Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[Jessi319]

Hello

I am doing my very first rehab on a black legacy studio flap. I think it is going ok, but I have 2 issues:

1. I noticed when I purchased it that the edges are worn. Didn't think this was a big deal, but after I cleaned it I could see that someone had used a Sharpie (Sharpie!!!) in an attempt to color in the edges. Now they just look a lot shinier than the rest of the bag, and have almost a red tone. I was going to use Kiwi leather dye on it, does anyone have any better suggestions?

2. I noticed that the hardware on the bag is brass however the strap is detachable and someone replaced the strap with a newer one that has silver hardware. Probably no one would notice but it irks me that they don't match. Has anyone had success getting a replacement strap? I've searched ebay with no luck.

Thanks!!!

I've used fiebings leather dye but sometimes it has a weird "shiny" hue. Sometimes I have to take a damp cloth and go over the dyed areas after it dries and it helps diminish the shine while maintaining the underlying blackness I need . Not sure if there's a better dye to try.

 

[ledobe]

The piping around the edges of the bag.

In that case I would probably use Fiebings on it to see if it evens it out. I would try only using it on the piping and see if it matches up ok. Fiebings is alcohol based, I think, watery, and just soaks into the bag. You can play it safe and try Black Rocks on it first, and it might work, but I suspect that the Black Rocks might make it look better in the short run, then the bag will look more dry in time.

There are definitely other options and brands, but here is an example of a Station Bag I worked on.

Before:

After:
The piping around the corners, this was the worst part of the bag:

[/IMG]

This is way back in the thread, and the afters are after using the dye and Black Rocks on the bag. I think something like this might cover up the Sharpie though. It would really help to see pictures of the bag.

 

[abl13]

This is way back in the thread, and the afters are after using the dye and Black Rocks on the bag. I think something like this might cover up the Sharpie though. It would really help to see pictures of the bag.

That bag looks amazing! I just ordered some Fiebings, so I'll give that a shot.

 

[ledobe]

Wow!! Looks great! Sorry if I missed it but what product is that? I am working on a British tan duffle 9085 and just got done giving it a bath and noticed it looks a lot better when it's a little darker because there are a few pen marks that I could only lighten not remove. I haven't conditioned it yet, and I'm hoping for the best but this might be a plan b if the conditioning doesn't help. There are a few scratches as well do you think the leather refinisher would help cover the pen marks and fill in the scratches or is that not what this product is for? Thanks for sharing!

I really appreciate seeing these. I have an camel lightweights shoulder bag that just looks terrible. I did a thing with acrylic paint mixed with conditioner. It covered up the stains but it seems stiff. I am wondering if the refinisher would have been a better choice. This bag has wrinkles similar to yours.

I have another lightweights shoulder bag that I swear was in almost perfect condition when I got it. It has just been sitting around and now when I look at it, the back is much darker. It is like it has become discolored just by sitting around.

I got a spectator camel court bag and all that it really needs it to redo the piping. I've been trying to do it with acrylic paint. Again, I am wondering if the refinisher would do a better job but also if there would be a color to match.

Lastly, I got a lime Emmie flap that has ink stains. This one I would really like to use the refinisher on but there isn't a color that is close except for the fluorescent and I really don't want it to glow in the dark!

I really appreciate these photos! I've debated ordering the refinisher since I am not a huge fan of acrylic painting. I think it's great for very minimal spot touch ups or ink camouflage because it's more customizable color-matching. And I agree, it's to be used on bags you really want to keep. To re-sell would require FULL disclosure and an offer of some before and after pics or something. THANKS for taking the time to post these.

That bag looks amazing! I just ordered some Fiebings, so I'll give that a shot.

Honestly it was mostly the BlackRocks that deepened the color, but the piping was pretty beat up so I thought it would be a good example to show you.

 

[ledobe]

Wow!! Looks great! Sorry if I missed it but what product is that? I am working on a British tan duffle 9085 and just got done giving it a bath and noticed it looks a lot better when it's a little darker because there are a few pen marks that I could only lighten not remove. I haven't conditioned it yet, and I'm hoping for the best but this might be a plan b if the conditioning doesn't help. There are a few scratches as well do you think the leather refinisher would help cover the pen marks and fill in the scratches or is that not what this product is for? Thanks for sharing!

