Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others

#17,807
sharesorsha said:
I'm in need of some expertise as I've never used anything to color leather. I'm thinking about using Wood-N-Stuff to help with color loss on this bag I'm working on. It had little black spots and when I soaked in water with vinegar the color was removed. I bought some stickers to cover some of the mess but there is no way the stickers can cover all of the discoloration. Anyway, I ran across this website which says to not use Wood-N-Stuff. What are your thoughts on this, has anyone had bad experiences with Wood-N-Stuff? Here is before pictures of the bag as well as what it looks like now, it looks pitiful.
After reading from a rehabber here, I decided to try Saphir recolorant products. They appear to be a better quality than things shoe products found in the grocery store and products containing acrylic like Wood-N-Stuff. And since I enjoy rehabbing as a hobby, I was willing to commit to the cost. I have only used Saphir Juvacuir Recolorant so I can only speak to that dye type product. I purchased the Medium Brown, thinking I would use it on my chocolate brown ranch bag, but when it arrived it had a coopery tone that struck me as perfect for BT. I touched up fading and scratches on a Classic Compartment Tote with pleasing results. If interested do a search of my posts with Compartment in the subject to see the before and after.
The reality is that vintage BT can be a tough rehab.

katev said:
Obenaufs is a bit difficult to work with, and it is always better to apply products sparingly. You can always apply another coat later, and it doesn't hurt to test products in obscure spots first, either.
^^^^This!^^^^ Spread out plenty of news paper!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
  • Like
Reactions: sharesorsha and katev
#17,810
whateve said:
It might have. Mold changes the texture of the leather. It might have made it drier in those spots, less able to absorb conditioner, making it look more faded.
Click to expand...

I'm hoping I killed all of it if it is mold (which I think it is). I'm concerned about the black spots (very small, like the size of a bunch of pen dots) at the top of the bag that remain. I would like to wipe the outside of the outside of the bag with straight vinegar--should I rinse after wiping with vinegar, let it sit for a while then rinse, or just not rinse at all?
 
#17,811
sharesorsha said:
I'm hoping I killed all of it if it is mold (which I think it is). I'm concerned about the black spots (very small, like the size of a bunch of pen dots) at the top of the bag that remain. I would like to wipe the outside of the outside of the bag with straight vinegar--should I rinse after wiping with vinegar, let it sit for a while then rinse, or just not rinse at all?
Click to expand...
You shouldn't need to rinse after using vinegar. It matches the ph of leather better than water so it is less likely to water spot. You can also kill mold by putting in the sun. I bet you already killed it all anyway.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sharesorsha
#17,812
katev said:
Obenaufs is a bit difficult to work with, and it is always better to apply products sparingly. You can always apply another coat later, and it doesn't hurt to test products in obscure spots first, either. @Belicious has used it more often than me so she can better advise you. I've only used it a few times when I wanted to darken a bag a little - but I don't know how it would react with those damaged areas on your bag.

There may be another option. A good professional leather worker/shoe repair/cobbler can spot-dye a bag. I've only done that once. I picked up a mahogany Patricia's Legacy bag cheap but it was in bad shape. There was a rip where the flap attached to the bag and the finish was damaged right on the front flap.

I took it to a good local cobbler and he repaired the rip and fixed the finish and spot-dyed the area, see pics below. I don't remember how much it cost but it wasn't bad, maybe $20 or $25, and I was pleased with the repairs.

Nowadays I would probably have left this one on the shelf, but I am glad that I was able to save this lovely bag!

Before Repair:
View attachment 4213707

View attachment 4213718

View attachment 4213708

After Professional Repair:
View attachment 4213709

View attachment 4213711
Click to expand...

That's amazing! It looks beautiful, like it never had any flaws to begin with. I have already spent more than I wanted to--I bought a bunch of leather stickers to put on the bag. I never thought about a leather repair shop--I will have to think about taking it to one if I can't get it to look decent. The bag I have also has a ton of ink marks on the inside and several on the outside. Since it isn't perfect, I figure if I can get the outside to look halfway decent then it will be good enough. I'll never understand why people ruin such nice bags with pen marks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: katev
#17,813
whateve said:
You shouldn't need to rinse after using vinegar. It matches the ph of leather better than water so it is less likely to water spot. You can also kill mold by putting in the sun. I bet you already killed it all anyway.
Click to expand...

Thank you for making me feel better--I really do hope I killed it all. I'm going to wipe with vinegar and leave it. I may just let it sit in the sun too. Thank you so much for your help.:smile:
 
  • Like
Reactions: whateve
#17,814
katev said:
I looked it up and the shoe repair guy charged $28 to repair the rip and the surface for the Patricia's Legacy bag, but I only spent $5 on the bag so the total cost wasn't bad at all, but labor prices may have gone up since then!
Click to expand...

That's much cheaper than I ever imagined it would cost to take it to a leather repair/shoe shop. You definitely got a good deal! Thank you so much for your help.:smile:
 
  • Like
Reactions: katev
#17,815

Lake Effect said:
Lol, just expand the above post. Too much editing of a post too early in the morning.
Click to expand...

Your compartment bag looks amazing! I like what the Saphir product did for your bag. If I can get this bag to look as good as yours I would be so happy! I've already spent more than I want to, but I may just have to get the Saphir product then buy Obenauf's (or use Blackrock, I already have it) and see if it covers what I need completely. Thank you so much for your help.:smile:
 
#17,816
sharesorsha said:
Your compartment bag looks amazing! I like what the Saphir product did for your bag. If I can get this bag to look as good as yours I would be so happy! I've already spent more than I want to, but I may just have to get the Saphir product then buy Obenauf's (or use Blackrock, I already have it) and see if it covers what I need completely. Thank you so much for your help.:smile:
Click to expand...
I am not sure Juvacuir will cover dark stains. It definitely helped my bag out with wear, unevenness, a scratch and a little surface loss from what struck me as an adhesive sticker.
Some bags just have a tough history. Period. No matter how desirable the style. The good news is that however this bag plays out, you will now have an experienced eye for to look out for in the the next BT!
 
  • Like
Reactions: sharesorsha and Catbird9
#17,817
Lake Effect said:
I am not sure Juvacuir will cover dark stains. It definitely helped my bag out with wear, unevenness, a scratch and a little surface loss from what struck me as an adhesive sticker.
Some bags just have a tough history. Period. No matter how desirable the style. The good news is that however this bag plays out, you will now have an experienced eye for to look out for in the the next BT!
Click to expand...

Isn't that the truth! :shocked: It's worth trying since the problem areas are lighter than the rest of the bag. Thank you :smile:
 
  • Like
Reactions: katev
#17,820
katev said:
Wow, this poor "old beat up" bag has been through hell!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Old-Beat-Up-Authentic-Tuquoise-Coach-Bag/153202753682?hash=item23ab988092
Click to expand...

Catbird9 said:
It could be cleaned up...sort of. The inside is clean. You have to wonder how it got so dirty.
Click to expand...

It could definitely be made to look much better, and if if goes super cheap it might be worth the effort; but those handles would be difficult to clean and I'm not sure that all of the dirty areas are just dirt. It could be that the color has worn off on the corners and in some of other areas - or that the dirt is so ingrained that it cannot be removed without damage - and that would be a difficult color to match if you wanted to cover up some bad spots.

And the interior may not be as clean as it looks because the creed patch is filthy!

Also, those Thompson bags came with a unique and distinctive brass Coach script, open ring hangtag and a matching whipstitch hangtag and they would be very hard to replace.

What a shame, it was once a gorgeous bag!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: whateve and Catbird9
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top