Coach Rehab and Rescue Club
- Thread starter greenpixie
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Here are some pictures. This is one of a "Lot" I purchased to clean up and resell. The $ I make supports my purchasing beautiful new Coach purses habit!!! LOL I was aware that some will be throw aways.
Wow! It is very dirty and that sparkle leather is delicate and hard to clean. If it didn't cost much and you are willing to take a risk, I would start by giving it a bath in the sink with Dawn dish soap, gently rubbing the more soiled areas. Rinse and let it drip a short while to start the drying process and then stuff with towels to shape it, lay it on a towel on a flat surface to dry, and turn it several times while it is drying.
After a day, remove the towels and pull the lining out as far as possible to dry, keep it shaped properly and continue the drying process.
I've never worked with the sparkle leather but I would start with a light conditioner, maybe Lexol conditioner. Apply conditioner while it is still damp and again after it dries. If it looks dull you might have to try a heavier conditioner like Leather Therapy Restorer, link below:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/LEATHER-THERAPY-EQUESTRIAN-RESTORER-CONDITIONER/113209458
Gently rub the hardware with a soft, dry cloth to shine.
If washing in the sink doesn't get it clean, I would tie it up in a laundry bag (or pillowcase) and run it through the washer on gentle using Woolite or something like Leather Therapy Laundry Solution, see link below; and follow the same process for drying as described above.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/LEATHER-THERAPY-LEATHER-LAUNDRY-SOLUTION/936529718
But again, I have never worked with the sparkle leather so those are just guesses, perhaps someone else will be better able to advise you, good luck!
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Thank you so much for the advice and the product links. I will let you know what happens!
I think it is probably a lost cause. If it feels really soft, it might be suede. If that is the case, I don't think conditioning is a good idea.
You are probably right, I was thinking of trying to restore the shine, but it may be hopeless. What a shame that someone would treat a pretty bag so badly!
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BTW, I am dealing with my own Nubuc Nightmare right now - I should have known better! I sent notes to Leather Therapy, Obenaufs, and Blackrocks to ask if their products could be used on Nubuc; see the answers below:
Leather Therapy & Restorer:
“Thank you for contacting us. Because nubuck is quite porous we do not generally recommend treating it with Restorer & Conditioner. I have personally used Restorer & Conditioner on nubuck boots and found that it did darken them quite a bit, but it was a nice rich color – the nubuck did return to its original color over time. If you still decide to try it on nubuck knowing that it will darken the tones, I recommend applying it with a damp sponge so it spreads easily and evenly – but just know that it will darken the tones of the nubuck because nubuck is so porous.”
Obenauf’s LP:
“Yes, it can. As long as it is genuine leather and not manmade material. If you do deicide to use Heavy Duty Lp, there are results that you may need to consider. The wax may lay down the nap, just brush it back up. It will darken the color, so expect that to happen. Make sure the leather, the product, and your hands are warm to help absorption. Do not over apply as it isn’t as easy to buff off excess on this leather but, you can rub it in well with your hands. Just some things to consider.”
Blackrock’s Leather n Rich:
“No, our product cannot be used on suede or nubuck leathers! I'm sorry about that! Our product can only be used on finished leathers. For nubuck leather, I would recommend a gum eraser and brush.”
Leather Therapy & Restorer:
“Thank you for contacting us. Because nubuck is quite porous we do not generally recommend treating it with Restorer & Conditioner. I have personally used Restorer & Conditioner on nubuck boots and found that it did darken them quite a bit, but it was a nice rich color – the nubuck did return to its original color over time. If you still decide to try it on nubuck knowing that it will darken the tones, I recommend applying it with a damp sponge so it spreads easily and evenly – but just know that it will darken the tones of the nubuck because nubuck is so porous.”
Obenauf’s LP:
“Yes, it can. As long as it is genuine leather and not manmade material. If you do deicide to use Heavy Duty Lp, there are results that you may need to consider. The wax may lay down the nap, just brush it back up. It will darken the color, so expect that to happen. Make sure the leather, the product, and your hands are warm to help absorption. Do not over apply as it isn’t as easy to buff off excess on this leather but, you can rub it in well with your hands. Just some things to consider.”
Blackrock’s Leather n Rich:
“No, our product cannot be used on suede or nubuck leathers! I'm sorry about that! Our product can only be used on finished leathers. For nubuck leather, I would recommend a gum eraser and brush.”
I got in my Station Bag from Ebay and it really is black, lol. Anyway, I can't wait to get to work on her. I've got Black Rock and Leather CPR on the way. I feel pretty good about the process but do have one question at the moment. The bag has a spot on the trim where the leather appears to have worn through, should I do something to that area first before I dunk her? Thank you.
