On leather, most things that remove ink also remove the leather color so most of the time it is better to cover it up with paint or dye. On a light colored bag, I've used benzoyl peroxide zit cream successfully. It tends to bleach so that is why I only use it on light bags.
Coach Rehab and Rescue Club
- Thread starter greenpixie
- Start date
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Not Coach but I posted about rehabbing this bag in this forum and now it's done! To recap: I got this old Chanel Cambon Ligne tote (pics before Rehab) with the leather in poor condition and she smelled like a moldy boat.
This bag was:
Given a bath
Dried in a makeshift bag dryer using a plastic tote and the top of a dehydrator
Dried in a sealed tote with damprid
Literally ironed the creases at the bottom out with an actual iron. (pics)
Conditioned 3 times with Blackrock
My sister used Angelus leather paint to repaint the CC's
Added a pink Coach feather charm because in my heart of hearts I am a Coach girl.
Sprayed a spritz of leather scent inside to cover a slight residual boat smell. When I gave the bag to my sister to paint she remarked that she likes how it smells, so clearly mission accomplished.
This bag was:
Given a bath
Dried in a makeshift bag dryer using a plastic tote and the top of a dehydrator
Dried in a sealed tote with damprid
Literally ironed the creases at the bottom out with an actual iron. (pics)
Conditioned 3 times with Blackrock
My sister used Angelus leather paint to repaint the CC's
Added a pink Coach feather charm because in my heart of hearts I am a Coach girl.
Sprayed a spritz of leather scent inside to cover a slight residual boat smell. When I gave the bag to my sister to paint she remarked that she likes how it smells, so clearly mission accomplished.
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Houseof999 and Belicious: Thank you for your replies and suggestions. I'm assuming from what I've read here that dunking is not advised, because the ink will spread. So I will clean it delicately, lol. Thinking about using Scarlett WoodnStuff Leather Refinish on those ink stains. I believe that 2006 red is the closest to that dye. If I'm wrong, please let me know. Thanks for being patient with me--I had to make a last minute trip right after I posted 
I'll try the alcohol on the lining of the Emerald Legacy Duffle. There are red stains, probably lipstick. Do you think alcohol will work on lipstick? It's mainly inside the inner pocket so it's not a big deal, but I'll try to get it out. Folex didn't help at all. This is the smokey bag. I got a partial refund and now getting the smell out is the main project. Sealing the bag up with baking soda made it smell even stronger on the first round. Then I let it sit sealed up with coffee grounds for a week. Now it smells like coffee and light smoke. Today I vacuumed and saturated the lining with Folex since I was trying to remove the stains. When it's dry I'll do several rounds of vinegar water on the lining. I wiped the leather with a damp microfiber. When I'm doing deodorizing it, I'll moisturize. I got some of the ink off the back of the leather with a white Pentel eraser but noticed that in low light, you can still see it where it made an impression. It doesn't show as much in bright light. The odor is mainly on the inside of the bag; so hopefully I can get rid of it. If the vinegar and airing out doesn't get rid of all the smoke, I will try sealing it in a tub with baking soda/coffee again, alternate between that and vinegar and end with the Febreeze you recommended. I'm open to any advice! This is my first attempt to get rid of smoke smells!
Wow! You did a great job, and I am especially impressed you got rid of the odor!
Wow someone scored an awesome deal!
I'm jealous!
Look what I found on Mercari! coach vintage Sling … posted by NYC https://item.mercari.com/gl/m78558057248/
I'm jealous!
Look what I found on Mercari! coach vintage Sling … posted by NYC https://item.mercari.com/gl/m78558057248/
I think carefully dabbing/cleaning the lining with alcohol has possibilities because chemically speaking alcohol is dissolvable in fatty compounds. Lipsticks tend to have waxy (chemical fats) components.
I did use Goo Gone to get lip stick off of vinyl. Successfully.
Side note - I need to update my credit card info on Mercari!
Springlock Repair
I rescued this Chrystie Bag. I was drawn to its distressed character (because, British Tan) and was curious whether I could replace the springlock clasp (or if not, MacGuyver it back to functional status!)
I sent a picture of the bag and broken clasp to Coach and they responded:
"Unfortunately, small parts and pieces that are specific to certain items are not something we have individually available here in our warehouse. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. As your bag is older than 5 years, we are unable to send it through our repair process."
I took it to my local leather craftsman who has a large trove of miscellaneous bag parts, buckles, leather scraps, etc. in his workshop. He was very helpful and actually found a screw back that he thought would work, but before I could stop him, he had screwed it onto the clasp to see if it would fit. It was not brass, it was silver color, and although he was able to screw it on, it got stuck and could not be screwed back off.
He offered to order a replacement clasp from his wholesale supplier. I thanked him and took the bag and the now-useless clasp home with me, thinking I might be able to get the misfit screw-back off. I worked on it for a long time and finally was able to twist it off by brute force, mangling it badly but leaving the original brass clasp intact. Whew!
