Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[netlawyer]

Awesome rehab ladies...I have a question for you. I'm determined to reduce the number of bags just sitting in my closet, so today I brought out my very first designer bag...an All Weather Leather Dooney & Bourke Norfolk Satchel in British Tan. She still looks great except for a couple of "rubbed off" areas on corners and hard edges. I went to the DB forum but their rehab and rescue thread never really took off and no one had any suggestions.

Here's a couple of pics...tell me what you think? And thank you.

Dooney leather is different from Coach leather. I would probably use craft paint to touch up the part on the pebbled leather. I don't know what you could do for the bottom. It looks like it could use some cleaning.

Thanks Whateve....I don't think I'm good enough to attempt that. But I appreciate the suggestion.

You should definitely give it a bath and condition the leather. That would probably address most if not all of the wear on the bottom.

Old Dooneys like yours do great in the bath. D&B uses cardboard as a stiffener in the bottom of their bags now, so you can still give them a bath but you need to be very careful that the bottom dries flat. I experimented with putting a Dooney domed satchel in the washer and I ended up literally having to iron it back out (using a damp towel and a steam iron), learned my lesson on that one.

 

[katev]

I JUST LOVE THIS BAG! My first Italian Coach is a 1994 Madison Copley #4414 in Beechnut. The before pics are here: http://forum.purseblog.com/coach-shopping/authenticate-this-coach-818914-140.html#post24925739

My jaw just dropped when I found her at Goodwill for only $7.50! There was some wear on her bottom edges and where the top handle joins the flap, but I figured I could deal with it...otherwise she was in spectacular condition.

As always, I used a dry toothbrush on the inside, then gave her a sudsy bath in Dawn. There were a few white spots on the outside that disappeared with a little gentle toothbrushing. Stuffed her to dry, and conditioned with Leather CPR while she was still a little damp.

Then I made a mixture of brown, black and just a dot of red acrylic to touch up the wear on the bottom edges of the bag and the edges of the strap. While at Jo-Ann’s buying paint, I discovered my new favorite rehab product: gloss enamel. After the touch-ups were completely dry, I re-painted with the gloss enamel and the fixes look good as new! Check out the detail photo of the strap edges.

I finished with Blackrocks, buffed with a horse hair blend brush and a microfiber cloth. Also my first adventure with pebbled leather, this rehab was a great success for me!

Great rehab and I love that bag, I can't believe you found her for only $7.50! I will have to look for gloss enamel too!

 

[netlawyer]

Generally you want to use a thin conditioner because a thick one might leave residue in the cracks. I have used Lexol and Bicks. I have also used Blackrocks on pebbled leather. It works really well with scuff marks. You put it on sparingly and wipe with a paper towel.

Thanks, whateve. So is the issue with pebbled leather just that thicker products might leave residue? I thought I read somewhere that some products would make it lose it's pebbled finish and would make it smooth.

I don't think there is a product that can make leather lose its pebbled finish. If you find one, let me know.

A lot of Coach pebbled leathers have a finish on them that brings out the pebbled texture. The vintage Madison bags are like that - if you are too aggressive with them, whether cleaning or conditioning, you can remove the contrast on the texture and they get flat looking. The texture is there, but it isn't highlighted the same way.

The natural grain Sonomas will lose some texture if you leave them too wet for too long, but I've never lost grain from conditioning.

 

[katev]

I have a question for you pro's...my bag I bought off ebay has tarnished brass hardware, I tried the ketchup, lemon with salt and nothing! What is the best way to clean brass on handbags? I read that Brasso doesn't work, so what's the trick?

I use Wenol or vinegar. With both, I have to use fine steel wool to scrub in order to get any results. Some people on here have a Drexel tool they use.

I use Brasso. I think it works fine. I usually apply with a q-tip then rub with a paper towel. It sometimes takes a couple applications if the brass is very tarnished, but I think it does a good job. The tarnish rubs right off.

I use wrights brass polish and love it, the bottle will last you ten plus years!

