Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[coach943]

I have a major mildew problem. I didn't notice in the bag before I washed it but you can see spots in the seller's pictures. I think washing it made it a lot worse. The entire flap is covered inside and out with mold spots. It looks like it goes all the way through. The flap is very stiff and crunchy. I rewashed the bag with oxyclean and put it in the sun. I believe the mold is probably dead but the spots and crunchiness are still there. I put one coat of Leather Honey on it because it says that it resists mildew but the spots didn't absorb the conditioner. I'm sanding the suede of the inside flap in an attempt to soften it. What else can I do? The spots appear to be a little recessed on the surface of the bag.

I had an old penny that had the beginnings of a mold issue when I got it. I didn't realize it either at first. I let the bag completely dry out then used Blackrocks on the theory that it would both clean the leather and provide waterproofing. I think I may have read somewhere that Carnauba wax would help with inhibiting mold growth. I then put the bag in a cool, dry room for a couple months stuffed with a clean, dry cloth. The mold doesn't seem to be regrowing. I'll be interested to see what others have done.

 

[coach943]

Another question, I'm about to take the leap to rehab a city bag New York era. I am waiting for the conditioner to arrive because I can't find Soilove or Blackrocks here in Canada. When you talk about stuffing the bag with towels, etc, to reshape when still wet, do you just scrunch them in any old way, or do you fold them to keep it even? Also, do you use ratty old towels (I usually give mine to the SPCA) in case of color transfer? Thanks.

I use old towels also. There can be color transfer. I've not yet mastered the art of stuffing the wet bag. I think there must be a trick to it that I haven't figured out yet. I've decided that I was overstuffing my bags, so I've started using less towels. I had one that dried crooked, so you have to be careful. I've also started using thinner towels, which I'm finding work a little better, especially for smaller bags and in the bottom of the bag. Instead of bath towels, I've started used old kitchen towels that are thinner. I'm finding that they seem to work a little better.

 

[mzmir]

I happened upon two Baxter bags recently. One in British Tan that was already in great shape, and one in black that needed reshaped and spruced up a bit. I've never been a huge satchel person, but I just love these bags. I just finished the rehab of the black one tonight. She is missing her hangtag, so I dressed her up with a scarf.

Here's a before and after of the black one and a shot of the pair.

Beautiful.. are the two bags stuffed at the end or did it keep shape?

 

[mzmir]

I have a purse similar to this -- the larger one..

The problem I have is that it is slouching (similar to coach943 black bag above), and the straps are really dirty (leather)... the inside is dirty but only near the upper zipper. It's pink inside

Can give a bath on this kind of canvas? Will the print come off?
Will the pink stain canvas?

TIA

EDIT: Here;s a photo of my strap. Haven't used this purse in 2 weeks since I touched something and it got pretty bad!
I'm going to have to rewrap them even if it doesn't look nice....

 

[whateve]

I have a purse similar to this -- the larger one..

The problem I have is that it is slouching (similar to coach943 black bag above), and the straps are really dirty (leather)... the inside is dirty but only near the upper zipper. It's pink inside

Can give a bath on this kind of canvas? Will the print come off?
Will the pink stain canvas?

TIA

EDIT: Here;s a photo of my strap. Haven't used this purse in 2 weeks since I touched something and it got pretty bad!
I'm going to have to rewrap them even if it doesn't look nice....

The coated canvas should be fine. It is waterproof, although I have seen discolored coated canvas and I don't know how it got that way. It is easy to wash the lining with soap and water or just use a spray cleaner that doesn't need to be rinsed. It depends on how dirty it is. You can try washing the straps, but if they are leather, I doubt they will get much cleaner. You might have to paint or dye them. I don't see any point to soaking the entire bag. Just pull the lining out to wash and then try to scrub the straps without immersing them. If the coated canvas gets wet while you are rinsing, that is nothing to worry about.

 

[whateve]

I had an old penny that had the beginnings of a mold issue when I got it. I didn't realize it either at first. I let the bag completely dry out then used Blackrocks on the theory that it would both clean the leather and provide waterproofing. I think I may have read somewhere that Carnauba wax would help with inhibiting mold growth. I then put the bag in a cool, dry room for a couple months stuffed with a clean, dry cloth. The mold doesn't seem to be regrowing. I'll be interested to see what others have done.

Thanks. I'm more worried about the visible damage the mold has already caused. I don't even live in an area with much humidity. I'm sure the bag was in worse shape than I realized. Then to make things worse, our power went out just after I gave it a bath. We had to leave our house for the night and I didn't have time to worry about the purse. During the critical hours when it should have been drying, the air became a steam bath once the air conditioning shut off.

I've been putting multiple coats of Leather Honey on it. It has been soaking it up. I have been putting it on the suede parts too. The crispiness is much improved but the spots are still very noticeable. It looks like it has a disease. It's a shame because this bag is a gorgeous shade of gray. I have never had a vintage bag in gray. When I've seen them on ebay, I never thought it was a color I would like. I thought this one was black when I won it.

 

[whateve]

I use old towels also. There can be color transfer. I've not yet mastered the art of stuffing the wet bag. I think there must be a trick to it that I haven't figured out yet. I've decided that I was overstuffing my bags, so I've started using less towels. I had one that dried crooked, so you have to be careful. I've also started using thinner towels, which I'm finding work a little better, especially for smaller bags and in the bottom of the bag. Instead of bath towels, I've started used old kitchen towels that are thinner. I'm finding that they seem to work a little better.

