Care of your Hayden Harnett

[Stormy Heart]

Originally Posted by mlinky

Dear Stormy: I bought a lagoon Havana Hobo on the Bay. It has several water spots and some fading on the leather inside the top opening. I tried leather wipes on the spots, no result. I have used my Stadtler-Mars White Eraser which seems to help blending in the edges of the spots. They are actually rather small and not terribly noticeable, but I thought I'd see if you had any other suggestions. Also, as to the fading inside the opening, I thought I'd try some Leather Therapy conditioner. It often darkens light leather, but in this case, the area is faded and not normally visible. What do you think? After I'm done, would it hurt to apply my Wilson's TLC protector? Thank you!

Mlinky, That's a good idea to darken the faded spots with conditioner. You may not get your exact Lagoon color back, (it may seem greyish) but the fade will be less obvious. Be really careful, use Q tips or toothpicks and less product than you think you'll need. Apply to the center of the faded area and blend out softly.
Water spots are always fun. Believe it or not, the best cure is water as a Primary treatment. A BARELY dampened cloth or sponge, lightly 'feathered' over the watermark, will blend the edges until they cannot be seen. You need a lot of patience with this. Work slowly and allow drying time~ repeat if needed. You will still have a slightly darker area,
but it will appear to be a natural variation of the color rather than an OOPS.
(*I am afraid your leather wipes may have a little conditioner in them, in which case, the water marks are set for life, as they are now sealed in.
Could you read us the ingedients ? You may need a secondary step to remove
the conditioner before doing the above treatment, or the damp cloth will just
darken the area around where you used the wipes!)
It's possible you have already done all you can do, other than a regular white pencil eraser.

When you're done, Wilson's is good but use it in a very fine mist and do it evenly
because Lagoon sucks everything up and may darken a tiny bit !

[mlinky]

Thank you Stormy! I'll let you know how it does. Fortunately, it is all very minor...I just don't want to make it major!

[BreeBag]

Hi Stormy!

Is Apple Care Leather Conditioner safe to use on my Lagoon Havana Hobo? I searched the HH forum and couldn't find a clear answer.

Thanks! :)

[Stormy Heart]

Originally Posted by BreeBag

Hi Stormy! Is Apple Care Leather Conditioner safe to use on my Lagoon Havana Hobo? I searched the HH forum and couldn't find a clear answer. Thanks! :)

Bree, I recall someone said Apple darkened her HH bag.
Lagoon is one of the more delicate colors in that it absorbs oils and waters easily and any conditioner would likely splotch, perhaps yellow the color, and darken it.
( Keep in mind that Leather is skin, and won't accept moisturizers evenly)
I'd stick with a regular spray 'rain and stain ' type soil repellant product for Lagoon.
Conditioners are generally not needed, unless your bag has experienced environmental abuse, for example: exposure to prolonged very dry conditions.
In addition, conditioners generally produce a little bit of shine to leather, either from intentional buffing or normal use after application. This would alter the look of Lagoon, which is an almost matte leather, and in my opinion, ruin both the intended look and feel. It would become slippery & shiny instead of silky soft.
The tactile aspect of leather is as important to me as the appearance is.
I tend to baby my lagoon a little more than other HH bags, and won't take her out in the rain, saving it for weather. Normal care involves wiping down with a clean dry terrycloth after use to remove anything it may have picked up, and storing FLAT in a flannel pillowcase, because HH sleeper bags are too short.

[jandelvis]

I had Apple products darken a HH Suki in Saddle. I do not recommend it for that type of leather!

I am in the middle of a cleaning project now! Using Wilson's to try to rescue my Chalk Havana. Not sure how, but the side of the bag that hits my body is positively grimy. Don't think it's dye transfer from jeans.

Interesting thing happened as I applied! The wilson's lotion is a clear milky hue, and the leather turned blueish as soon as the lotion hit it - the wetness really accentuated the blue undertones of the chalk color!! kinda cool - as long as it dries normally

[BreeBag]

Thank you, Stormy! I just bought a can of Wilson's TLC spray and will wait to take Lagoon out until I've sprayed it!

[jandelvis]

So I have some HH cleaning updates....

1. Sao Paolo in Rosso:
Used the Wilson's cleansing lotion on my Sao Paolo Crossbody in Rosso. There was a pencil eraser sized darker mark that I think may have been a drop of my coffee sloshing out of the cup. The Wilson's did a great job of lifting the mark without changing any of the color-texture. When I wiped off the lotion, the white cloth I was using did turn a little red, so it for sure was removing some dye, but not enough to make a diffence in appearance

2. Havana in Chalk. Not as successful here. The lotion removed a lot of the grime, but left behind are multiple gumball-sized circular darker spots. I think they are the spots that had soaked up more of the cleansing lotion. The instructions say to "buff" after the bag is dry and I didn't do that yet since I wasn't sure how... what to use etc. Any ideas?

