Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[Two.time.bags]

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They are now bathed, stuffed, and drying and then I will do the leather conditioner.

1. Black Andrea slim bag from 2000, this one has creasing from being stored wrong and use (I think), anything to smooth it out or fill in the few scratches it has?

2. Brown Lewiston bag from 90’s, this one had what looked to be wear marks on the bottom which have disappeared when wet, if they come back in after drying and conditioning what is my best option for covering?

3. Cream Ergo Pocket zip from 2001 this one has the most issues, mainly wear/rub marks, can I mix paint with something to cover the spots some?

Lastly I just bought a 13648 White Leather Ali Flap Hobo Tote Purse. From what I can see the outside is dirty and needs cleaning and the tan inside has a lot of marks. Is there any way to give this bag a soaking bath ( i know it is iffy with lined bags) and what is the best product to remove stains and pen marks from the fabric?

Thank you so much for all your help. I think my husband is going to hate the fact that I found this rehab post, I can see myself spending a lot more time on Ebay and at thrift stores lol.

Wait, wait, wait..let them all dry thoroughly..THEN see what the re-habbers advise.
Nothing can really be decided until then. As for the Ali..if it is that bad, then go ahead & dunk. But, maybe wait until you finish the others & get a 'feel' for it.
BTW..It is better if you are new to this to concentrate on one bag at a time.. Patience Girl!!

Good advice from TBL2. Concentrate on one at a time!
1. Try to re-shape while its drying. Use a flat weighted object to even out creases.
2 & 3 paint mixed with conditioner is an option.

Post pics of your Ali and someone should be able to advise you on the best approach.

 

[whateve]

Hi everyone, I am back with more questions! Whateve was nice enough to identify my bags for me and I have started the rehab process on them. I will be honest and say that I freaked out a bit when the first one went for a bath because it changed a grey color in parts at first (originally cream). I would appreciate some advice on what to do next, I am trying to go through all the old posts currently but I have not yet found info on a few things.



They are now bathed, stuffed, and drying and then I will do the leather conditioner.

1. Black Andrea slim bag from 2000, this one has creasing from being stored wrong and use (I think), anything to smooth it out or fill in the few scratches it has?

2. Brown Lewiston bag from 90’s, this one had what looked to be wear marks on the bottom which have disappeared when wet, if they come back in after drying and conditioning what is my best option for covering?

3. Cream Ergo Pocket zip from 2001 this one has the most issues, mainly wear/rub marks, can I mix paint with something to cover the spots some?

Lastly I just bought a 13648 White Leather Ali Flap Hobo Tote Purse. From what I can see the outside is dirty and needs cleaning and the tan inside has a lot of marks. Is there any way to give this bag a soaking bath ( i know it is iffy with lined bags) and what is the best product to remove stains and pen marks from the fabric?

Thank you so much for all your help. I think my husband is going to hate the fact that I found this rehab post, I can see myself spending a lot more time on Ebay and at thrift stores lol.

FolkArt acrylic paint in the linen color #420 was a perfect match for another cream colored bag so it might work for your ergo.

I agree with everyone else; you should just wait until they dry and you condition them to see what else is required.

 

[shannonmarie]

Wait, wait, wait..let them all dry thoroughly..THEN see what the re-habbers advise.
Nothing can really be decided until then. As for the Ali..if it is that bad, then go ahead & dunk. But, maybe wait until you finish the others & get a 'feel' for it.
BTW..It is better if you are new to this to concentrate on one bag at a time.. Patience Girl!!

Okay....lol....I will slow down and work on one bag, I think I have the new hobby crazies I hate to admit it but I have bought 6 bags in 2 weeks, all of which are older and need tlc. My MIL gave me my first Coach so I blame her for starting this, and then I came across this website with the rehabing which has always been a problem for me with furniture and now has moved on to purses lol.

 

[shannonmarie]

Good advice from TBL2. Concentrate on one at a time!
1. Try to re-shape while its drying. Use a flat weighted object to even out creases.
2 & 3 paint mixed with conditioner is an option.

Post pics of your Ali and someone should be able to advise you on the best approach.

Thank you Two.time.bags, TBL2, and whateva, I will defiantly try your suggestions

 

[Two.time.bags]

Thank you Two.time.bags, TBL2, and whateva, I will defiantly try your suggestions

You're welcome. Good luck and please post before and after shots.

