Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[JOODLZ]

Oh my gosh... remember the Cubavera shirt my husband liked so much?? Well, it had a little accident today, and got washed with a tube of chapstick in the pocket. But, I figured out how to get the chapstick out! If anyone is curious, I made a blog entry...
http://coachbagrehab.blogspot.com/2012/05/remove-pink-chapstick-from-white-shirt.html

I knew there was a reason I had squirreled away a gallon-size ziplock bag FULL of hotel soaps...great tip...Thanks!

 

[JOODLZ]

Thanks ladies. I was iffy on this bag for awhile but I think she'll get to go out in the world. I would like to find a longer dogleash style strap so I can wear her cross body sometimes. The double strap is pretty short!

I imagine I'll end up with a bag down the road that I can switch out.

Great Job! ...and know your Basic Bag has 2 other twins in my closet...a black one and a red one!

 

[JOODLZ]

I am really pleased with the NYC-made bag that I found at Savers today for $17.50. I thought it was a bucket bag but Hyacinth says that it is a Shoulder Sac 9730 from around 1989.

The color is great and it is in really good shape and pretty clean for its age. It does have some water marks on the bottom and the straps have darkened dirty areas, so I have to decide whether or not to give her a bath and risk losing some color or just surface cleaning her. Any suggestions?

http://forum.purseblog.com/coach-shopping/authenticate-this-coach-694619-689.html#post21790455

Saw your Shoulder Sac...beautiful color. I recently rehabbed a Basic Bag and am in the conditioning stage of a Legacy Small Hobo, both red. The Basic bag didn't lose a lot of color but the Hobo did...and most of it ended up on my hands and embedded in my fingernails. Most of the color seemed to come out of the inside...that's where my hands were. After the hobo dried, I applied Lexol, and it picked up some color. Yesterday I worked some Leather CPR into the strap, with little color on my fingers. I'll let it rest a little while today, then see what's going on.

My only advice based on this...wear gloves if you give her a bath!
Good Luck...you always do a fine job!

 

[JOODLZ]

One of the reasons I wash some of the vintage bags is to reshape and "firm" the leather. With a wallet...mmm...may or may not be necessary but I'd probably put some uncolored paper or some such at the beginning of the drying stages to make sure you don't end up with a flat wallet...I usually wait till it's partially dry and in the shape I want then remove the paper so it can dry faster.

I'll let someone else give you info on the brass, it's not particularly my thing. I found some Brasso in my stash of cleaning stuff and that's what I use but others may have more options & opinions. Or you can look at the search function on this thread. I know JOODLZ came up with a concoction, actually there are lots of ways to clean brass, so I wouldn't spend a lot of money on any one option.

As for soap, I use whatever dish soap, or laundry soap, or woolite I have around. While you don't want to use anything particularly harsh, I think the most important thing is to make sure you completely rinse all the soap out.

Amen on the rinsing! I can feel it best on the inside suede...when it doesn't feel slick & soapy anymore, I'm done! So far, I've only used Dawn Extra Strength, as most of my bags are older, been in my closet for years (!) and haven't been well cared for til now! I like the idea of using a little hotel bar soap, but haven't tried it...yet.

 

[iyaken]

After seeing this, I had to do a search for the dye! I have not been successful yet (just searched tack shops, the one that had dye did not have tan) but when I do find one, I think I can be more brazen about getting this 2 inch long pen mark off the front of my BT station bag! I just LOVE the color that turned out to be!

I don't know if it's silly or not but I usually don't condition before rehabbing.

I never have before, either! But then, I started worrying about dry rot and the old dry straps cracking and breaking... I just did the dryest ones yesterday (3?) and boy, did they suck the conditioner up!

This prompted me to hit my local Tuesday Morning and get the last 2 tubes of Leather CPR. The saleslady said they never know what they're going to get with their trucks, and though this seemed to be coming in fairly consistently, she can't say they'll have more for sure. My first batches were from Marshall's for $5 per tube, but they're more hit and miss than TM! Searched online, and found a shop in-state that has them for less than or equal to TM prices (because they have a sale going on?) with Leather CPR I think 21ish per gallon, but it's almost 2 hours' drive away and I'm not in dire need right now. They do ship, so that might be an option someday. Anyway, sorry for the rambling! I just get so excited now that I'm back..

I am really pleased with the NYC-made bag that I found at Savers today for $17.50. I thought it was a bucket bag but Hyacinth says that it is a Shoulder Sac 9730 from around 1989.

The color is great and it is in really good shape and pretty clean for its age. It does have some water marks on the bottom and the straps have darkened dirty areas, so I have to decide whether or not to give her a bath and risk losing some color or just surface cleaning her. Any suggestions?

