I use Lexol too, and I know what you mean about it seeming tacky. Give it 24 hours. It should eventually go away.
Coach Rehab and Rescue Club
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I use Lexol too, and I know what you mean about it seeming tacky. Give it 24 hours. It should eventually go away.
Thanks! Before you dye the bag, I would try conditioning it with Black Rock Leather N Rich. After conditioning the bag in the pic below (with multiple products) the color was still uneven and inconsistent and dull in spots, but Black Rocks took care of that problem. I bought Black Rocks at a local tack shop but it is also available on line. Below is a link to info that I previously reported about Black Rock.
Can you post a pic of the damaged area on the strap, so we can see what you mean? You might try taking it to a cobbler and asking for professional advice.
http://forum.purseblog.com/coach/co...t19792894.html?highlight=docride#post19792894
Great news! SpacyTracy has the same Isabella Fiore Quilty Pleasures bag (in the even larger tote style called Quilt Trip!) and I’ve just heard from her:
“I took out mine and compared and holy smokes it looks like you got an amazing deal on that!! Everything looks totally spot on and I would def say it's real. Congrats on a steal of a find!!”
I understand what you mean, I just ignore people who act like they are "The Purse Gods"!
Here are the pictures; took me awhile to get around to taking them. I love this little bag, so I want to get it looking as good as possible.
The photos that show the side of the bag with the pen mark and larger area of darkened leather are my primary concern. The dark marks there were pretty much created by me, when I tried to spot clean with soap and water, after I got something on the bag while out carrying it. I lightened the pen mark with alcohol, and you can see that I also lightened the leather.
The other side of the bag has a spot on it, which I also did when I took it out to lunch. The bag is like a magnet for stuff! I'm confident this spot would come right out with a full bath.
Tips for improving upon this rehab would be welcome, from anybody!
Thanks.
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The spots are not very noticeable and I agree that a full bath might make them even less obvious. Treatment with Black Rock Leather N Rich could also help even out the color. Good luck!
Thanks Katev! I have Leather CPR and Apple...do you think the Black Rock would be much better than either of those?
Gosh, I don't really know! BebePurse and Docride are always talking about Black Rocks and how great it is, and I always figured "Yeah right! How much better could it be?"
But when I was trying to rehab that tan saddle pouch, I used every product and trick in my arsenal (including multiple baths, Apple Conditioner, Leather CPR, and Leather Therapy Oil) and the darn bag stubbornly remained uneven and spotty - so I tried Black Rocks and it worked like magic! So maybe they were right? Go figure!
BR is not easy to use, it is a nasty, thick, sticky paste. I really don't like it that much. Docride says to use small amounts and apply it only to small areas at a time (5 inches square) and then immediately wipe off the excess. So it is a pain to work with, but it does a nice job!
It contains wax and I think that it darkens the leather a little. Usually I don't want to darken the leather - but when a bag is faded, spotty and inconsistent - darkening it a bit could be a good thing!
No guarantees, but I would try Black Rocks before I resorted to dying a bag. But that's just my opinion!
I can't see the pics but good luck with your new acquisition! I warned you that rehabbing can become addictive!
Well, not everyone is into vintage, and that's okay (that just means that there will be more great bags for us to find!) But Coach has one of the largest communities on the forum, so there are a lot more of us around to catch the rehabbing bug and enjoy sharing tips and talking about our vintage finds, etc.
But some of the other larger communities (Hermes, Louis Vuitton) also have active and dedicated rehabing threads. I've learned a lot from Docride at the Hermes forum.
But I know what you mean, rehabbing is a lot more fun when you can share your finds and results with fellow-addicts! I think I made a great find at the Savers today, but I don't have anyone to share it with!
I bought an amazing bag for $13 and I think that it is a genuine Isabella Fiore "Quilty Pleasures" bag from around 2005. I have been researching IF bags and they usually run from $400 to $600 new so that was a great buy.
There are some IF threads on TPF but they don't seem to be very active. So I hope you won't mind if I share her with my fellow coachies? I know that you guys will always appreciate a beautiful bag and a great rehab project. Here are the pics: http://s1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee413/katev2/Isabella Fiore Brown Hobo/
This is cool, and great to know ! I have a couple of Isabella Fiores (not leather unfortunately, just canvas- but pretty) and I know NOTHING about her work and haven't been able to find out much, other than I think she's made in the USA which is the reason she's becoming sought after by people wanting to keep buying USA products. Quite often though these up and coming USA designers defect to China (sigh).... Anyway, so happy to see that they have a bit of value!! I love this bag you've posted. !!
Be careful with the Black Rock. On saddle tan leather I have had it exaggerate the look of some stains and change the color of the leather. I use it frequently and am always cautious with it since it reacts so differently on various types of leather and colors. The flaws you pointed out on your purse look very minor.
Pretty sure if there are Gods of Purses, they don't use terms like "Barfy Fake" to "authenticate" something...That's good to know. I have not used it much but I was impressed when it did darken and even out a tan bag that really needed extreme help.
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