Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

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#9,286
katev said:
I just made a discovery that I wanted to share. I am working on a mahagony Stewardess that has some verdigris problems with the brass hardware. It's not bad but I wanted to eliminate it and try to stop it from spreading. I removed as much of the hardware as possible and really went to work on it with Wenol. (I hate polishing brass but I love it when the brass looks all shiny!)

It is always a pain to pry off the pieces of hardware without damaging them or the bag (or my fingers!) to remove the verdigris, but I have discovered that the steel manicure tools in the pic below work great for removing the hardware. They are also good for digging crud out of the seams and you can easily clean them up after use.

I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner, they make the job much easier! :D
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Thanks for the tip! I have a bag with verdigris that I need to work on but have been putting off since it was a pain to pry off the hardware the last time I tried to remove verdigris from another bag. Did a quick check on the net and found some on overstock but yours look a bit sturdier (maybe the details on them makes me biased). Can you let me know what brand yours is? Thanks.
 
#9,287
katev said:
Light bags like BT are hard to rehab; unless you got it extremely cheap I would return it - and I would expect the vendor to reimburse the shipping because the bag is Significantly Not As Described.
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Thanks for the advice Katev. I didn't get it for extremely cheap (at least can not compare with the amazing deals some of the ladies on the forum has found at thrift shops) as I always find that BT bags tend to go for a premium so I'll likely try to return it.
 
#9,288
shun said:
Thanks for the tip! I have a bag with verdigris that I need to work on but have been putting off since it was a pain to pry off the hardware the last time I tried to remove verdigris from another bag. Did a quick check on the net and found some on overstock but yours look a bit sturdier (maybe the details on them makes me biased). Can you let me know what brand yours is? Thanks.
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The first one (nearest to the strap) is marked "Revlon Stainless" and I think I bought it at Walgreens.

The second one (with the curved end) is very sturdy and it is marked "44 Antoine" and "Stainless Steel". I got that one from a manicurist - so it may be more difficult to find.

Good luck!

Edited to add that I found the Antoine tool online for $15:
http://www.antoinedeparis.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=132
 
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#9,289
katev said:
The first one (nearest to the strap) is marked "Revlon Stainless" and I think I bought it at Walgreens.

The second one (with the curved end) is very sturdy and it is marked "44 Antoine" and "Stainless Steel". I got that one from a manicurist - so it may be more difficult to find.

Good luck!
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Thanks for the details. If anyone else is interested, the second one is item #44 Pterygium from [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Antoine de Paris. They do have a website but shipping is pricey if purchasing just this product. [/FONT]
 
#9,291
While I have several Coach purses one in particular is needing help. I have a tote that is totally falling apart and I am pretty upset about it. I bought it in 2008 at Macy's and within 2 years it was so bad I quit using it altogether. When I went back to Macy's they told me that the store didn't have any responsibility and that was normal wear for two years. I contacted Coach and they said the same thing. I just put it away and quit using it.

I saw on the Coach website that they would have a warranty for the "lifetime" of the product. What do they consider the lifetime? Macy's seemed to think 2 years was it. She actually berated me for buying a cloth purse instead of all leather. But it was a cute summer purse.


I am so happy to have found this site. I have some questions if you don't mind, I can't post any pictures yet so here are the specs of the bag:

No A0768-10124
Brown Large C's fabric
Blue trim and handles
Large Blue horizontal stripe
Large Tote
Macy's 2008

It looks like this bag, but doesn't have the wrapped leather at the top of the handles. and is a light blue stripe with the regular brown fabric C's http://www.ebay.com/itm/NWT-COACH-2...494&pid=100011&prg=1005&rk=2&sd=321135334545&

How can I clean this bag? It is just dirty overall.

How can I fix the handles? They are cracked and need to be repainted with that Edge Kote, but do I have to scrape off all the bits before I start?

The four corners on the bottom are frayed, there was no leather or feet on this purse. How do I stop that from continuing? fray check?

If I add some brass feet to the bottom will that destroy it's value? Not that I think it has any value now...

If anyone has any advice I'd appreciate it. Thanks
 
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#9,292
kayemaye said:
While I have several Coach purses one in particular is needing help. I have a tote that is totally falling apart and I am pretty upset about it. I bought it in 2008 at Macy's and within 2 years it was so bad I quit using it altogether. When I went back to Macy's they told me that the store didn't have any responsibility and that was normal wear for two years. I contacted Coach and they said the same thing. I just put it away and quit using it.

I saw on the Coach website that they would have a warranty for the "lifetime" of the product. What do they consider the lifetime? Macy's seemed to think 2 years was it. She actually berated me for buying a cloth purse instead of all leather. But it was a cute summer purse.


I am so happy to have found this site. I have some questions if you don't mind, I can't post any pictures yet so here are the specs of the bag:

No A0768-10124
Brown Large C's fabric
Blue trim and handles
Large Blue horizontal stripe
Large Tote
Macy's 2008

It looks like this bag, but doesn't have the wrapped leather at the top of the handles. and is a light blue stripe with the regular brown fabric C's http://www.ebay.com/itm/NWT-COACH-2...494&pid=100011&prg=1005&rk=2&sd=321135334545&

How can I clean this bag? It is just dirty overall.