I vote for dunking it.. perhaps with less soap than you usually use? Without soap, you'd at least get the watermarks out (hopefully), with a little, maybe get the dirt out too. I still haven't had a shot at colored bags - can only find blue, black, brown and gray so far, and ebay auctions are just shooting up way out of my budget!

Amen on the rinsing! I can feel it best on the inside suede...when it doesn't feel slick & soapy anymore, I'm done! So far, I've only used Dawn Extra Strength, as most of my bags are older, been in my closet for years (!) and haven't been well cared for til now! I like the idea of using a little hotel bar soap, but haven't tried it...yet.

Oh yes, the rinsing. I also based it on that slick-almost-slimy feeling, but sometimes, I rinse with that little extending spray thing at the sink, and I figure if it doesn't make suds anymore, then I'm good. I've done it where I thought it was fine without the soapy feel, but when I did another quick rinse, suds still came out! I do like the idea of using any non-harsh soap now. I have a LOT of soap from when I couponed, and I never used em cuz I'm now a bodywash gal I'll still pick and choose which soap to use, but at least some of them will serve their lives' purposes!

 

[iyaken]

So I will be working on a Saddle Pouch like the one katev did in this thread http://forum.purseblog.com/coach/bag-cost-5-bucks-lot-work-rehab-reveal-698096.html

I'm sure I have them somewhere, but I can't currently find my before pics. I know they're in the authentication thread, but.. it's early Sunday morning. I'm being lazy It's also a light-ish color, which I thought might be camel (but next to my other light ones, made me think maybe a faded BT). If it's light, I'd like to keep it that way. So on to my question - has anyone tried Bick 4 conditioner? I tried a little Leather CPR, and it darkened the leather a bit - could be darkening it to its hydrated state, or could just be darkening it period. Bick 4 has "does not darken leather" on the bottle, and so I was wondering if anyone has had experience with it actually working as advertised? I think it's cheaper than apple, but not as cheap as CPR...

 

[JOODLZ]

I'm done with red for a while...I posted the issues with this bag on P 166 #2476. Since then she's been conditioned with Lexol and given a thorough massage with Leather CPR. And she's going to sit for a while so hopefully the pink rub-off stays put. (It only comes off with the moisture of conditioner, but living in Florida, there's always perspiration! I must just remember to wear dark colors with this one.) There is still a bit of black on her shoulders, but I can live with it.

The grain of this leather is just beautiful...and seems to be more visible after rehab. She'll still get lots of use and maybe someday she'll go for a ride in the washer!

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and encouraging each other to continue on!

 

[JOODLZ]

My little Soho Small Zip #4104 is done! I posted before pics and the painting part of the rehab on P166 #2479. She got an all-over rub down with Leather CPR and I'm thrilled with the results. The toffee colored leather is soooo soft and squooshy. And she's kinda cute with the gunmetal hangtag she borrowed from one of her sisters for the photo shoot. I think I'll be calling Coach soon for some replacements!

Oh and by the way...I'm on the lookout for more bags with nickel hardware...until I get that Dremel for Christmas!

 

[JOODLZ]

And last of all, the tiny Bone Dinky Bag...If they were all this easy! I posted befores on P 166 #2482. The only things I did were touch up the strap edges with Linen acrylic paint, polish the brass and give her a good conditioning with Leather CPR. For a girl her age (late 70s-87) she looks good!

A note about Leather CPR...I'm hooked! But our 2 local Tuesday Mornings are out and have no idea when they will receive more! Yesterday I drove to Bed, Bath & Beyond and paid more than twice the price for a smaller tube. I will be Googling before I buy again!

 

[ladyraven65]

I'm done with red for a while...I posted the issues with this bag on P 166 #2476. Since then she's been conditioned with Lexol and given a thorough massage with Leather CPR. And she's going to sit for a while so hopefully the pink rub-off stays put. (It only comes off with the moisture of conditioner, but living in Florida, there's always perspiration! I must just remember to wear dark colors with this one.) There is still a bit of black on her shoulders, but I can live with it.

The grain of this leather is just beautiful...and seems to be more visible after rehab. She'll still get lots of use and maybe someday she'll go for a ride in the washer!

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and encouraging each other to continue on!

She came out very pretty! I love the grain on her-great job!

 

[ladyraven65]

And last of all, the tiny Bone Dinky Bag...If they were all this easy! I posted befores on P 166 #2482. The only things I did were touch up the strap edges with Linen acrylic paint, polish the brass and give her a good conditioning with Leather CPR. For a girl her age (late 70s-87) she looks good!

A note about Leather CPR...I'm hooked! But our 2 local Tuesday Mornings are out and have no idea when they will receive more! Yesterday I drove to Bed, Bath & Beyond and paid more than twice the price for a smaller tube. I will be Googling before I buy again!

