Here are my responses, I am sure that other rehabbers will also be able to offer advice.
1) I use Ivory Ultra dish soap to wash my bags in the sink. It says “classic scent” but it is very mild and that hasn’t been a problem.
2) I wouldn’t use old products on my bags. I buy the leather therapy products at an equestrian shop and I don’t know if their biker or car products are similar or not.
I use Leather Therapy Restorer & Conditioner, but not on all bags. I sometimes use it on bags that I don’t want to treat with a thick, opaque paste. It works well on pebbled leather bags and I use it on bags that are very dried out. Be aware that it has a distinctive and persistent odor; but it’s not nasty. I like it because it smells “clean” to me!
When I wash I leather bags in the washing machine (a last resort but I have done it a few times) I use the Leather Therapy’s Leather Laundry Solution.
I am not familiar with Cadillac leather products.
3) I usually use permanent acrylic paints to touch up the edging. Here is info I previously posted about repairing the edging and using paint:
Vintage bags often lose sealant (color) along the edges of the straps and handles. I use small bottles of permanent acrylic paint to touch up the edges. You can find them at hobby stores and often at fabric stores like Joann's Fabrics. They are usually less than a dollar each. You will also need an artist's paint brush.
Cobbler shops sometime sell a product called EdgeKote (I think that is the name? It is also available online) and I have read that it also works well on the edging.
I usually take the bag's hangtag to the store with me to match the color but be careful not to lose the hangtag, I did that once! The black is an easy match, but you can also mix small amounts of the acrylic paints until you get the color you need. Like mixing a few drops of black with a small amount of a brighter blue to get a darker blue.
I have found that the colors on the labels are pretty accurate but you can usually unscrew the cap in the store to look at the actual paint color under the cap. When you are just touching up the strap edges you don't need an exact match on the color; a slightly darker color usually looks great.
Before applying paint (or using any new products) it’s always a good idea to “test first” especially if you are mixing paint colors. Apply a small amount of your paint mixture to an area of the bag that doesn't show. Let it dry completely to see how well it matches before applying it in areas that do show. Always use good lighting when working with paints.
The paint is permanent after in dries, but it cleans up easily with soap and water while it is wet or damp. I wear rubber gloves when I am working with paint.
Use the brush to lightly dab the paint along the edges of the strap or handles, try not to get any on the finished surface of the strap, and wipe it off quickly if you do get some on it. Let the paint dry completely, it dries pretty fast; and it is permanent after drying overnight.
Don’t neglect the edging; it is amazing how much of a difference it can make to the overall appearance of the bag!
4) You might get lucky at garage sales. I recently bought a made in NYC British Tan Companion bag for $1 at a flea market but it has a monogram on it. I haven't rehabbed it yet but here are the "Before" pics:
http://s1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee413/katev2/British Tan Coach Pocket Zip/
Most of the vintage/used bags that I buy range between $8 to $15. I try to stay under $20 but I have gone as high as $45 for a “special bag” in good shape like my black Stewardess Bag.
Lately the Goodwill and the Salvation Army have been pricing their vintage designer bags rather high IMO, especially since they can’t seem to differentiate between fakes and genuine bags, I think that they price them all high “just in case”.
If the bag is badly beaten up it is often cheaper. I have tackled some challenging bags just because they were so cheap and I wouldn’t feel too bad if the rehab didn’t work out. But some bags are just too far gone so I usually leave them behind.
I have gotten lucky a few times with Italian Coach bags that the store staff may not have recognized, because they look different than the usual vintage glove-tanned leather bags or signature pattern bags. I have also found some very nice bags from less well-known brands at great prices. I got a gorgeous Isabella Fiore bag in great shape for just $13 recently.
Thrift stores also have sales. Every week the Salvation Army puts a different color price tag on a half-off sale. So if a vintage bag that hasn’t sold is the sale color you can get a deal. I left a black Basic Bag in decent shape behind the other day because I already have 2 Basic Bags. It had been priced at $35 but it was the sale color of the week so it was down to $17.50.
You can sign-up for the Goodwill Club online and they will send coupons periodically. They recently opened some Savers Thrift Stores in my area and I find that they often have a good selection and decent prices. Another nice thing is that you can bring items back to Savers for an exchange within a week of purchase. So if you buy a bag and then find out it is fake you aren’t stuck with it.
I haven’t bought many vintage bags on ebay because I can’t examine them in person and you have to figure in the shipping charges, but I have bought a few "special bags that way and I have been lucky and I know that a lot of fellow rehabbers get bags on ebay, bonanza, and Esty. Try and get them authenticated on TPF first.
Good luck!