Attachments
I would repair that after dunking. You can fill the hole with leather cement, using your fingers to close the gap and smooth it before it dries. When dry, you can use a bit of acrylic paint mixed with conditioner on it. @whateve has recommended fabric puff paint for this type of repair, but I haven't tried that yet.
I just got a response from Lexol for the Nubuck question so I am adding it to the list, see below. I have always considered Lexol to be a "light conditioner" and I tend to use it on "delicate" leathers!
Lexol Conditioner:
"We would like to inform you that Leather Conditioner Leathers Lexol is not recommended for Aniline and other chemically softened leathers , suede or nubuck and other physically softened leathers, pigskin, lambskin, sheepskin, goatskin, shearling, ostrich skin."
Leather Therapy & Restorer:
“Thank you for contacting us. Because nubuck is quite porous we do not generally recommend treating it with Restorer & Conditioner. I have personally used Restorer & Conditioner on nubuck boots and found that it did darken them quite a bit, but it was a nice rich color – the nubuck did return to its original color over time. If you still decide to try it on nubuck knowing that it will darken the tones, I recommend applying it with a damp sponge so it spreads easily and evenly – but just know that it will darken the tones of the nubuck because nubuck is so porous.”
Obenauf’s LP:
“Yes, it can. As long as it is genuine leather and not manmade material. If you do deicide to use Heavy Duty Lp, there are results that you may need to consider. The wax may lay down the nap, just brush it back up. It will darken the color, so expect that to happen. Make sure the leather, the product, and your hands are warm to help absorption. Do not over apply as it isn’t as easy to buff off excess on this leather but, you can rub it in well with your hands. Just some things to consider.”
Blackrock’s Leather n Rich:
“No, our product cannot be used on suede or nubuck leathers! I'm sorry about that! Our product can only be used on finished leathers. For nubuck leather, I would recommend a gum eraser and brush.”
Lexol Conditioner:
"We would like to inform you that Leather Conditioner Leathers Lexol is not recommended for Aniline and other chemically softened leathers , suede or nubuck and other physically softened leathers, pigskin, lambskin, sheepskin, goatskin, shearling, ostrich skin."
Leather Therapy & Restorer:
“Thank you for contacting us. Because nubuck is quite porous we do not generally recommend treating it with Restorer & Conditioner. I have personally used Restorer & Conditioner on nubuck boots and found that it did darken them quite a bit, but it was a nice rich color – the nubuck did return to its original color over time. If you still decide to try it on nubuck knowing that it will darken the tones, I recommend applying it with a damp sponge so it spreads easily and evenly – but just know that it will darken the tones of the nubuck because nubuck is so porous.”
Obenauf’s LP:
“Yes, it can. As long as it is genuine leather and not manmade material. If you do deicide to use Heavy Duty Lp, there are results that you may need to consider. The wax may lay down the nap, just brush it back up. It will darken the color, so expect that to happen. Make sure the leather, the product, and your hands are warm to help absorption. Do not over apply as it isn’t as easy to buff off excess on this leather but, you can rub it in well with your hands. Just some things to consider.”
Blackrock’s Leather n Rich:
“No, our product cannot be used on suede or nubuck leathers! I'm sorry about that! Our product can only be used on finished leathers. For nubuck leather, I would recommend a gum eraser and brush.”
I know I have been thinking about how people treat their purses as I have looked over this Lot and see some abuse. Maybe I'm weird but as I was washing the inside of satchel 10526 I wondered how many places the purse has gone, how many dinners, baby showers, dinners etc the purse has seen!!!
That's one of the reasons I enjoy rehabbing: imagining the life of these bags before they came to me. Some of them have stories to tell!
I finally decided to take the plunge and dunk a bunch of bags. I even dunked the mail pouch because the flat shape was driving me crazy. I am super surprised at how much leather cpr the worst looking bag took and It’s now the best looking bag [emoji33] The bowler looking bag was driving me insane because I wanted a more triangle shape but it looked more rounded, so I used drinking straws folded towards each other at the top and that worked out a bit better. I took over my hubbys bar in the basement, he wasn’t too happy at first [emoji16]
Anyone here ever encounter shrunken, hardened leather? I bought a beat-up Janice Legacy that has a single damaged panel - it's all puckered and tight like a drum, and hard like cardboard. From what I can find online, it may have been exposed to heat, and the damage is not reversible.
Perhaps someone on this thread knows a trick? The bag has been dunked, conditioned repeatedly and massaged in the tough area. The leather on the rest of the bag is supple.
Perhaps someone on this thread knows a trick? The bag has been dunked, conditioned repeatedly and massaged in the tough area. The leather on the rest of the bag is supple.
I think it is probably not fixable. Once I rehabbed a NYC bag that had really hard leather. I called it petrified. If leather is allowed to dry out and never conditioned, this can happen. I imagine heat would do the same thing.