 

[JOODLZ]

Joodlz, in fact, when I was buying the acrylic paints at Walmart the other day, I saw the glossy ones, but they were $1 each instead of 50 cents (for plain ones), and the cheap side of me won... later that made me remember the old proverb - "The cheap man pays twice". I saw you mentioning the clear gloss paint for your projects before, so I think I'll get it and try to save the dull surfaces. The next batch of paint will definitely be glossy! Thanks, Joodlz!

You're welcome! And if memory serves me, I think the acrylic paints that come in tubes are glossy. I haven't bought any since college (a long, long, long time ago), but for basic colors like black it might be more economical. It's also much thicker paint straight out of the tube, but can be thinned with water.

I did it! My first dunk!

I think I went a bit overboard with the soap, but I made sure I rinsed it all off. I can already tell the difference, and most of the spots I thought were bad, were some kind of gunk that now is gone.

When the whole project is done, I will post the before/after pictures. I hope I was an attentive student, and now that I am going to put all your great tips to work, the result will show it.

Yeah that first dunk is a little scary, huh? But when you're done and have amazing results, you'll be addicted just like the rest of us. Can't wait to see

 

[Shasta99]

I decided to start by giving the strap (vs the whole purse) a bath because 1) I've never dunked a purse before and 2) I wanted to see if this helped determine if indeed polish had been used.

I used mild soap and a soft brush after letting it soak for about an hour. The water turned gray. I then rinsed the strap and placed it in clean water for about an hour and the water had an ever so slight tinge to it but nothing significant. It's still soaking in clean water.

Does this sound consistent with what would happen if shoe polish was used or just normal? If it sounds consistent with use of polish then I will dunk the whole bag.

Heard back from the seller. They said only coach conditioner had been used but that doesn't really mean much....

 

[catthecurious]

Just finished my first rehab project. Nothing special about it other than the fact it was my first dunk. I picked and easy bag - no worn out piping, no deep scratches, some discoloration (the back was brownish, especially around the corners) that I was hoping was only the result of severe dehydration. So here's my convertible clutch from mid 80-s. By the time I started the project the hardware already had been nice and shiny thanks to my husband who polished it for me with his dremmel tool, so I don't have "before before" pictures

 

[catthecurious]

And here it is after...

 

[TBL2]

And here it is after...

GREAT job!

 

[EGBDF]

And here it is after...

Super job!

 

[bigal]

And here it is after...

Wow looks brand new! Great job! Now you can really enjoy her!

 

[whateve]

And here it is after...

Gorgeous! I'm jealous; I can never get the back of a convertible clutch smooth like that.

 

[TBL2]

I decided to start by giving the strap (vs the whole purse) a bath because 1) I've never dunked a purse before and 2) I wanted to see if this helped determine if indeed polish had been used.

I used mild soap and a soft brush after letting it soak for about an hour. The water turned gray. I then rinsed the strap and placed it in clean water for about an hour and the water had an ever so slight tinge to it but nothing significant. It's still soaking in clean water.

Does this sound consistent with what would happen if shoe polish was used or just normal? If it sounds consistent with use of polish then I will dunk the whole bag.

Heard back from the seller. They said only coach conditioner had been used but that doesn't really mean much....

Typically shoe polish will just wash off & turn the water black & require several dousing. Also alcohol will strip a lot off. Tehre are all kinds of shoe polish however, and not all are the waxy/smelly type. At any rate, I would advise you go ahead & wash the entire bag because it isn't much use if the color rubs off on your clothing! YUCK!

 

[Shasta99]

Typically shoe polish will just wash off & turn the water black & require several dousing. Also alcohol will strip a lot off. Tehre are all kinds of shoe polish however, and not all are the waxy/smelly type. At any rate, I would advise you go ahead & wash the entire bag because it isn't much use if the color rubs off on your clothing! YUCK!

I decided to dunk it....I'm guessing it was a good choice since the water turned black immediately. Not gray - deep, dark black...and my hands are even black just from dunking. She's soaking....I'm a little scared to find what's under all that polish. Other than to cover something up why would someone do that to a perfectly good purse?