This is the stuff:

http://www.wood-n-stuff.com/leatheraid.html

I can't remember who originally found it, I had seen it on eBay but was afraid to try it, then m3rm used it on one of her bags and I took the plunge. I suspect, from looking at a bag that m3rm posted in the authentication thread that she will have a demonstration of how it works on ink pretty soon. I have a tiny bit of ink on the outside bottom of my British Tan Logan and I keep thinking I'll try it out and see how it looks as a "spot" repair, but I've not gotten around to it.

Anyway, I posted the above link because if you page down you will see they also have it in 1 oz bottles. I barely put a dent in the BT I used on my Musette so when I decided to try it on a couple other bags I bought the 1 oz size. I'm pretty conservative with the stuff but I'd bet that 1 oz size would work for several bags for most of us.

I'm actually considering "perking up" a black leather jacket I have, if I do I will post the results. It's my FAVE jacket so I'm undecided if I want to mess with it, but it's gotten "beyond" casual now and I might be able to make it look a little more professional.

I really appreciate seeing these. I have an camel lightweights shoulder bag that just looks terrible. I did a thing with acrylic paint mixed with conditioner. It covered up the stains but it seems stiff. I am wondering if the refinisher would have been a better choice. This bag has wrinkles similar to yours.

I have another lightweights shoulder bag that I swear was in almost perfect condition when I got it. It has just been sitting around and now when I look at it, the back is much darker. It is like it has become discolored just by sitting around.

I got a spectator camel court bag and all that it really needs it to redo the piping. I've been trying to do it with acrylic paint. Again, I am wondering if the refinisher would do a better job but also if there would be a color to match.

Lastly, I got a lime Emmie flap that has ink stains. This one I would really like to use the refinisher on but there isn't a color that is close except for the fluorescent and I really don't want it to glow in the dark!

Those wrinkles were there both before and after, and my other bag doesn't have them. Not too worried about them because of the location but it's kind of surprising in a bag that I am sure is authentic. That bag is just not noticeably stiffer after using the refinisher.

I really appreciate these photos! I've debated ordering the refinisher since I am not a huge fan of acrylic painting. I think it's great for very minimal spot touch ups or ink camouflage because it's more customizable color-matching. And I agree, it's to be used on bags you really want to keep. To re-sell would require FULL disclosure and an offer of some before and after pics or something. THANKS for taking the time to post these.

I've not been crazy about the acrylic paint either, this stuff does not seem to stiffen the bag much, if at all. It's more like the difference between a newish bag and a "worn in" bag, as opposed to the almost cardboard-y feel you get with acrylic. It might be the same type of pigment in a different base?

Anyway, one of the reasons I posted these was because even though I haven't quite finished either bag, I wanted you all to be able to see in case you had something you wanted to try it on.

 

[Porter4]

Well, I have a little tale to tell....this is the tale of undoing Leather Refinish. I shared the other day my Helen's Legacy that I completely redid with the Mahogany Leather Refinish. That rehab/refinish came out great and I am really happy with the result.

My second go at Leather Refinish was on a British Tan Chelsea style (old glove-tanned leather) bag I gave to my SIL as a gift. It was in great condition except some blue pen marks on the front of the bag and under the flap. I was able to spot cover these with the British Tan Leather Refinish and you couldn't see where I had done the work! I was very excited about this one, but got done last minute and didn't snap a picture, sorry. I thought I had found a wonderful solution for covering those pesky pen marks.

Well, attempt number three didn't go so well....I got a British Tan Duffle Sac a few months ago. It was a beautiful bag with fabulous patina! She had a few stray pen marks though. This bag was quite a bit bigger than I was expecting and I kind of left her alone for awhile because I just keeping thinking she was too big for me. Finally her gorgeous patina won out and I decided I couldn't part with her.

