Yes, you should condition the strap and hangtag. Sometimes, the strap needs more conditioning than the rest of the bag. It seems to dry out more.
Coach Rehab and Rescue Club
- Thread starter bunnymasseuse
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Ok, I never thought that rehabbing a bag would turn into a hobby (addiction 
). I started by accident trying to get a pen mark off of my soho hobo. That led to cleaning my existing bags. Which then led to fixing the leather on a Kristin satchel. She looked like she was dragged down the street. A project still in the works. Finally, after reading this posting and admiring all the lovely bags brought back to life I now have done a black court, a blue city, and a brown stewardess. Now I just bought a large NYC messenger bag for my sons girlfriend. I think I need to go on a bag diet for a while ( or build a bigger closet).
). I started by accident trying to get a pen mark off of my soho hobo. That led to cleaning my existing bags. Which then led to fixing the leather on a Kristin satchel. She looked like she was dragged down the street. A project still in the works. Finally, after reading this posting and admiring all the lovely bags brought back to life I now have done a black court, a blue city, and a brown stewardess. Now I just bought a large NYC messenger bag for my sons girlfriend. I think I need to go on a bag diet for a while ( or build a bigger closet). 
Absolutely! In fact, thinner pieces like straps tend to dry out faster and require extra attention. Do you have brasso or other metal polish to shine up the hardware?
The water mark returning probably means, unfortunately, that it is probably not water. If its coming back already I'd probably not wait for it to dry and rewash now. It may not help but it probably wont hurt. With a spot like that id probably go over the whole panel really well with undiluted soap. I'd do the panel to avoid any lighter spots from excessive scrubbing.
You probably will end up needing blackrocks for sure either way to even it out, but one more bath won't hurt
Thank you both for the tips! I have a jewelry cleaner that I've used (recently) on brass and metal chains that worked wonders, so I'm probably just going to brush some of it onto the hardware before I start conditioning the leather.
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I wish I had seen your post sooner! I would have loved to try rewashing, but I figured it might be too rough on the purse (but realistically, I already know the purse is tough). Since I'm so far into the drying process, I imagine I'll leave the purse as is. The mysterious mark on the back probably isn't water, but I can see a dramatic difference in how the back of the purse looks more cohesive in terms of the color (and the purse is still drying, so the color could absolutely change in a day or so, but the mark is certainly less prominent when looking at the purse as a whole).
I just ordered Blackrocks on eBay, so I'm expecting to have it by/before next Thursday. Until then, I'll be applying and reapplying the Leather CPR. I'll post pictures tomorrow night of the back before the first application of Leather CPR and after the first application of Leather CPR. Thank you for all of the helpful advice! I love the purse I'm trying to salvage, and already I know I'm doing all the right things because everyone here has been such a great help!
Because the front flap of your bag is lined with leather (double thickness), it's gonna take a while to dry. And although, you can wait til it's completely dry, I usually start conditioning while it's still a little damp. Especially the strap(s). You've definitely got some time!
On my bag, the dark area over the magnet probably improved by 50%, and really doesn't bother me, either!
Good luck...let us see your progress!
Check your phone book for Tack shops...equestrian stuff...or maybe a farm store to find Blackrocks...otherwise e-bay, etc.
And yes, straps and hangtag. Sounds like you're picking up your skills quickly. Everyone has their own process for rehabbing, so the more you read, you'll get the hang of it and figure out what works best for you. Continued good luck!
I have tried rewashing stained tan bags, I have even run them through washer. I'm sorry to say that I haven't had much luck with removing the stains. The best I can usually hope for is to remove the dirt, lighten the stains a bit, and then try to even out the color a little with a wax-based conditioner like black rocks.
Honestly, I wouldn't expect washing it again to make much difference, It was a last ditch effort and something I would try if the bag wasn't already mostly finished. BlackRocks will probably much improve the appearance though.
Thank You! I'm pretty geeked about it. I'm going to tuck it away until the fall, not so much because I think it's a "strictly" fall color, but because I want to use my "summery" bags now while I can.
Funny how an impulse purchase on something I'd pretty much decided against turned out to be one of my faves. It's a nice size bag too!
OK, I don't know how I clicked the little "thumbs down" on my original post, but it was unintentional, I was probably on my tablet when I posted it and touched the wrong part of the screen.
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