Beautiful-very fresh and pristine!

 

[ladyraven65]

My little Soho Small Zip #4104 is done! I posted before pics and the painting part of the rehab on P166 #2479. She got an all-over rub down with Leather CPR and I'm thrilled with the results. The toffee colored leather is soooo soft and squooshy. And she's kinda cute with the gunmetal hangtag she borrowed from one of her sisters for the photo shoot. I think I'll be calling Coach soon for some replacements!

Oh and by the way...I'm on the lookout for more bags with nickel hardware...until I get that Dremel for Christmas!

Pretty! I don't think I have seen this style before-I like it! I think I will have to try Leather CPR. I am usually a die hard Blackrocks fan but it would be nice to have something different in my rehab arsenal, too. I will have to see what stores sell it here in NY or I could always order it online.

 

[Jessi319]

So I will be working on a Saddle Pouch like the one katev did in this thread http://forum.purseblog.com/coach/bag-cost-5-bucks-lot-work-rehab-reveal-698096.html

I'm sure I have them somewhere, but I can't currently find my before pics. I know they're in the authentication thread, but.. it's early Sunday morning. I'm being lazy It's also a light-ish color, which I thought might be camel (but next to my other light ones, made me think maybe a faded BT). If it's light, I'd like to keep it that way. So on to my question - has anyone tried Bick 4 conditioner? I tried a little Leather CPR, and it darkened the leather a bit - could be darkening it to its hydrated state, or could just be darkening it period. Bick 4 has "does not darken leather" on the bottle, and so I was wondering if anyone has had experience with it actually working as advertised? I think it's cheaper than apple, but not as cheap as CPR...

I've never had LeatherCPR darken stuff but a really dry bag may just be lighter than it's supposed to be til conditioned? I've not tried the Bick4 but that's why we love this thread! If you try it and really like it, tell us how it compares to other conditioners so we have another idea for our conditioner arsenal

 

[katev]

...I love this bucket bag, and I would try to refrain from washing it if at all possible, or possibly wash it in cold water... has anyone tried that to see if the color might bleed less? The red one I got at Savers yesterday (and yes, I have been waiting a whole year to be able to say that) did not need a bath, and it has a dark lining, so I just wiped her down with Lysol wipes and called it a day.

I washed a red patricias legacy from 1998 in cold water with some wool wash and very little colour came off - only a very slight pinkish tinge to the water, and only when I reached in and scrubbed out the inside with my hand.

I also washed my burgundy kisslock tote in cold water and very little colour came off - granted though, lots came off with the saddle soap I used to clean it first and with pretty well anything else I touch it with!

Nice find too!

DUNK HER!

It's a pretty bag. Congrats on the find!

I second that, I think it's only way you will get the water marks out. Gorgeous bag! I love any and all bucket styles.

Great find-the color is beautiful! I would surface clean her first and if you don't get the results you are happy with I would give her a short bath.

...I vote for dunking it.. perhaps with less soap than you usually use? Without soap, you'd at least get the watermarks out (hopefully), with a little, maybe get the dirt out too. I still haven't had a shot at colored bags - can only find blue, black, brown and gray so far, and ebay auctions are just shooting up way out of my budget!...

Saw your Shoulder Sac...beautiful color. I recently rehabbed a Basic Bag and am in the conditioning stage of a Legacy Small Hobo, both red. The Basic bag didn't lose a lot of color but the Hobo did...and most of it ended up on my hands and embedded in my fingernails. Most of the color seemed to come out of the inside...that's where my hands were. After the hobo dried, I applied Lexol, and it picked up some color. Yesterday I worked some Leather CPR into the strap, with little color on my fingers. I'll let it rest a little while today, then see what's going on.

My only advice based on this...wear gloves if you give her a bath!
Good Luck...you always do a fine job!

I surfaced cleaned and conditioned the only bright red coach bag I've ever rehabbed and it came out great, but it was in better condition than the bucket (although it's not bad, just a few areas have problems.)

I have a couple of maroon, burgandy bags in my rehab pile that will have to be dunked because they really need it. Maybe I will work on them first and save the bucket (shoulder sac) for later. Thanks for all the advice!

 

[katev]

And last of all, the tiny Bone Dinky Bag...If they were all this easy! I posted befores on P 166 #2482. The only things I did were touch up the strap edges with Linen acrylic paint, polish the brass and give her a good conditioning with Leather CPR. For a girl her age (late 70s-87) she looks good!

A note about Leather CPR...I'm hooked! But our 2 local Tuesday Mornings are out and have no idea when they will receive more! Yesterday I drove to Bed, Bath & Beyond and paid more than twice the price for a smaller tube. I will be Googling before I buy again!

Your rehabs look great! Red, tan, and white bags - you are brave!