Before:

I washed her in the washing machine with Leather Therapy wash and that did wonders on her, got almost all of the green marks off the straps even! Here the story takes a sad turn though, and I tried to make her too perfect I think. I used my BT Leather Refinish to try and spot cover the ink marks. Right from the get go it didn't seem to be blending well, but I figured it would dry and blend. Once dry, the spots looked AWFUL. They were shiny compared to the rest of the bag and stood out horribly.

Discouraged I left the bag to sit, thinking this might be the trickiness of BT. I came back later and used blackrocks to see if that would help blend the spots, no luck. I was pretty mad at myself at this point. Here is what the spots looked like

I decided I couldn't live with the bag this way and I was going to have to remove the Leather Refinish somehow....to be continued next post....

 

[Porter4]

I tried some Citra-Solv on the spots and that did nothing, which I guess attests to the durability of the stuff. I didn't want to use something liquid and harsh, as I felt it would seep into the undone surrounding leather and damage it.

At that point I remembered reading an article that leather gurus are very against Magic Erasers for trying to remove spots on leather, as it actually scratches the leather. I thought maybe I could "scratch" off the Leather Refinish with a Magic Eraser and decided to give it a go. I got the area wet, as that made the line between the undone leather and the Leather Refinished leather very obvious:

I then went to work on those areas and saw that the Magic Eraser was removing the Leather Refinish

I was still concerned about really hurting the leather and ended up stopping before all the Leather Refinish had been removed. The duffle is much improved, and after using blackrocks and obenaufs on her, in regular lighting, you can't see the spots at all. I feel like I have put this poor bag through so much already, so if I will wait awhile and see if the remaining blends in completely. I can always return with my Magic Eraser later. I took the final picture with full on flash and tried to really show where you can still see the spot.

As I mentioned, in regular lighting you can't really see the areas...well really no one would be able to see them but me, because I know they are there

I wanted to share this is as kind of a tale of caution. I still have no idea why the Refinish blended perfectly on the BT Chelsea and not on the Duffle sac. They had been prepped the same, and are the same glove-tanned Coach leather.

I still love my Duffle sac and plan on spraying her with some apple and wearing her proudly though

 

[ledobe]

Maybe the shine/patina of the two bags varied enough that made the refinisher stand out more on the one bag?

I love the patina's on BT bags and am actually disappointed that I lost it on the two bags I used it on, especially the Musette. But it can be a lifesaver on a bag with major issues.

 

[Porter4]

Maybe the shine/patina of the two bags varied enough that made the refinisher stand out more on the one bag?

I love the patina's on BT bags and am actually disappointed that I lost it on the two bags I used it on, especially the Musette. But it can be a lifesaver on a bag with major issues.

Duffle Sac had definitely developed more patina than the Chelsea...maybe that's why?

 

[AggieK]

I tried some Citra-Solv on the spots and that did nothing, which I guess attests to the durability of the stuff. I didn't want to use something liquid and harsh, as I felt it would seep into the undone surrounding leather and damage it.

At that point I remembered reading an article that leather gurus are very against Magic Erasers for trying to remove spots on leather, as it actually scratches the leather. I thought maybe I could "scratch" off the Leather Refinish with a Magic Eraser and decided to give it a go. I got the area wet, as that made the line between the undone leather and the Leather Refinished leather very obvious:

I then went to work on those areas and saw that the Magic Eraser was removing the Leather Refinish

I was still concerned about really hurting the leather and ended up stopping before all the Leather Refinish had been removed. The duffle is much improved, and after using blackrocks and obenaufs on her, in regular lighting, you can't see the spots at all. I feel like I have put this poor bag through so much already, so if I will wait awhile and see if the remaining blends in completely. I can always return with my Magic Eraser later. I took the final picture with full on flash and tried to really show where you can still see the spot.

As I mentioned, in regular lighting you can't really see the areas...well really no one would be able to see them but me, because I know they are there

I wanted to share this is as kind of a tale of caution. I still have no idea why the Refinish blended perfectly on the BT Chelsea and not on the Duffle sac. They had been prepped the same, and are the same glove-tanned Coach leather.