I searched online (Buckle Guy, Tandy, Etsy, Ohio Travel Bag) and apparently no one sells these springlock clasps anymore. I wanted to keep the original clasp, if at all possible. Installing a magnetic or turnlock clasp were options, but that would have required modifications to the bag I didn't really want to make.
Next, a trip to my local Ace Hardware store to comb through the brass screw & nut section to see if I could find a screw back that would work. I hit pay dirt when a wonderful hardware guy helped me out. He took a close look at the clasp and led me over to the LAMP PARTS department, where he rummaged around for a while and came up with a perfect-fitting flat nut -- solid brass! I thanked him profusely and paid for the part ($0.85), and returned home to finish my project. Rehab nirvana!
Before and after pics:
I rescued this Chrystie Bag. I was drawn to its distressed character (because, British Tan) and was curious whether I could replace the springlock clasp (or if not, MacGuyver it back to functional status!)
I sent a picture of the bag and broken clasp to Coach and they responded:
"Unfortunately, small parts and pieces that are specific to certain items are not something we have individually available here in our warehouse. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. As your bag is older than 5 years, we are unable to send it through our repair process."
I took it to my local leather craftsman who has a large trove of miscellaneous bag parts, buckles, leather scraps, etc. in his workshop. He was very helpful and actually found a screw back that he thought would work, but before I could stop him, he had screwed it onto the clasp to see if it would fit. It was not brass, it was silver color, and although he was able to screw it on, it got stuck and could not be screwed back off.
He offered to order a replacement clasp from his wholesale supplier. I thanked him and took the bag and the now-useless clasp home with me, thinking I might be able to get the misfit screw-back off. I worked on it for a long time and finally was able to twist it off by brute force, mangling it badly but leaving the original brass clasp intact. Whew!
I searched online (Buckle Guy, Tandy, Etsy, Ohio Travel Bag) and apparently no one sells these springlock clasps anymore. I wanted to keep the original clasp, if at all possible. Installing a magnetic or turnlock clasp were options, but that would have required modifications to the bag I didn't really want to make.
Next, a trip to my local Ace Hardware store to comb through the brass screw & nut section to see if I could find a screw back that would work. I hit pay dirt when a wonderful hardware guy helped me out. He took a close look at the clasp and led me over to the LAMP PARTS department, where he rummaged around for a while and came up with a perfect-fitting flat nut -- solid brass! I thanked him profusely and paid for the part ($0.85), and returned home to finish my project. Rehab nirvana!
Before and after pics:
What an amazing story! I admire your perseverance. I always worry about what I would do if these clasps fail.Springlock Repair
I rescued this Chrystie Bag. I was drawn to its distressed character (because, British Tan) and was curious whether I could replace the springlock clasp (or if not, MacGuyver it back to functional status!)
I sent a picture of the bag and broken clasp to Coach and they responded:
"Unfortunately, small parts and pieces that are specific to certain items are not something we have individually available here in our warehouse. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. As your bag is older than 5 years, we are unable to send it through our repair process."
I took it to my local leather craftsman who has a large trove of miscellaneous bag parts, buckles, leather scraps, etc. in his workshop. He was very helpful and actually found a screw back that he thought would work, but before I could stop him, he had screwed it onto the clasp to see if it would fit. It was not brass, it was silver color, and although he was able to screw it on, it got stuck and could not be screwed back off.
He offered to order a replacement clasp from his wholesale supplier. I thanked him and took the bag and the now-useless clasp home with me, thinking I might be able to get the misfit screw-back off. I worked on it for a long time and finally was able to twist it off by brute force, mangling it badly but leaving the original brass clasp intact. Whew!
I searched online (Buckle Guy, Tandy, Etsy, Ohio Travel Bag) and apparently no one sells these springlock clasps anymore. I wanted to keep the original clasp, if at all possible. Installing a magnetic or turnlock clasp were options, but that would have required modifications to the bag I didn't really want to make.
Next, a trip to my local Ace Hardware store to comb through the brass screw & nut section to see if I could find a screw back that would work. I hit pay dirt when a wonderful hardware guy helped me out. He took a close look at the clasp and led me over to the LAMP PARTS department, where he rummaged around for a while and came up with a perfect-fitting flat nut -- solid brass! I thanked him profusely and paid for the part ($0.85), and returned home to finish my project. Rehab nirvana!
Before and after pics:
View attachment 4007980 View attachment 4007981 View attachment 4007984 View attachment 4007985
That's a GREAT story!! I'm glad you found something that worked.Springlock Repair
I rescued this Chrystie Bag. I was drawn to its distressed character (because, British Tan) and was curious whether I could replace the springlock clasp (or if not, MacGuyver it back to functional status!)