3. Wyeth in Cordovan. Just got back from a manicure with a girlfriend and spotted these horrible dark black streak marks on my cordovan Wyeth flap I deliberated using the Wilson's, but decided to just rub with my clean finger to see what happened. I don't know if I rubbed the stain into the leather or rubbed it out, but it's no longer visible!! I tried this based on something Stormy wrote a few pages back about the wax in some HH leathers, and it worked like a charm! It *may* have been oil that was on the manicurist chair that dripped from some bottle which could explain the positive response it made to just my "massage." Do not think it was jean dye transfer. Crisis averted in any case!

[Stormy Heart]

A HAT TRICK JAN, whooo !
Quick, condition the spot where Rosso faded to reseal the dye.
Sounds like you're right about the Chalk, some spots absorbed more product and revealed the blue-grey color base. Buff with clean soft white cloths.
And big fat bonus points to Cordovan for being so well -behaved !

[chodessa]

Originally Posted by jandelvis

3.[/B] Wyeth in Cordovan[/COLOR]. Just got back from a manicure with a girlfriend and spotted these horrible dark black streak marks on my cordovan Wyeth flap I deliberated using the Wilson's, but decided to just rub with my clean finger to see what happened. I don't know if I rubbed the stain into the leather or rubbed it out, but it's no longer visible!! I tried this based on something Stormy wrote a few pages back about the wax in some HH leathers, and it worked like a charm! It *may* have been oil that was on the manicurist chair that dripped from some bottle which could explain the positive response it made to just my "massage." Do not think it was jean dye transfer. Crisis averted in any case!

Thank God that worked out!!

[jandelvis]

Originally Posted by Stormy Heart

A HAT TRICK JAN, whooo ! Quick, condition the spot where Rosso faded to reseal the dye. Sounds like you're right about the Chalk, some spots absorbed more product and revealed the blue-grey color base. Buff with clean soft white cloths. And big fat bonus points to Cordovan for being so well -behaved !

To "condition" the Sao Paolo, can I use the Wilson's TLC spray protector?

Will let you know how the buffing goes

THANKS AGAIN, STORMYHEART! for sharing your knowledge with us here so generously! You may have very well saved my Wyeth from a nasty and panic-stricken cleaning attempt that caused further harm!

[chodessa]

I have a question for you Stormy regarding HH saddle leather....
Do you find that the color ages and gets darker with time? Do the handles turn darker from the oils from your hands? I have NO experience with this color from HH..and the leather feels quite untreated and bare...

[Stormy Heart]

Originally Posted by jandelvis

To "condition" the Sao Paolo, can I use the Wilson's TLC spray protector? Will let you know how the buffing goes THANKS AGAIN, STORMYHEART! for sharing your knowledge with us here so generously! You may have very well saved my Wyeth from a nasty and panic-stricken cleaning attempt that caused further harm!

You're welcome Jan. I'd use a creamy conditioner on the faded red SP area.
I am so glad you refrained from Wyeth Over-do ! Simplest is always best.

[Stormy Heart]

Originally Posted by chodessa

I have a question for you Stormy regarding HH saddle leather.... Do you find that the color ages and gets darker with time? Do the handles turn darker from the oils from your hands? I have NO experience with this color from HH..and the leather feels quite untreated and bare...

It's not bare but it is untreated. It is natural and without a 'finish'. (glossy topcoat)
So ~ it's not totally naked, you have natural wax and oil in the leather;it will darken due to exposure, dirt and skin oils. You are right about that. You can clean the handles with Lexol Cleanser, and follow with a treatment of Lexol conditioner, which goes deep into the fibers to keep dirt out.
I the rich feel of HH Saddle more than any other leather they've ever used.

[chodessa]

Originally Posted by Stormy Heart

It's not bare but it is untreated. It is natural and without a 'finish'. (glossy topcoat) So ~ it's not totally naked, you have natural wax and oil in the leather;it will darken due to exposure, dirt and skin oils. You are right about that. You can clean the handles with Lexol Cleanser, and follow with a treatment of Lexol conditioner, which goes deep into the fibers to keep dirt out. I the rich feel of HH Saddle more than any other leather they've ever used.

You're the best!! Thanks for your expertise!!

[gohogs85]

Hey Stormy!

First off, I'm super impressed with your advanced leather knowledge--super handy for know-nothings like me!!

I recently purchased the Havana Hobo in Goldrush and I know you've said that we need to leave the metallics alone but so far I've been too scared to take her out of the dustbag. Should I expect constant flaking or will it be minimal at most?? I love it so much I can't bear to be afraid of taking her out and about! Thanks in advance!