I still love my Duffle sac and plan on spraying her with some apple and wearing her proudly though

I used a white art eraser on my drawstring duffle to remove a big dark ball point pen ink mark. I would have left it alone except it was front and center on the bag, and I had already washed it twice with Oxyclean and Dawn, to no avail. An art eraser has less grit than a magic eraser, I think. Anyway, it removed the ink AND the finish. I just kept slathering Black Rocks on the spot. It looks kind of camouflaged, but not perfect. Oh well.

 

[Pursanista]

I tried some Citra-Solv on the spots and that did nothing, which I guess attests to the durability of the stuff. I didn't want to use something liquid and harsh, as I felt it would seep into the undone surrounding leather and damage it.

At that point I remembered reading an article that leather gurus are very against Magic Erasers for trying to remove spots on leather, as it actually scratches the leather. I thought maybe I could "scratch" off the Leather Refinish with a Magic Eraser and decided to give it a go. I got the area wet, as that made the line between the undone leather and the Leather Refinished leather very obvious:

I then went to work on those areas and saw that the Magic Eraser was removing the Leather Refinish

I was still concerned about really hurting the leather and ended up stopping before all the Leather Refinish had been removed. The duffle is much improved, and after using blackrocks and obenaufs on her, in regular lighting, you can't see the spots at all. I feel like I have put this poor bag through so much already, so if I will wait awhile and see if the remaining blends in completely. I can always return with my Magic Eraser later. I took the final picture with full on flash and tried to really show where you can still see the spot.

As I mentioned, in regular lighting you can't really see the areas...well really no one would be able to see them but me, because I know they are there

I wanted to share this is as kind of a tale of caution. I still have no idea why the Refinish blended perfectly on the BT Chelsea and not on the Duffle sac. They had been prepped the same, and are the same glove-tanned Coach leather.

I still love my Duffle sac and plan on spraying her with some apple and wearing her proudly though

I used a white art eraser on my drawstring duffle to remove a big dark ball point pen ink mark. I would have left it alone except it was front and center on the bag, and I had already washed it twice with Oxyclean and Dawn, to no avail. An art eraser has less grit than a magic eraser, I think. Anyway, it removed the ink AND the finish. I just kept slathering Black Rocks on the spot. It looks kind of camouflaged, but not perfect. Oh well.

Sorry, ladies. "Oh well" is usually what I say, too!!

It's good information, it that helps at all. Sharing our experiences, good and bad, educates all of us. Plus we can cyber laugh and cry with each other.

 

[pittcat]

I will be posting my first rehab soon - I just need to put a few more coats of conditioner for some of the edging wear, but I wanted to comment that I started with a bag that needed a lot more work than the lula's legacy I purchased first. It is a 9085 british tan duffle sac and I bought it on a whim after getting caught up in the auction and when it arrived it was in worse shape that I expected with some random dark spots that I'm still not sure what they were and a lot of pen marks - I have no clue how pen marks get on the outside of a bag! I had seen AggieK's suggestion about an eraser, but I didn't have one on hand, so I googled how to remove ink from leather (I know it was risky!) and found the magic eraser and antibacterial gel. I tried the magic eraser on the inside flap and good thing because it really took the color off the bag! But suprisingly, the antibacterial gel worked to lighten the pen and removed all but one dark, thick pen mark. I just used a q-tip to keep it concentrated and although it's not completely removed, it did lighten it to the point I think I would be the only one to notice. It did remove the shine somewhat though, so beware if you try this to test it on somewhere not noticable first, but now that I bathed it and conditioned it once, I can't tell where the shine-loss spots are. The antibacterial also completely removed the black round spots that I didn't know what the heck they were - who knows, they might have come off anyway during the bath, but I was really happy to see them go because they were pretty noticable front and center on the bag. Anyway, thank you to everyone who replied to my comments and questions and provided great advice and hopefully you will like how the bag looks! Sorry for the lack of pictures, but they will be coming soon!

