifically covered: I just got an almost brand new ruby havana (no stains, very minor scratches), which I totally love. Is a rain and stain protectant all I need? I live in NYC. Thank you so much!

Hello ! ~ glad you checked in ! Ruby will be fine in NYC with a R&S spray. After the winter season, a nice Wilson's TLC lotion spa day will be in order.

[paelaf]

Originally Posted by Stormy Heart

Nope.Lexol is effective and gentle. The Hudson may have a patina, so when you clean it you'll see a very fresh surface under the dirt. Follow up with the conditioner and she'll be like new. The formula is excellent for veg-tanned leather.

Hi Stormy, I tested both the cleaner and conditioner out on the bottom of my bag and it looked great. The conditioner I applied to the rest seems to have darkened and dulled it a lot (in areas). The leather had a slight shine to it previously.

http://www.citizenrose.com/store/ima...ydenHudson.jpg

It's been almost 24 hrs--I'm wondering if I applied too much and it's still (drying)? And if I did apply too much, can that ruin the bag? Thanks for your help!

[Stormy Heart]

Originally Posted by paelaf

Hi Stormy, I tested both the cleaner and conditioner out on the bottom of my bag and it looked great. The conditioner I applied to the rest seems to have darkened and dulled it a lot (in areas). The leather had a slight shine to it previously. http://www.citizenrose.com/store/ima...ydenHudson.jpg It's been almost 24 hrs--I'm wondering if I applied too much and it's still (drying)? And if I did apply too much, can that ruin the bag? Thanks for your help!

Did you follow the directions (wipe off excess )? Did you wait for the bag to dry after cleanser & before conditioning ? The conditioner is not self-shining. You BUFF it to get your shine. Chances are you need to wait longer, then buff it hard with clean soft cloths.
I did tell you the patina would be washed off.(a fresh surface on this leather should look more matte than shiny) Buffing will restore it. If it looks 'wet' ~ you overused the product. It really only takes a little. Your bag has different shade panels and lots of variation naturally. You did not ruin it. Be patient. If you used too much and it's soaked in, wipe the surface & allow longer dry time ~ up to 3 days if it has good air circulation.

[pursegal]

Originally Posted by Stormy Heart

I'm short on time but will try to get to everyone. Here is an interesting situation which is the opposite of another we face today. IF it's just faded in one area, and the color is there, you can carefully add oil to the spot to darken it and blend it in enough to be less obvious. Use a neetsfoot oil lightly (or any leather product that threatens to darken leather on the label!) and a q-tip from the center of the spot. It will absorb past the application point so be careful not to go to the edges. Then rub it in with your fingertip. Wait a bit, then go over the whole area with your regular conditioner to smooth the effect . It won't be perfect but it will be improved. {A picture would help here.} If there isn't enough blue to revive, a little help in the form of a touch of blue acrylic paint could go under the above suggested remedy. **Blue is a notoriously unstable dye, so we'd better watch these Blueberries for color loss generally. If anyone experiences 'rub - offs', please let us know.

wow, thank you ! you are amazing!!!! i will post a pic tomorrow, also do I need to do a protector on this type of leather. Can I use my TLC? I have not used anything yet.

[cherubicanh]

Hi Stormy. I have a question on buffing. How do you buff? Is it just with a wash cloth? And how do I buff a bag, because I have no idea, lol. Thanks in advance! You are great!

[paelaf]

Originally Posted by Stormy Heart

Did you follow the directions (wipe off excess )? Did you wait for the bag to dry after cleanser & before conditioning ? The conditioner is not self-shining. You BUFF it to get your shine. Chances are you need to wait longer, then buff it hard with clean soft cloths. I did tell you the patina would be washed off.(a fresh surface on this leather should look more matte than shiny) Buffing will restore it. If it looks 'wet' ~ you overused the product. It really only takes a little. Your bag has different shade panels and lots of variation naturally. You did not ruin it. Be patient. If you used too much and it's soaked in, wipe the surface & allow longer dry time ~ up to 3 days if it has good air circulation.

Thanks very much for your response. OK, I think I may have have used too much. It did look a bit wet after I applied it. I did follow all of the other directions though (dry after cleaning, wipe off excess, etc.) I found there really wasn't much excess to wipe off because it soaked in very quickly. I did notice that it lost the patina in areas, but overall this is a bit different than what I'm seeing, which is kind of just a dulled down, lifeless bag. Last night I buffed it with a new microfiber towel and I think it picked up a bit of shine. I'll take a look in another couple of days and buff it again. Thank you again for your help :)

[kkiimm]

Originally Posted by Stormy Heart

Rub the spot with cornstarch; if it's oil it will pull most of it out. Unfortunately, you have used the cleaning wipes that contain conditioners and it probably has set the mark permanently. (I'm sure I've addressed this question somewhere, so I don't know what keywords are being searched...) The rule here is First deal with a specific problem, before grabbing a product meant for general care. *now we have grease/ungrease side by side.

thanks so much for your input.. it looks like it's starting to fade away on its own (or maybe i'm used to seeing it lol)

[Stormy Heart]

Originally Posted by pursegal

wow, thank you ! you are amazing!!!! i will post a pic tomorrow, also do I need to do a protector on this type of leather. Can I use my TLC? I have not used anything yet.

It should be OK. (as in post #113) It depends how hard you are on your bags generally; I only spray naked leather.

