Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

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#1,322
4213jen said:
Has anyone ever worked with a snake skin bag? I have one (not Coach), maybe 1960s or 70s that would benefit from a little clean. Just wondered if anyone has any experience with this type of leather
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I don't have any experience with this type of leather. I do remember reading on Docrides thread over in the Hermes sub forum about products to use on delicate reptile skin. I bet if you do a search on that thread you can come up with the name of it.
 
#1,323
4213jen said:
What a great find, and a piece of history too.

I know you have way more experience than me, and this may be a silly suggestion, but I wonder if you could get rid of the smell inside your bag by wiping the lining down with lavender oil or something like that? Something to neutralise the smell without damaging the material. I wonder if a dry cleaner might have some suggestions? Just a thought.
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Thanks, I have heard suggestions of using baking soda discs or charcoal filters or dryer sheets to get rid of odors but my experience with vintage bags with a strong musty odor is that giving them a bath is the best way to get rid of the smell. I had one bag that I think must have been stored in a damp basement (it also had verdigris) and I bathed it twice and finally sent it through the washing machine to eliminate the odor.

After I pick her up today and see how the repair went, I will have to decide what to do next.
 
#1,324
angelaira said:
Bored tonight, so bought these for rehab purposes, went over my usual price per bag limit, but not by much, and the British Tan Court bag is something I have been wanting for a long time:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/290691645749?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_911wt_785

http://www.ebay.com/itm/28085459387...NX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_500wt_1019

http://www.ebay.com/itm/23077000920...X:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_2384wt_1002

And this one, which is going to require some kind of repair to the piping on the bottom, but it was a good price for a briefcase, hopefully I can restore it to useable condition!
http://www.etsy.com/transaction/77139860

So now I have 6 bags to work on in the coming weeks... I am so excited!!
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I finally had a sec to look at your new projects! I think you got some fun bags! The etsy one needs lots of love but that's a cool design. I too love finding these deals on ebay for fixing up. IT's ironic though that if I later decide to sell them, I can barely get much more than I paid for them even though they are returned to gorgeous! So I just buy what I plan to keep.. unless I got it at a thrift shop for next to nothing!! I guess mostly rehabbers shop for vintage LOL. I can't wait to see how they turn out!
 
#1,325
angelaira said:
Bored tonight, so bought these for rehab purposes, went over my usual price per bag limit, but not by much, and the British Tan Court bag is something I have been wanting for a long time:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/290691645749?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_911wt_785

http://www.ebay.com/itm/28085459387...NX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_500wt_1019

http://www.ebay.com/itm/23077000920...X:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_2384wt_1002

And this one, which is going to require some kind of repair to the piping on the bottom, but it was a good price for a briefcase, hopefully I can restore it to useable condition!
http://www.etsy.com/transaction/77139860

So now I have 6 bags to work on in the coming weeks... I am so excited!!
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Wow, you have found great projects, can't wait to see the results!
 
#1,327
katev said:
Thank you, I really hope that the cobbler was able to fix the frame without damage!
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Eureka! I just came back from the cobbler's shop and he was able to repair my Coach Cashin Small Shopper Bag perfectly without any damage! :yahoo:

I am annoyed that I forgot to ask him how much the repair cost so I would know my total investment in this bag. In addition to securing the leather and lining of my Cashin bag inside the frame;he also replaced the broken zipper slide on a Michael Kors wallet that I bought at the Savers for $10. Also, he did some minor repairs on 3 pairs of shoes.

The entire bill with tax was $48, so I am thinking that he charged $5 to $10 for the Cashin repair. Not bad at all, it was certainly worth it. I guess I'll call it $10 which brings my total investment so far to $12.

I am glad that I didn't try and repair it myself because I probably would have damaged it. The bag looks great now and she's ready for rehab! :D
 
#1,328
katev said:
Eureka! I just came back from the cobbler's shop and he was able to repair my Coach Cashin Small Shopper Bag perfectly without any damage! :yahoo:

I am annoyed that I forgot to ask him how much the repair cost so I would know my total investment in this bag. In addition to securing the leather and lining of my Cashin bag inside the frame;he also replaced the broken zipper slide on a Michael Kors wallet that I bought at the Savers for $10. Also, he did some minor repairs on 3 pairs of shoes.

The entire bill with tax was $48, so I am thinking that he charged $5 to $10 for the Cashin repair. Not bad at all, it was certainly worth it. I guess I'll call it $10 which brings my total investment so far to $12.