 

[katev]

I tried some Citra-Solv on the spots and that did nothing, which I guess attests to the durability of the stuff. I didn't want to use something liquid and harsh, as I felt it would seep into the undone surrounding leather and damage it.

At that point I remembered reading an article that leather gurus are very against Magic Erasers for trying to remove spots on leather, as it actually scratches the leather. I thought maybe I could "scratch" off the Leather Refinish with a Magic Eraser and decided to give it a go. I got the area wet, as that made the line between the undone leather and the Leather Refinished leather very obvious:

I then went to work on those areas and saw that the Magic Eraser was removing the Leather Refinish

I was still concerned about really hurting the leather and ended up stopping before all the Leather Refinish had been removed. The duffle is much improved, and after using blackrocks and obenaufs on her, in regular lighting, you can't see the spots at all. I feel like I have put this poor bag through so much already, so if I will wait awhile and see if the remaining blends in completely. I can always return with my Magic Eraser later. I took the final picture with full on flash and tried to really show where you can still see the spot.

As I mentioned, in regular lighting you can't really see the areas...well really no one would be able to see them but me, because I know they are there

I wanted to share this is as kind of a tale of caution. I still have no idea why the Refinish blended perfectly on the BT Chelsea and not on the Duffle sac. They had been prepped the same, and are the same glove-tanned Coach leather.

I still love my Duffle sac and plan on spraying her with some apple and wearing her proudly though

Beautiful bag! I have also found light colored bags are sometimes challenging and I have also "overdone" the rehab trying to make the bag look perfect - and then I go too far!

In such cases I find it best to leave it alone for awhile and come back to it later with a fresh mind. Good luck!

 

[seafoaming]

Well, I have a little tale to tell....this is the tale of undoing Leather Refinish. I shared the other day my Helen's Legacy that I completely redid with the Mahogany Leather Refinish. That rehab/refinish came out great and I am really happy with the result.

My second go at Leather Refinish was on a British Tan Chelsea style (old glove-tanned leather) bag I gave to my SIL as a gift. It was in great condition except some blue pen marks on the front of the bag and under the flap. I was able to spot cover these with the British Tan Leather Refinish and you couldn't see where I had done the work! I was very excited about this one, but got done last minute and didn't snap a picture, sorry. I thought I had found a wonderful solution for covering those pesky pen marks.

Well, attempt number three didn't go so well....I got a British Tan Duffle Sac a few months ago. It was a beautiful bag with fabulous patina! She had a few stray pen marks though. This bag was quite a bit bigger than I was expecting and I kind of left her alone for awhile because I just keeping thinking she was too big for me. Finally her gorgeous patina won out and I decided I couldn't part with her.

Before:

I washed her in the washing machine with Leather Therapy wash and that did wonders on her, got almost all of the green marks off the straps even! Here the story takes a sad turn though, and I tried to make her too perfect I think. I used my BT Leather Refinish to try and spot cover the ink marks. Right from the get go it didn't seem to be blending well, but I figured it would dry and blend. Once dry, the spots looked AWFUL. They were shiny compared to the rest of the bag and stood out horribly.

Discouraged I left the bag to sit, thinking this might be the trickiness of BT. I came back later and used blackrocks to see if that would help blend the spots, no luck. I was pretty mad at myself at this point. Here is what the spots looked like

I decided I couldn't live with the bag this way and I was going to have to remove the Leather Refinish somehow....to be continued next post....

That is such a beautiful bag!

Can someone tell me what the difference between a Helen's Legacy and a Classic duffle is? They look exactly the same to me. I currently have a 9085 but see a Helen's Legacy on ebay that I like in another color. Are they exactly the same size? What are the differences?

 

[whateve]

That is such a beautiful bag!

Can someone tell me what the difference between a Helen's Legacy and a Classic duffle is? They look exactly the same to me. I currently have a 9085 but see a Helen's Legacy on ebay that I like in another color. Are they exactly the same size? What are the differences?

They aren't the same size. Actually there are three sizes: Maggie is the smallest, next is Helen's Legacy, and the largest is the Duffle sac 9085.