Thanks! - I looked at the website - really neat items....wish I saw my bag or something like it.
Coach Rehab and Rescue Club
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Ladies - I know this is way off topic of rehabbing Coach bags but I was shopping at Savers today and found another Coach bag deal (although Katev always gets better deals than I do at Savers) - but....I also found this really beautiful bag...it is so unqiue to me - another customer said I should bring it on the antiques Roadshow show. Well, I posted pics of it on the Identify Purse thread in this forum but haven't heard from anyone and I'm impatient to find out some info!!!Could you gals take a look and tell me if you have ever seen anything like it? I cannot find any logo, serial#, nothing except a metal "Scottie Dog" inside it...it is so heavy with gorgeous red lining - I just love it!! Thanks! here is the link:
http://forum.purseblog.com/handbags-and-purses/please-help-identify-this-handbag-633033-48.html#post24099402
Try posting in the Secondhand Bargains, Let's see your cheap treasures thread. The girls there see all kinds of different bags and someone may know about it!
I am going to reread Katev's guide to rehabs but would also specifically like to know how you attack this green oxidation on grommets and zippers.
Thank you! I am excited to get back into rehabbing bags after a couple of novice attempts last summer. I lucked out this time with two already in very good condition.
Thank you! I am excited to get back into rehabbing bags after a couple of novice attempts last summer. I lucked out this time with two already in very good condition.
To follow up - here they are after authentication. Legacy Zip and Stewardess bundles together! Really amazing condition for their age. This brings me to my next question. Can any of you provide a guide as to how to rehab without dunking? I am contemplating not dunking one or both of these but probably will end up at least damp wiping both and eventually dunking just to feel like they got thoroughly cleaned.
For example would airing out, vacuuming, stuffing with anything, etc be reasonable for a "freshening?" Or wiping with Lexol wipes?
For example would airing out, vacuuming, stuffing with anything, etc be reasonable for a "freshening?" Or wiping with Lexol wipes?
They look great! How come you don't want to dunk them? The advantage is that in your mind you know they are clean.
Re oxidation, I can't help. I don't see it here because it's so dry. If I were washing them, I might take a soft toothbrush with Ivory liquid to the zipper, while it was zipped closed. But I don't know if that's a good idea or not.
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I feel like dunking is only really necessary to reshape a bag. You can get it almost as clean with vacuuming and wiping it down. You can still condition the leather just like you would a dunked bag. I have several bags that haven't improved by dunking and others that I didn't want to take a chance with.
Thanks - I agree they are really pretty! I'll do some background reading and check on the oxidation issue - I like the toothbrush idea, even a dry toothbrush might help and then I could dust off the residue.
I agree that a "ritual bath" does seem like a good idea to clean out the bag of any residue or yucky stuff that might have been carried in there. I'm a bit nervous because I had mixed experiences with rehabs (on classic black and navy bags) last year - not with the bath, but afterwards with some dye rubbing off onto a light wallet I carried inside. Maybe I was being too sensitive - I switched back to a black wallet. I'm truly curious as to how these bags stayed in such good shape - the insides show some texture/lifting of the suede, and a possible ink mark inside the Legacy, but the outsides show hardly any wear on the piping. The brass hardware has some scratches so I know they were used. I am almost wondering if they got re-dyed or if there something terrible like shoe polish that is going to become evident if I bathe them - and in that case it would be good to get the excess dye out.
I guess I just like to make things more complicated than they need to be! Thanks for your suggestions.
So I need some help ladies. I'm wanting to get a vintage bag that needs some rehab(has spill stains on it). It is glove tanned leather and British tan is color. What products do I need to get started? I have experience with cleaning and rehabbing saddles and tack but have never done a bag before. I'm excited to try, especially since it is pretty much the only way I can afford to have a Coach bag. Any help/advice will be greatly appreciated.
Do you know how old they are? I have a Legacy Zip that I bought new sometime in the 90's and it's in excellent shape although I never moisturized it. Of course I haven't used it constantly since then, but I did use it a lot.
OMG....I just worked on a bag that probably if I look hard enough has green hiding in there somewhere still!! It was COVERED in verdigris. knowing that I was going to dunk the bag in question, I just filled the sink with water, set the bag in the water, and made a paste in a separate bowl of vinegar and baking soda. I slathered the mixture on the verdigris, then took a combination of toothbrush, toothpicks, and a soft clean cloth and just worked that verdigris off, by scrubbing, prying, picking, and wiping over and over again. Once the worst of it is worked off, then started using more hardcore brass cleaner/polisher like MAAS and Weimans or Wrights...I use several variations- all work fine. I wish I'd have taken photos!! by having the bag already in water, you can just clean off any residual home made paste if it gets on the leather. However, be much more careful with the harsher manufactured polishes. Good luck.
It helps for us to see the actual bag and whatever issues it has, but in general, we dont' recommend saddle soap since bags used in leather is a bit more delicate, tho' old Coach is pretty over all tough. I use a warm, not hot, sink full of lightly sudsy water. I have started exclusively using Leather Therapy Wash and Lexol Leather Cleaner as an additive to the water I am using, but others who haven't invested in those things yet, are using dish soap, Dawn, and/or even Woolite if you want to be extra gentle. Be careful when applying concentrated soap to a stained area. I've learned you can end up with a "scrubby/swirl" pattern. I try to gently brush affected area with a soft brush/toothbrush and use mildest soap. For darker bags you can be a bit more aggressive. One BT bag I got too aggressive with had a bit of aswirling discoloration in spots, but it seemed to recede when I used Leather Therapy Oil which darkened the bag to a rich Brit Tan but helped disguise my crazy cleaning movements. Anyhow, I could go on and on. Reading this thread in its entirely, tho' time consuming, will TELL YOU EVERYTHING you'd ever want and need to know as much as we've learned it ourselves
The legacy zip creed is really hard to read but seems to say k7c so I expect it is from 1997. The stewardess bag I have to dig up and check - it is not in front of me. The legacy zip is a bit wrinkled but overall still in great shape!
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