I used to overstuff too. Then I realized I was stretching the bags out. Now I use as little stuffing as I can. Usually I'll roll a towel into a sausage and push it in the bottom and up the sides just to shape the bag, leaving the center part unstuffed. I find hand towels to be the best size for most things. I have found too, that you don't need to stuff the bag for the entire drying time. You can let it dry some without any stuffing, and then just use enough to get the shape you want. Sometimes I'll wedge the bag between books or against a wall in order to get the proper shape.

 

[mzmir]

The coated canvas should be fine. It is waterproof, although I have seen discolored coated canvas and I don't know how it got that way. It is easy to wash the lining with soap and water or just use a spray cleaner that doesn't need to be rinsed. It depends on how dirty it is. You can try washing the straps, but if they are leather, I doubt they will get much cleaner. You might have to paint or dye them. I don't see any point to soaking the entire bag. Just pull the lining out to wash and then try to scrub the straps without immersing them. If the coated canvas gets wet while you are rinsing, that is nothing to worry about.

Oh... I wanted to soak it because it sags. I'm hoping to reshape it back
Maybe I could just dunk it in plain water and reshape?

I'm going to try to soak the strap with dawn then recondition them.... hopefully that works?

What kind of spray cleaner that doesn't need to be rinsed?

 

[coach943]

Beautiful.. are the two bags stuffed at the end or did it keep shape?

Thanks! Both bags keep their shape now, but I'm going to keep them stuffed to be sure. The BT one has a little more structure to it than the black one does.

 

[Zaums]

Hi everyone! This is my first post ever. I want to thank the community here for the amazing tips on bag restoration (and authentication and the rest) and I'd love to show you my first project. She's a black Nottingham (9948) from 1995 that I picked up at a vintage shop. She had some stitching coming off, tarnished hardware, "old people smell", and overall fading.

Before pics:



After:



(Sorry for the Costco vodka in the pic )

Her tags are in the mail!

 

[DalGal]

Hi everyone! This is my first post ever. I want to thank the community here for the amazing tips on bag restoration (and authentication and the rest) and I'd love to show you my first project. She's a black Nottingham (9948) from 1995 that I picked up at a vintage shop. She had some stitching coming off, tarnished hardware, "old people smell", and overall fading.

Before pics:

View attachment 2304479View attachment 2304481View attachment 2304484View attachment 2304486

After:

View attachment 2304487View attachment 2304488

(Sorry for the Costco vodka in the pic )

Her tags are in the mail!

Wow, nice job, she looks beautiful!

 

[coach943]

Hi everyone! This is my first post ever. I want to thank the community here for the amazing tips on bag restoration (and authentication and the rest) and I'd love to show you my first project. She's a black Nottingham (9948) from 1995 that I picked up at a vintage shop. She had some stitching coming off, tarnished hardware, "old people smell", and overall fading.

Before pics:

View attachment 2304479View attachment 2304481View attachment 2304484View attachment 2304486

After:

View attachment 2304487View attachment 2304488

(Sorry for the Costco vodka in the pic )

Her tags are in the mail!

Welcome! Great job on your first project. She looks fantastic. Can't wait to see your next project!

 

[fuzzymummy]

I would just be afraid that it wouldn't match. I tried to touch up a spot once on black jeans with a sharpie and it didn't match. When I use paint, I can't tell if it is the right color until it dries. I like that I can wipe it off and try again if it doesn't work. If I wait too long, it seems to become permanent, which is a good thing when I get a good match. I know the purists don't like to do this, but I think just for a touch up on worn piping, it is good to use something permanent as long as it looks natural.

Can you test it on a hidden part to see how it looks?

I'll try it when the conditioner etc. gets here. I don't mind the scratches etc because you can still minimize with buffing, etc. but I'm not too fond of the scuffing and color loss on piping. It makes the purse look old and sad. If we can use moisturizers and foundation to even out our blotchy skin don't see why this old girl can't get the same treatment.

 

[chowlover2]

Hi everyone! This is my first post ever. I want to thank the community here for the amazing tips on bag restoration (and authentication and the rest) and I'd love to show you my first project. She's a black Nottingham (9948) from 1995 that I picked up at a vintage shop. She had some stitching coming off, tarnished hardware, "old people smell", and overall fading.

Before pics:

View attachment 2304479View attachment 2304481View attachment 2304484View attachment 2304486

After:

View attachment 2304487View attachment 2304488

(Sorry for the Costco vodka in the pic )

Her tags are in the mail!

She looks great!

 

[whateve]

Hi everyone! This is my first post ever. I want to thank the community here for the amazing tips on bag restoration (and authentication and the rest) and I'd love to show you my first project. She's a black Nottingham (9948) from 1995 that I picked up at a vintage shop. She had some stitching coming off, tarnished hardware, "old people smell", and overall fading.

Before pics:

View attachment 2304479View attachment 2304481View attachment 2304484View attachment 2304486

After:

View attachment 2304487View attachment 2304488

(Sorry for the Costco vodka in the pic )

Her tags are in the mail!

Great job!