I use wenol and q-tips and that works well but you have to keep rubbing. I pull out my dremel power tool for the big jobs!

 

[katev]

Turns out my bag is a pretty rare tote Legacy tote from the 70s...not the best piece to do my first rehab on! Yikes! I've managed to get all the residue off with soap and water, but the sink drain indented the leather with rings...I'm putting a board on top of the still damp leather overnight. Hopefully it's not permanent...any suggestions are appreciated! View attachment 2255323

If that doesn't work you can try rewashing it and massaging the area with your fingers while it is wet.

 

[netlawyer]

I JUST LOVE THIS BAG! My first Italian Coach is a 1994 Madison Copley #4414 in Beechnut. The before pics are here: http://forum.purseblog.com/coach-shopping/authenticate-this-coach-818914-140.html#post24925739

My jaw just dropped when I found her at Goodwill for only $7.50! There was some wear on her bottom edges and where the top handle joins the flap, but I figured I could deal with it...otherwise she was in spectacular condition.

As always, I used a dry toothbrush on the inside, then gave her a sudsy bath in Dawn. There were a few white spots on the outside that disappeared with a little gentle toothbrushing. Stuffed her to dry, and conditioned with Leather CPR while she was still a little damp.

Then I made a mixture of brown, black and just a dot of red acrylic to touch up the wear on the bottom edges of the bag and the edges of the strap. While at Jo-Ann’s buying paint, I discovered my new favorite rehab product: gloss enamel. After the touch-ups were completely dry, I re-painted with the gloss enamel and the fixes look good as new! Check out the detail photo of the strap edges.

I finished with Blackrocks, buffed with a horse hair blend brush and a microfiber cloth. Also my first adventure with pebbled leather, this rehab was a great success for me!

I love it! So impressed with how you just crank them out and they look wonderful - very nice.

 

[netlawyer]

OK Rehabbers - I hardly ever post my rehabs here but I had to share this one.

My mom gives me a call and tells me that she has been talking to my cousin and told her that I fix up old Coach bags. My cousin says "that's awesome, I have a bag that I will send her." I say sounds great and after a while, what shows up?

A beautiful Hampton Haircalf Hobo! One catch - it's got something in common with the Velveteen Rabbit...

...most of its fur had been loved off. Yowsa!

 

[netlawyer]

I've had some failed rehabs - some have failed spectacularly - but I like a challenge. With this particular bag there was no where to go but up, huh?

(You have to imagine the opening from "The Six Million Dollar Man" here: “We can rebuild her. We have the technology. We can make her better than she was. Better...stronger...faster.”)

 

[netlawyer]

And so, without further ado,

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Mesdames et Messieurs,
Mein Damen und Herren,

I present a tPF World Exclusive Premier ...

of the Hampton Haircalf Upcycle Demi!! (complete with Mod Shot) TaaDaa!!!

I took the hairless back off altogether and wrapped the front piece of haircalf around the back. It happened that the half-round leather details on the top and bottom of the bag were similar, so I lined those up and glued/sewed them in place. I took the clip off and moved it from the front to what was the back of the bag so that it would wrap over and around to catch the ring from underneath rather than above. I covered any raw leather with black edge kote and used the tassels to make a fob, which also includes a small burgundy hangtag that I added since the bag didn't come with one.

It took me a while to figure out what to do with the bag (it almost went in my hardware pile) and then a couple of weeks to get it all put together once I figured it out. I am pretty happy with how it turned out and I think my cousin is going to love it!

 

[s&bfan]

And so, without further ado,

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Mesdames et Messieurs,
Mein Damen und Herren,

I present a tPF World Exclusive Premier ...

of the Hampton Haircalf Upcycle Demi!! (complete with Mod Shot) TaaDaa!!!

I took the hairless back off altogether and wrapped the front piece of haircalf around the back. It happened that the half-round leather details on the top and bottom of the bag were similar, so I lined those up and glued/sewed them in place. I took the clip off and moved it from the front to what was the back of the bag so that it would wrap over and around to catch the ring from underneath rather than above. I covered any raw leather with black edge kote and used the tassels to make a fob, which also includes a small burgundy hangtag that I added since the bag didn't come with one.