[Stormy Heart]

Originally Posted by cherubicanh

Hi Stormy. I have a question on buffing. How do you buff? Is it just with a wash cloth? And how do I buff a bag, because I have no idea, lol. Thanks in advance! You are great!

Dedicate some old t-shirts, a microfiber cloth and a very soft shoeshine brush to leather bags. When a conditioner has been used, start with the brush, softly in a brisk back and forth motion across the smooth areas and along seams. Switch to the softest cloth you can find and use circular patterns with slight pressure. Continue until the shine you want is achieved. You can use the brush alone after bag usage, to dust out along the seams, where most dirt likes to settle, contributing to "bag age".

[winglessx]

Dear Stormy,

I just recieved my blueberry tamasin and Im wondering what can i use to protect it before i take it out. (Its rainy, snowy in NYC) I already took it out once to see how i like it but I want to protect it from getting the dreaded blue dye from rubbing against my jeans. ( I always have this problem!) Thanks!

[Stormy Heart]

Originally Posted by winglessx

Dear Stormy, I just recieved my blueberry tamasin and Im wondering what can i use to protect it before i take it out. (Its rainy, snowy in NYC) I already took it out once to see how i like it but I want to protect it from getting the dreaded blue dye from rubbing against my jeans. ( I always have this problem!) Thanks!

The one topic I wish we never had to go over...
There is NOTHING you can use to prevent indigo stains if you wear dark denim and rub your bag against it. The Spray protectants help; and it might clean up a little better, but don't expect miracles. Make sure you triple spray the back and bottom of the bag. If you are serious about it, you could seal the leather completely with a heavy clear shoewax product (after spray) which can be removed later with heavy cleansing should it discolor. The wax coat, instead of your leather, will pick up the dye from your clothing. The harder the wax, the better. Buff very lightly (barely) to preserve the protective layer. Lucky for you, Blueberry and Cordovan can take wax,
naked leathers cannot; for those you must depend upon spray protectors and vigilance.
You could try using Cheer for dark clothing in icy cold water (or another anti-fade detergent) to help stabilize the indigo jeans, with a second or even a third cold rinse ! Warm and hot water allow the color to bleed even when the jeans are dry. Hang dry your jeans...warm and hot dryers also release color. If you don't like the stiffness, you can AIR tumble dry to knock softness back in when they are 100% dry. If you prefer jeans to look new/pressed, precision hanging upside-down with clothespins used on cuffs and to pinch seams, is a good trick.
Check the bag after each wearing with jeans; if you see ANY indigo, wipe with a damp soapy cloth right away - do not allow the dye to set or get built up over multiple uses.
May you be free of the dreaded blue dye in '09 !

[cherubicanh]

Oh Boo Stormy. I should have read your ^^^^ post before. I wore my yam Clara today and I think some dirt rubbed from my jeans. I am attaching a picture. I used an eraser, but now I'm thinking I shouldn't have. So far, the eraser hasn't changed it yet. I'm waiting to see your thoughts on using a damp cloth on the bag, then I'm using more protectant spray( since I already gave it a coat and it still rubbed)! Here is a pic.


I'm hoping I can rectify this somehow...

[Stormy Heart]

Originally Posted by cherubicanh

Oh Boo Stormy. I should have read your ^^^^ post before. I wore my yam Clara today and I think some dirt rubbed from my jeans. I am attaching a picture. I used an eraser, but now I'm thinking I shouldn't have. So far, the eraser hasn't changed it yet. I'm waiting to see your thoughts on using a damp cloth on the bag, then I'm using more protectant spray( since I already gave it a coat and it still rubbed)! Here is a pic. I'm hoping I can rectify this somehow...

Yam waterspots. Yam absorbs everything in a twenty-foot radius. Yam is sensitive and not in the good way. Cooper triple sprayed her yammie if I remember correctly, and kept it nice. I don't know what can safely or completely remove indigo from yam. The only products that do, also wreck the leather enough that refinishing is needed. Yam is unfinished to start with, so that's out. It stains easily plus that indigo is a killer. The rough texture of denim abrades the leather surface slightly, rubs OFF your protectant, and leaves color. It doesn't look too bad, because you are catching it at first rub, and had a little spray there. I'd hit it with Lexol cleanser but still wouldn't expect to get her perfectly clean. Whatever you decide (vegetable -based soap or lexol), take care not to create water stains on top of the denim rub, by blotting in a feathered pattern; that is, keep no wet edge, albeit cleanser or water. You'll have to do the entire panel. Do not try a leather wipe, baby wipe, mr clean eraser or any other such nonsense.
I am now having indigo nightmares...

[cherubicanh]

Darn. Thanks so much Stormy! I think I'm going to live with it if it doesn't fade just a little more, but I'm going to spray it another couple of times so that it won't happen again. AND YES Stormy...INDIGO nightmares are starting! LOL. I have another yammie coming, so I'm going to have to spray it 3-4 times before taking her out.

[jennirane]

Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to post a quick note--I remember some chatter about Wilson's TLC spray being gone... just found a ton of it (in aerosol and pump) at an outlet mall. Also got the cleaner/conditioner and it took the denim transfer ALMOST all off the back of my Yam Tharpe. (Will spray 2 coats of the TLC as soon as it's warm enough to step outside) At the outlet store they told me all the Wilson's mall (regular) stores are now closed or closing, but they're going strong in the outlet malls.