history of a dye job, not for the fainthearted!

[redskater]

I'm taking a deep breath as I post this thread. I know how everyone says you are not supposed to dye an MJ bag. Believe my, had I had any other option I would never have tried this.

a little history on this bag, I got this back in June on evilbay. There was never any mention of any color variations or fading. When I received this bag, it was a cloudy day, I didn't really notice any color variation (I must have been blind that day) honestly I don't know, I thought it was ok. I left good feedback and put the bag away. The next time I pulled the bag out of the bag, I first noticed that the back of the bag was lighter than the front. Then I noticed that the front had a dark patch and faded to lighter. I kept looking at it trying to figure out why I hadn't noticed this the first time around. I thought maybe it had done this in the month I'd had it while being stored in it's dustbag. I took it out, feeling kind of embarassed about it. Also the leather wasn't all that soft, kind of dry feeling, I thought maybe that was because of it being the washed goat. I also started noticing that the sides of the bag were getting discolored because of the chain. Now I'm feeling really sick! I paid a lot of money for this, I can't contact seller cause I'd already left feedback, so basically I'm stuck with this bag. I would never try and sell this to someone else, so my only option was either try and dye or let it sit in my closet and never take it out again.

What the heck, I thought it's different leather than most of the MJ's I've got, it didn't seem treated so give it a try.

this first set of pics are the before shots. I will say that the flash does make it seem worse than it really was, the flash pics up every flaw in this bag, but still you get the idea.

THIS POST WILL HAVE 3 PARTS TO IT. I'LL TRY AND TYPE FAST SO THEY CAN STAY TOGETHER AND YOU CAN SEE THE PROGRESSION. THANKS FOR BEARING WITH ME.

[redskater]

Ok, so here's what I did.

I got the Tarrago dye in purple. I didn't want to try and go for a completely different color, and this matched really well, just a bit darker which was what I wanted. I wasn't crazy about the plum color to begin with, very washed out looking.

These pics are of the first coat. I didn't use very much product, as a matter of fact, I only used 1/2 the bottle for 3 coats. Anyway, first they have you use a primer that takes off any treatments or conditioners. Worked real well. In fact I almost didn't think I needed more than one coat until I took pics of it and the flash showed that places that needed more color. It was a fairly easy process and I took my time, and was very patient and let each coat dry for a couple of days. I decided not to do the zipper or the leather on the chain, it matches well without it.

The paint came right off the metal so that wasn't a problem. The only thing I was scared about was the feel. As you will see in the final photos, I had nothing to worry about. This bag is 110% better than I could have hoped for.

[redskater]

the end result was incredible. The bag is super soft, I only conditioned once so far. I have been using this off and on for about a month, and it still looks great. No fading, chipping or wearing away of color. It now has a slight sheen, it's a richer color than before and 20 times softer. The pic inside really doesn't capture the color, so the ones taken outside look the truest. I will post a before and after shot as well.

[redskater]

Here is the before pic, yikes, you can see why I had to do what I did! So sad.

[redskater]

the after shot! I am in love with my bag and can't stop looking at the transformation.

[redskater]

And one more just cause.

I honestly would not recommend this to anyone unless you have no other options. I know that all my other MJ's probably wouldn't do as well as this one because the leathers are different. Maybe it's because it was the washed goat and maybe they didn't treat them the same as his other bags. But I must say that Tarrago dye is awesome! and I wouldn't hesitate do do some shoes with it as well. It absorbed right in, so it wasn't like a paint, it dried very fast so it was easy to work with and it came right off the metal which meant I didn't have to cover anything. It put a nice sheen on the bag, and for some reason softened it up and made the leather smoother.

anyway, I just had to share with you all.

[Needanotherbag]

Wow - I about fell over when I saw you were dying a STAM! But it looks to have turned out great - congrats! I do love the color.

[shop2drop1]

I was so nervous reading through this thread, lol, I can't imagine how you felt while you were dying it! Congrats on a successful transformation!

[ProfessorLV]

Wow, congratulations on your success! The bag is beautiful.

[xi_captain]

Originally Posted by shop2drop1

I was so nervous reading through this thread, lol, I can't imagine how you felt while you were dying it! Congrats on a successful transformation!

Omg, me too! I was really hoping nothing went wrong. I'm glad nothing did! I don't think I could ever be as brave but hey, you have to take risks to get rewards. I'm really happy that you were able to fix your Stam. It looks amazing! Congrats on your success and thanks for sharing your story. There is always hope for our bags no matter how hopeless it may seem. .

[rachieface]

Wow redskater! I was honestly like biting my nails reading this. I thought it was going to be a disaster story but what a great outcome! I'm so glad you were able to capture the color and the feel you wanted. I love happy purse endings

[cherryplum]

amazing job! kudos on having the guts to do this and it turned out so well!

[Cheryl24]

That looks incredible!! It almost made your Stam a beatiful periwinkle-purple color. I love it! Congrats on doing a great job on such an intricate task!

[SarahP]

Wow! You are one brave lady! Congratulations!

[jun3machina]

wow! it looks great! i dunno if i would have the balls to dye an expensive MJ like that. you are one VERY brave gal!