It took me a while to figure out what to do with the bag (it almost went in my hardware pile) and then a couple of weeks to get it all put together once I figured it out. I am pretty happy with how it turned out and I think my cousin is going to love it!

That's incredible! Congratulations on a job well done. I think your cousin will love it too.

 

[whateve]

A lot of Coach pebbled leathers have a finish on them that brings out the pebbled texture. The vintage Madison bags are like that - if you are too aggressive with them, whether cleaning or conditioning, you can remove the contrast on the texture and they get flat looking. The texture is there, but it isn't highlighted the same way.

The natural grain Sonomas will lose some texture if you leave them too wet for too long, but I've never lost grain from conditioning.

I use Blackrocks on all my pebbled leathers. I like the extra shine it gives them.

 

[JOODLZ]

She looks beautiful. I love this green. One of my very first vintage finds was a new pocket purse in this color.

You know I'm jealous of this one! I keep trying to convince myself I don't need a Copley. I have her little sister, Biltmore, who is a pretty good size for me.

You really made out with this one! What a nice bonus! I bet if the person who donated this bag could see what you have done with it, she would be sad she gave it away. I love this shape of this tote.

Thanks so much for the compliments...I just can't decide which one to move into next!

 

[JOODLZ]

Great rehab and I love that bag, I can't believe you found her for only $7.50! I will have to look for gloss enamel too!

Thanks...the gloss enamel is really the "icing on the cake" for painted edges!

 

[JOODLZ]

A lot of Coach pebbled leathers have a finish on them that brings out the pebbled texture. The vintage Madison bags are like that - if you are too aggressive with them, whether cleaning or conditioning, you can remove the contrast on the texture and they get flat looking. The texture is there, but it isn't highlighted the same way.

The natural grain Sonomas will lose some texture if you leave them too wet for too long, but I've never lost grain from conditioning.

I had serious concerns about rehabbing pebbled leather...but my Copley was in very good condition to begin with so I didn't have to be very aggressive. Polishing with a microfiber cloth seemed to do the trick in bringing out the depth of the texture.

I love it! So impressed with how you just crank them out and they look wonderful - very nice.

Thanks...it's been chaos around here this week with rehabbing around entertaining house guests: my daughter and three of her children (2 boys 16 and 12, plus daughter 2 1/2!). What was I thinking? And I'm still in the middle of a Stewardess and finishing a Multi-Color Stripe Hobo for my daughter. What's one more mess?

 

[JOODLZ]

I've had some failed rehabs - some have failed spectacularly - but I like a challenge. With this particular bag there was no where to go but up, huh?

(You have to imagine the opening from "The Six Million Dollar Man" here: “We can rebuild her. We have the technology. We can make her better than she was. Better...stronger...faster.”)

And so, without further ado,

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Mesdames et Messieurs,
Mein Damen und Herren,

I present a tPF World Exclusive Premier ...

of the Hampton Haircalf Upcycle Demi!! (complete with Mod Shot) TaaDaa!!!

I took the hairless back off altogether and wrapped the front piece of haircalf around the back. It happened that the half-round leather details on the top and bottom of the bag were similar, so I lined those up and glued/sewed them in place. I took the clip off and moved it from the front to what was the back of the bag so that it would wrap over and around to catch the ring from underneath rather than above. I covered any raw leather with black edge kote and used the tassels to make a fob, which also includes a small burgundy hangtag that I added since the bag didn't come with one.

It took me a while to figure out what to do with the bag (it almost went in my hardware pile) and then a couple of weeks to get it all put together once I figured it out. I am pretty happy with how it turned out and I think my cousin is going to love it!

Drum roll...The envelope please...The 2013 Award for MOST AMBITIOUS Rehab goes to...YOU!!! Wowza this is amazing. Great job!