Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[Lake Effect]

Did you wash it? It might have been shoe polished. That is really hard to remove.

I actually saw bags on eBay , black and mahogany Plaza’s if I recall, where the seller indicated she refurbished them and proceeded to describe how she put Fiebings edge coat on the piping trim and another one of their products, I think the stain, all over the bag. You could reflect light off those bags. I’ll have to see if I saved the name of the seller.

 

[kstar54]

Well, per @whateve , I dunked last night, and the leather is already feeling much softer and pliable. To say that the bag was professionally restored, imo, is NOT accurate! The seller put a note in the bag that it would soften over time with use, but I don't see how that was possible! Any respectable leather work person would absolutely not have treated a gorgeous bag like it was treated.

Anyway, I'm relieved. Now, even though a certificate of authenticity was included with the bag, were Pony's made outside of the NYC factory? This one states made in the US.

Thanks for everyone's help and support! I'll post pics when I am done.

 

[katev]

Today I colored a very faded and stained nubuck Sonoma with Rit dye. Not sure if it will take but when it dries I'll post the results. The object was to cover fading and an oil stain -- so I went darker. The bag originally had been elderberry, but i chose a dye closer to grape. I know that posters to this thread have called nubuck "the devil" so we'll see if it can be tamed. I also find it more challenging than regular leather.

How did your Sonoma bag come out after using the RIT dye? I am currently struggling with a nubuc bag rehab, I should have remembered about "the devil"!

 

[whateve]

Well, per @whateve , I dunked last night, and the leather is already feeling much softer and pliable. To say that the bag was professionally restored, imo, is NOT accurate! The seller put a note in the bag that it would soften over time with use, but I don't see how that was possible! Any respectable leather work person would absolutely not have treated a gorgeous bag like it was treated.

Anyway, I'm relieved. Now, even though a certificate of authenticity was included with the bag, were Pony's made outside of the NYC factory? This one states made in the US.

Thanks for everyone's help and support! I'll post pics when I am done.

Yes, it might have been made in another factory besides NYC. Who did the authentication?

 

[redwood66]

Hi all. Thank you so much for such great information on rehabbing.

I dunked my two new to me Murphy bags and have put on two coats of Leather CPR while they are drying. They are looking very nice so far. But it seems these have the coated brass hardware which is pretty ugly right now. I did buy Wenol but it hasn't come yet and it probably won't work on these turnlocks. Has anyone used a dremel to remove the coating or should I just leave it? I really don't want to spend the $ for new hardware as these were my first tries at rehabbing old bags.

One of them is red and I noticed that overnight it colored my towel a bit. Will I get dye transfer after finishing with the Blackrock if it is still coming out at this point? The other is black and I see no dye releasing. They are a little stiffer than before but not dry yet. Will that get better? Do I need more coats of Leather CPR?

Before


Still drying but before CPR


Before - vendor pic

While drying before CPR


This morning after two coats CPR - they are still pretty damp

 

[Catbird9]

Hi all. Thank you so much for such great information on rehabbing.

I dunked my two new to me Murphy bags and have put on two coats of Leather CPR while they are drying. They are looking very nice so far. But it seems these have the coated brass hardware which is pretty ugly right now. I did buy Wenol but it hasn't come yet and it probably won't work on these turnlocks. Has anyone used a dremel to remove the coating or should I just leave it? I really don't want to spend the $ for new hardware as these were my first tries at rehabbing old bags.

One of them is red and I noticed that overnight it colored my towel a bit. Will I get dye transfer after finishing with the Blackrock if it is still coming out at this point? The other is black and I see no dye releasing. They are a little stiffer than before but not dry yet. Will that get better? Do I need more coats of Leather CPR?

They're looking much better, especially the red one!

I would wait until they're both finished drying before doing any more coats of CPR. The black one probably won't need a third coat, but the red one might benefit from it. When completely dry, buff the bags with a horsehair brush or micro-fiber cloth. Then apply a light coat of Blackrock and wipe with a paper towel. You may see a tiny bit of color on the paper towel, but if so, don't worry. Once the Blackrock dries completely (one day at least), buff again. I've never had color transfer after the bag has dried completely, even if it bled a lot in the water or onto the towels while drying.

It's easier to work on turnlocks and d-rings if you remove them. You can polish the metal (including the buckle) with very fine steel wool, others have used a dremel. You can also request replacement turnlocks from Coach for free ([email protected]). They come with instructions.

Those screw-in d-rings look OK to me, but if necessary, they are easy to remove, clean and reinstall with a tiny screwdriver - just work carefully so you don't accidentally gouge the leather. I had some that squeaked, so I had to remove them to put conditioner on the posts, which solved the problem.

ETA: the stiffness will diminish once the bags are totally dry and buffed. The bag will get much softer as it is worn, too

 

[redwood66]

They're looking much better, especially the red one!

I would wait until they're both finished drying before doing any more coats of CPR. The black one probably won't need a third coat, but the red one might benefit from it. When completely dry, buff the bags with a horsehair brush or micro-fiber cloth. Then apply a light coat of Blackrock and wipe with a paper towel. You may see a tiny bit of color on the paper towel, but if so, don't worry. Once the Blackrock dries completely (one day at least), buff again. I've never had color transfer after the bag has dried completely, even if it bled a lot in the water or onto the towels while drying.

It's easier to work on turnlocks and d-rings if you remove them. You can polish the metal (including the buckle) with very fine steel wool, others have used a dremel. You can also request replacement turnlocks from Coach for free ([email protected]). They come with instructions.

Those screw-in d-rings look OK to me, but if necessary, they are easy to remove, clean and reinstall with a tiny screwdriver - just work carefully so you don't accidentally gouge the leather. I had some that squeaked, so I had to remove them to put conditioner on the posts, which solved the problem.