How can I fix the handles? They are cracked and need to be repainted with that Edge Kote, but do I have to scrape off all the bits before I start?

The four corners on the bottom are frayed, there was no leather or feet on this purse. How do I stop that from continuing? fray check?

If I add some brass feet to the bottom will that destroy it's value? Not that I think it has any value now...

If anyone has any advice I'd appreciate it. Thanks
Click to expand...
I don't have the answers to all your questions. I have a similar bag from 2008. The stripe on mine is patent leather. The fabric is the old heavier jacquard fabric Coach used to use. I haven't figured out how to repair the fabric but if there aren't any holes, I think you can trim off any loose threads and then use Fray check. The jacquard can be cleaned a number of ways. If it just needs spot cleaning, I use a mild spray cleaner and scrub it with a rag. If it is a lot dirtier, you can wash it with soap and water. I usually use dishwashing soap, obviously nothing with bleach. You can use any stain removers that are safe for fabric. Some people even wash their bags in the washing machine, but I think that might make the problem with the handles even worse.

If you want to add feet, I don't see why you couldn't. The attachments for the feet would show on the inside of the bag. I wouldn't worry about the resale value. Even if you get it close to looking new, you wouldn't be able to sell it for very much. Coach makes new versions of this every year for the factory stores that sell around $100 or less, as you can see from the listing you posted. It might make more sense to buy a new one than to put a lot of effort into fixing up yours. Or you could replace it with a less used version of the same bag. There are several on ebay: http://www.ebay.com/sch/Womens-Handbags-Bags-/169291/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=coach+10124

Coach's warranty is really good but doesn't cover normal wear and tear. The cloth isn't expected to last more than a year or two with daily use.

When you can, post pictures of the problems including the handles so we can help you figure out what will work best.
 
#9,294
whateve said:
Did anyone here win this?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Coach-1960s-Bonnie-Cashin-Leather-Red-Orange-Vintage-Purse-COACH-Bag-Mid-Century-/350802861214?ViewItem=&item=350802861214&nma=true&si=ZGX9od%252BvUhvfQtj27P5ZMdUiRAw%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Never mind. Someone did!
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I won it!! I won it!!! I am still screaming - well a little. I jumped up and put my fists in the air and started screaming and my family came rushing it! All I could say is "I won"......
 
#9,296
Tetondeb said:
I just completed a restore/rehab on a 65th Anniversay Vachetta Leigh. Jessi319 recommended I post info on it here for everyone to see as vachetta can be so tricky. It's a LONG post with lots of pics! http://sacsmagnifiques.blogspot.com/2013/05/restoration-coach-legacy-leigh-camel.html
f_R5gMvLjnow5w8OM4W1Gd4gqV_1ewMBCfaFG3pjNMQ.jpg
Click to expand...

Awesome job! You give me hope to tackle several Vachetta bags that I have around here. I'm so excited now. Thank you. :D
 
#9,299
whateve said:
I don't have the answers to all your questions. I have a similar bag from 2008. The stripe on mine is patent leather. The fabric is the old heavier jacquard fabric Coach used to use. I haven't figured out how to repair the fabric but if there aren't any holes, I think you can trim off any loose threads and then use Fray check. The jacquard can be cleaned a number of ways. If it just needs spot cleaning, I use a mild spray cleaner and scrub it with a rag. If it is a lot dirtier, you can wash it with soap and water. I usually use dishwashing soap, obviously nothing with bleach. You can use any stain removers that are safe for fabric. Some people even wash their bags in the washing machine, but I think that might make the problem with the handles even worse.

If you want to add feet, I don't see why you couldn't. The attachments for the feet would show on the inside of the bag. I wouldn't worry about the resale value. Even if you get it close to looking new, you wouldn't be able to sell it for very much. Coach makes new versions of this every year for the factory stores that sell around $100 or less, as you can see from the listing you posted. It might make more sense to buy a new one than to put a lot of effort into fixing up yours. Or you could replace it with a less used version of the same bag. There are several on ebay: http://www.ebay.com/sch/Womens-Handbags-Bags-/169291/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=coach+10124

Coach's warranty is really good but doesn't cover normal wear and tear. The cloth isn't expected to last more than a year or two with daily use.

When you can, post pictures of the problems including the handles so we can help you figure out what will work best.
Click to expand...
Thanks whateve, I can hardly believe they expect the fabric to only last a year or two. I paid $350 for this bag from Macy's. They must have inflated the price. And now they are only a hundred. Wow. Yes most bags like this one that I have seen have the leather stripe. Sad because I took really good care of it, and used it only in the summer. It's like it just dissolved into a big mess in no time at all. It is the heavier jacquard fabric. Seems like Macy's is NOT the place to buy Coach bags. They were high priced and had no warranty.
 
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