Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[katev]

Hi everone....I need help!!
I got a black convertable clutch to try a rehab (my first one). I washed the bag in the sink as directed using dawn dish deter. I followed the directions to stuff and dry etc. Once just about dry I started to work Mink Oil into the leather and buffed inbetween. It took lots of coats to get the leather soft again.
Now weeks later I notice the front of the flap and back of the bag feels a bit sticky and has no sheen. Under the flap on the body of the bag has a nice sheen and not sticky at all! Same with the inside pocket. When I say sticky I mean a cloth will not smoothly slide across the bag when rubbed. Could the problem be the leather was so worn??? I don't know what to think or do....any help would be appreciated!!!!!

I have never used mink oil, does the bag feel dry? Could you post a picture?

 

[katev]

Hey, our thrifting obsession could make us rich and famous! A guy picked up a Philip Treacy (Andy Warhol/Elvis) bag for £20 in a London charity shop. Turns out that it is one of only 10 made and is very valuable. He has already been offered £350,000 from a buyer in China! See the links below:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ng-designer-handbag-just-20-charity-shop.html

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4426824/20-charity-shop-bag-is-worth-350000.html

 

[Indigowaters]

Um...so I used Apple leather conditioned on my Sabrina that I washed. Is that ok?

 

[ledobe]

I stopped at Savers today but I didn't get much. There was a couple of obvious fakes and a willis and a duffle that I had my doubts about. I was attracted to a british tan station bag. It was marked $30 but I have a 30% off coupon that I need to use before the end of the month, so it would have been a good price. But it had a few stains that I didn't think I could eliminate so I left it behind.

I did spend a total of $3 on 2 items! I got this brown zip Coach wallet or cosmetic bag for $1. I like the striped lining. It has some gold speckles on it (like paint spatter) but I hope I can get them off.
http://forum.purseblog.com/coach-shopping/authenticate-this-coach-763164-2.html#post22415306

I also got this pretty blue Lauren mini-skinny for $2 and it really doesn't need any rehab.
http://forum.purseblog.com/general-...s-show-yours-here-761875-26.html#post22415249

Those gold speckles almost look like they belong!

 

[ledobe]

Hey, our thrifting obsession could make us rich and famous! A guy picked up a Philip Treacy (Andy Warhol/Elvis) bag for £20 in a London charity shop. Turns out that it is one of only 10 made and is very valuable. He has already been offered £350,000 from a buyer in China! See the links below:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ng-designer-handbag-just-20-charity-shop.html

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4426824/20-charity-shop-bag-is-worth-350000.html

<<<Hmmm...mayhaps my fabulous doberman bag is a designer special!

 

[kimberleyg]

I hate to say it, but mink oil isn't always good for very good for delicate leathers and/or highly porous leathers. It affects the finish somehow. I know there are some who don't agree, but if you do a google search you'll get some opinions of those heavily opposed to using it. It's better on hardier leathers like shoes or saddles and horse gear. MInk oil isn't generally even made from mink. I"d try to figure out a way to remove it if that's even possible. I"d do an internet search and see what you can find out. I wish there were better answers. There are so many conflicting opinions on the internet and so many who think mink oil is just fine.

Ok much to my dismay I filled the sink with warm water and Dawn dish detergent and am starting over. It looks like I got it back to where it was before the mink oil. Now I bought Lexol conditioner in the States a couple weeks ago, it should be safe to use... Right? If yes, when I apply it, I let it let dry then buff and continue till the leather feels soft right?

 

[katev]

Ok much to my dismay I filled the sink with warm water and Dawn dish detergent and am starting over. It looks like I got it back to where it was before the mink oil. Now I bought Lexol conditioner in the States a couple weeks ago, it should be safe to use... Right? If yes, when I apply it, I let it let dry then buff and continue till the leather feels soft right?

Lexol is a safe choice and usually does a nice job. Some bags that are very scuffed or have uneven coloration may need something heavier, like blackrocks, but Lexol is a good all-purpose conditioner.

You don't have to buff in-between applications, but give it time for the "leather to rest" between applications. When you think it is looking pretty good, go ahead and buff it and then decide if it needs more conditioner. Good luck!

 

[kimberleyg]

Lexol is a safe choice and usually does a nice job. Some bags that are very scuffed or have uneven coloration may need something heavier, like blackrocks, but Lexol is a good all-purpose conditioner.

You don't have to buff in-between applications, but give it time for the "leather to rest" between applications. When you think it is looking pretty good, go ahead and buff it and then decide if it needs more conditioner. Good luck!

Thanks so much! I will let you know how it turns out. Lesson learned....leave the Mink oil for the saddles!

 

[katev]

Thanks so much! I will let you know how it turns out. Lesson learned....leave the Mink oil for the saddles!

I have rewashed bags several times and they always came out okay. Coach leather is very resilient and forgiving, thank goodness!

 

[Jessi319]

Hey, our thrifting obsession could make us rich and famous! A guy picked up a Philip Treacy (Andy Warhol/Elvis) bag for £20 in a London charity shop. Turns out that it is one of only 10 made and is very valuable. He has already been offered £350,000 from a buyer in China! See the links below:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ng-designer-handbag-just-20-charity-shop.html

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4426824/20-charity-shop-bag-is-worth-350000.html

I always check the art pile. I've found several signed printts, but nothing that's made me rich yet.

 

[katev]

Well, I got the Scentsy brand "weathered leather" spray the other day and I am not sure what to make of it. It doesn't smell horrible and it doesn't have a phony floral or fruit smell like Glade.

It smells sort of like leather and rubbing alcohol! Today I got out the navy willis that I have been struggling with and I could still smell the cigarette smoke after a long sink bath and 2 trips through the washer and trying various other methods to eliminate the odor.

The smoke smell is much better than it was when I started but it is still there. So I've sprayed it inside and out with the scentsy and closed it up. I am hoping that it will mask the smoke smell and that the more chemical/alcohol smell will eventually dissipate. At least the spray didn't seem to harm the bag.

If it turns out that I have just exchanged one overpowering smell for a different one, I can always re-wash the bag again but this time with baking soda! It's a shame because it is a nice bag in great condition.

The best advice is to avoid stinky cigarette bags - I should take my own advice!

https://scentsifyme.scentsy.us/Scentsy/Buy/ProductDetails/RS-WTL

Well, the scentsy weathered leather spray was a real waste of money! The chemical smell just gets stronger, I would never put my stuff in a bag that smells like this! So I have to rewash the navy willis again. I just bought a fresh box of baking soda so I will try washing it with that!

 

[whateve]

Well, the scentsy weathered leather spray was a real waste of money! The chemical smell just gets stronger, I would never put my stuff in a bag that smells like this! So I have to rewash the navy willis again. I just bought a fresh box of baking soda so I will try washing it with that!

How disappointing!

 

[katev]

Well I am finally finished rehabbing the white legacy zip 9966 (USA 1996) that I got at a garage sale for $8. I should have left it at the sale, I am done with white bags forever! This bag has had 2 sink baths and 2 trips through the washer, including one with bleach!

I painted it with acrylic paint and leather CPR then striped off the paint and repainted it with 3 light applications. It looks a lot better but it will never be pristine again. But at last I am happy with the results.

Here are the before pics, I did them with flash and they came out kind of yellow but I think that you can see that the outside was kind of dingy and dirty. I will post the after pics with the next message.

 

[katev]

Here are the after pics of the white legacy zip. I took them with natural light and they are a bit gray but I think that the color is pretty close to reality.

 

[chowlover2]

I think she looks brand new!