I sent a picture of the bag and broken clasp to Coach and they responded:
"Unfortunately, small parts and pieces that are specific to certain items are not something we have individually available here in our warehouse. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. As your bag is older than 5 years, we are unable to send it through our repair process."
I took it to my local leather craftsman who has a large trove of miscellaneous bag parts, buckles, leather scraps, etc. in his workshop. He was very helpful and actually found a screw back that he thought would work, but before I could stop him, he had screwed it onto the clasp to see if it would fit. It was not brass, it was silver color, and although he was able to screw it on, it got stuck and could not be screwed back off.
He offered to order a replacement clasp from his wholesale supplier. I thanked him and took the bag and the now-useless clasp home with me, thinking I might be able to get the misfit screw-back off. I worked on it for a long time and finally was able to twist it off by brute force, mangling it badly but leaving the original brass clasp intact. Whew!
I searched online (Buckle Guy, Tandy, Etsy, Ohio Travel Bag) and apparently no one sells these springlock clasps anymore. I wanted to keep the original clasp, if at all possible. Installing a magnetic or turnlock clasp were options, but that would have required modifications to the bag I didn't really want to make.
Next, a trip to my local Ace Hardware store to comb through the brass screw & nut section to see if I could find a screw back that would work. I hit pay dirt when a wonderful hardware guy helped me out. He took a close look at the clasp and led me over to the LAMP PARTS department, where he rummaged around for a while and came up with a perfect-fitting flat nut -- solid brass! I thanked him profusely and paid for the part ($0.85), and returned home to finish my project. Rehab nirvana!
Before and after pics:
View attachment 4007980 View attachment 4007981 View attachment 4007984 View attachment 4007985
Hello ladies,
Thanks to your great advice and tips, I have been successful in cleaning and rehabbing my bags, but this I can not figure out how to clean, I did a search in the forum but I couldn't find anything, sorry if I missed it.
I have a couple of leather bags white and ivory, that the zippers shows some orangy type of stains coming from in between the zipper and the leather. I know I didn't spill anything on them that I remember, much less on both.
I have not used them for a couple years, I was considering selling them but how do I clean that? I tried the Coach Leather cleaner with no luck.
TIA for any suggestions.
Thanks to your great advice and tips, I have been successful in cleaning and rehabbing my bags, but this I can not figure out how to clean, I did a search in the forum but I couldn't find anything, sorry if I missed it.
I have a couple of leather bags white and ivory, that the zippers shows some orangy type of stains coming from in between the zipper and the leather. I know I didn't spill anything on them that I remember, much less on both.
I have not used them for a couple years, I was considering selling them but how do I clean that? I tried the Coach Leather cleaner with no luck.
TIA for any suggestions.
Springlock Repair
I rescued this Chrystie Bag. I was drawn to its distressed character (because, British Tan) and was curious whether I could replace the springlock clasp (or if not, MacGuyver it back to functional status!)
I sent a picture of the bag and broken clasp to Coach and they responded:
"Unfortunately, small parts and pieces that are specific to certain items are not something we have individually available here in our warehouse. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. As your bag is older than 5 years, we are unable to send it through our repair process."
I took it to my local leather craftsman who has a large trove of miscellaneous bag parts, buckles, leather scraps, etc. in his workshop. He was very helpful and actually found a screw back that he thought would work, but before I could stop him, he had screwed it onto the clasp to see if it would fit. It was not brass, it was silver color, and although he was able to screw it on, it got stuck and could not be screwed back off.
He offered to order a replacement clasp from his wholesale supplier. I thanked him and took the bag and the now-useless clasp home with me, thinking I might be able to get the misfit screw-back off. I worked on it for a long time and finally was able to twist it off by brute force, mangling it badly but leaving the original brass clasp intact. Whew!
I searched online (Buckle Guy, Tandy, Etsy, Ohio Travel Bag) and apparently no one sells these springlock clasps anymore. I wanted to keep the original clasp, if at all possible. Installing a magnetic or turnlock clasp were options, but that would have required modifications to the bag I didn't really want to make.
Next, a trip to my local Ace Hardware store to comb through the brass screw & nut section to see if I could find a screw back that would work. I hit pay dirt when a wonderful hardware guy helped me out. He took a close look at the clasp and led me over to the LAMP PARTS department, where he rummaged around for a while and came up with a perfect-fitting flat nut -- solid brass! I thanked him profusely and paid for the part ($0.85), and returned home to finish my project. Rehab nirvana!
Before and after pics:
View attachment 4007980 View attachment 4007981 View attachment 4007984 View attachment 4007985
Catbird9 what a wonderful story! I’m so glad your rehab had a happy ending. Hats off to the knowledgeable guy at the hardware store! Your bag turned out beautiful!
I haven’t done any rehabs since the last thread was closed due to the length but I’ve been lurking here enjoying all the transformations. Some are pretty amazing. It’s such a nice feeling to restore leather to its original beauty.