ETA: the stiffness will diminish once the bags are totally dry and buffed. The bag will get much softer as it is worn, too

Thank you!

I am so happy how these are turning out and TPF is such a wealth of information but a lot of reading. lol. I think I will try to take off the hardware, at least the D rings. I think cleaning in the loops on the strap will be easier if I have it removed. I hope the turnlocks are not too hard to get back on once I have them off. Thanks for letting me know that Coach will send new ones at no cost.

This might become an obsession with me.

 

[dstalksalot]

Found this very recently for 63 shipped. I thought it would be in worse condition, but all I really did was give it a good conditioning. The bottom is still a bit scratched.

Can some one tell me if this came with a strap? It's a Walnut 11649. None of the photos on eBay have straps however the patent version 11295 does. Not sure if I should search for one or not. It does have D rings.

 

[Catbird9]

Thank you!

I am so happy how these are turning out and TPF is such a wealth of information but a lot of reading. lol. I think I will try to take off the hardware, at least the D rings. I think cleaning in the loops on the strap will be easier if I have it removed. I hope the turnlocks are not too hard to get back on once I have them off. Thanks for letting me know that Coach will send new ones at no cost.

This might become an obsession with me.

I should revise my statement about turnlocks. They are easier to work with off the bag, but GETTING them on and off the bag is sometimes tricky. I recommend doing the female part first, to get an idea of how it goes.

 

[tealocean]

Hi all. Thank you so much for such great information on rehabbing.

I dunked my two new to me Murphy bags and have put on two coats of Leather CPR while they are drying. They are looking very nice so far. But it seems these have the coated brass hardware which is pretty ugly right now. I did buy Wenol but it hasn't come yet and it probably won't work on these turnlocks. Has anyone used a dremel to remove the coating or should I just leave it? I really don't want to spend the $ for new hardware as these were my first tries at rehabbing old bags.

One of them is red and I noticed that overnight it colored my towel a bit. Will I get dye transfer after finishing with the Blackrock if it is still coming out at this point? The other is black and I see no dye releasing. They are a little stiffer than before but not dry yet. Will that get better? Do I need more coats of Leather CPR?

Before
View attachment 4274650

Still drying but before CPR
View attachment 4274651

Before - vendor pic

While drying before CPR
View attachment 4274652

This morning after two coats CPR - they are still pretty damp

View attachment 4274657

View attachment 4274662

These are beautiful!

 

[redwood66]

I should revise my statement about turnlocks. They are easier to work with off the bag, but GETTING them on and off the bag is sometimes tricky. I recommend doing the female part first, to get an idea of how it goes.

Too late! LOL. I got them off and have sent an email to Coach for hardware. Will have to check to see what I need to clean the verdigris off the existing hardware and they definitely need a buff which will hopefully remove the coating.

I have to say this particular style bag, Murphy, is my ideal crossbody with the outside and inner slip pocket. It's like a Dinky turned on it's end!



Edit - It's a no go on new hardware from Coach. They want me to send it in for repair. No thanks on these.
Edit again- Now 5 mins later a different person says they are sending them. It seems you can't reply to the same person when emailing. We'll see what I end up with. I gave them the stamped number in the bag and the bag name. Hopefully they can figure it out.

So when did Coach start putting coated hardware on their bags? That might determine what I buy in the future because this is ugly if I can't get this coating off.

 

[redwood66]

These are beautiful!

Thank you! I got them both off the bay and I probably paid too much? The red one was $59 but then I used the $20 coupon e-bay sent me so ended up $39. The black one was $39 and I thought it looked in nice shape from the vendor pics but then he sent it in a flat envelope. What the heck? It was flat as a pancake with a bowed out bottom when it arrived at my house. When I complained to him he apologized profusely and credited $10. I am going to have to check my brand new local Goodwill.

 

[whateve]

Too late! LOL. I got them off and have sent an email to Coach for hardware. Will have to check to see what I need to clean the verdigris off the existing hardware and they definitely need a buff which will hopefully remove the coating.

I have to say this particular style bag, Murphy, is my ideal crossbody with the outside and inner slip pocket. It's like a Dinky turned on it's end!



Edit - It's a no go on new hardware from Coach. They want me to send it in for repair. No thanks on these.
Edit again- Now 5 mins later a different person says they are sending them. It seems you can't reply to the same person when emailing. We'll see what I end up with. I gave them the stamped number in the bag and the bag name. Hopefully they can figure it out.

So when did Coach start putting coated hardware on their bags? That might determine what I buy in the future because this is ugly if I can't get this coating off.

View attachment 4274975

I think they started using the coating on brass hardware sometime in the 90s. It looks fine if it hasn't worn off at all.

I often clean brass with just vinegar and steel wool.

 

[dstalksalot]

So when did Coach start putting coated hardware on their bags? That might determine what I buy in the future because this is ugly if I can't get this coating off.

View attachment 4274975

I don't think these are coated on purpose, I think whoever had the bag before probably sprayed it with a leather protectant and that's the coating that you're seeing. I've seen this previously and been able to get it off with a good cleaning. My Murphy's have all been solid brass.

 

[redwood66]

I don't think these are coated on purpose, I think whoever had the bag before probably sprayed it with a leather protectant and that's the coating that you're seeing. I've seen this previously and been able to get it off with a good cleaning. My Murphy's have all been solid brass.

They are solid brass but have some kind of coating applied. Both of them have it and I can't get it off with a scrubber in hot water. Luckily the red one ended up a USA bag and I had bought it without seeing the creed. Black one is Costa Rica. Coach is sending new hardware so that will be nice. They said it is brass.