I am glad that I didn't try and repair it myself because I probably would have damaged it. The bag looks great now and she's ready for rehab! :D
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So glad that the cobbler was able to fix your little beauty! I would say $12 is a very wise investment for that piece:smile1:
 
#1,329
Jessi319 said:
I finally had a sec to look at your new projects! I think you got some fun bags! The etsy one needs lots of love but that's a cool design. I too love finding these deals on ebay for fixing up. IT's ironic though that if I later decide to sell them, I can barely get much more than I paid for them even though they are returned to gorgeous! So I just buy what I plan to keep.. unless I got it at a thrift shop for next to nothing!! I guess mostly rehabbers shop for vintage LOL. I can't wait to see how they turn out!
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I don't do this so I can sell them, my first really nice handbag happened to be Coach, it was a Court bag in black, I got it while I was active duty in the military, bought it at an outlet store in Carmel, CA for maybe $150?? I love the feel of the leather on the older bags, and there is simply no substitute today. I would rather spend my $20 or so on something I can fix up and preserve, than spending it buying some crap at Sears or something that is just going to fall apart in a month! I also think these are a great investment. They are not being made anymore. The modern Coach bags are nice, and I have a few, but they are not the basic rough and tumble yet gorgeous classic designs of these older bags. These bags have stood the test of time, and stood it well! We really don't have too many American solid luxury brands like Coach. I think buy these bags now and fix them up, and wait ten years, they will be even more hard to get, and the prices will probably go much higher, especially for really well preserved classic New York bags. My plan with all of this is to build a solid collection of gorgeous yet classic Coach bags, mostly American made, that I can actually use with my entire wardrobe. If these designs can go for 40 years without going out of style, I think they will go as long as we can keep them in good shape, and what other bag made in the world can boast that? The only other kind of bag I would collect, if I had the money, is the Birkin, and well, you show me where I can get a real Birkin for $20 to fix up and I would be all over it!!!

Oh, and the lady with the fake bag on Etsy volunteered to refund my money, so that made me happy! I added a key fob instead:
http://www.etsy.com/transaction/77182324

I really really really have to stop shopping for Coach stuff pretty soon, lol!
 
#1,330
Update! I just gave my Coach Cashin Tan Small Shopper a sudsy bath, a good scrub, and a long soak - and she is doing fine - no problems at all! She's drying now! :D
 

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#1,333
The awesome rehab chat is being interrupted by a touch-up message sans pictures. :p

http://www.ebay.com/itm/180844518723 is the silver sophia I got from the bay.. or is it gunmetal? In any case, i haven't done anything. I got my acrylic paints (silver and pewter, so I can blend If I need to), but from what I could see, silver on its own is too light, but without scrutiny, will pass off as a lighting issue. Sorry about the lack of pics.. I'll get around to it, I swear. Still no solution to the silver faded to black on the body - acrylic that I've seen definitely won't work. Silver leaf is too light, though might be better than the spots of black I (barely) see.
 
#1,334
katev said:
Update! I just gave my Coach Cashin Tan Small Shopper a sudsy bath, a good scrub, and a long soak - and she is doing fine - no problems at all! She's drying now! :D
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Your pic almost gave me cardiac arrest, so glad you know what you're doing! I'm glad your Cashin is one tough bag, I can't wait to see how she turns out!
 
#1,335
angelaira said:
I don't do this so I can sell them, my first really nice handbag happened to be Coach, it was a Court bag in black, I got it while I was active duty in the military, bought it at an outlet store in Carmel, CA for maybe $150?? I love the feel of the leather on the older bags, and there is simply no substitute today. I would rather spend my $20 or so on something I can fix up and preserve, than spending it buying some crap at Sears or something that is just going to fall apart in a month! I also think these are a great investment. They are not being made anymore. The modern Coach bags are nice, and I have a few, but they are not the basic rough and tumble yet gorgeous classic designs of these older bags. These bags have stood the test of time, and stood it well! We really don't have too many American solid luxury brands like Coach. I think buy these bags now and fix them up, and wait ten years, they will be even more hard to get, and the prices will probably go much higher, especially for really well preserved classic New York bags. My plan with all of this is to build a solid collection of gorgeous yet classic Coach bags, mostly American made, that I can actually use with my entire wardrobe. If these designs can go for 40 years without going out of style, I think they will go as long as we can keep them in good shape, and what other bag made in the world can boast that? The only other kind of bag I would collect, if I had the money, is the Birkin, and well, you show me where I can get a real Birkin for $20 to fix up and I would be all over it!!!

I really really really have to stop shopping for Coach stuff pretty soon, lol!
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Me too ! LOL...but I'll probably never really stop looking. I agree with you on all you have said. Their value just holds if we care for them. I just started buying Coach bags (mostly vintage) a year ago. Fell in TOTAL LOVE with those old bags!! Now It's vintage, plus the Legacy / Vachetta line from 2006-8. And Bonnie Cashin all the way!!! I rescue any and all that I feel I can improve and pass along so others will use them, instead of them ending up in a landfill.
 
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