Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[aerinha]

My Willis has been drying in the garage with the window open since 4:30 last night. After doing a tape roller, vacuum and dunking it there is still fur coming out of the seams. I keep thinking of Seinfeld when George pretended he just moved to NY and the woman helping him said “ The previous tenant must have kept monkeys or something in here”. A few stray hairs I get but every single seam is stuffed full...yet the bag was basically fine and smell free.

Here she is after a coat of conditioner

I need advice on the strap. Something is up with it. It is so black and spongy feeling I think it might have been dyed or heavily painted. Are vintage straps this floppy soft? I am only familiar with old Dooneys and their straps are fairly firm

The strap has a few of these cut/tear marks on the underside (not disclosed of course). What if anything should I do with them?

 

[valv54]

Thanks for the tip, valv54!

I remember seeing your white pony express in the family shot you posted. It’s so white! Did you have to touch up the colour?

I did wash my bag with vinegar (it had 4 baths!) but I am eager to give bleach a try. How much would you suggest? Sorry I searched the forum and can’t seem to find the answer..

When I was cleaning the leather around the hardware with straight vinegar I noticed that it would cause a film of verdigris to form on the brass - ie when I put strips of paper towel soaked with vinegar through the loops, the verdigris in the suede did actually lighten, but then the brass would turn green and re-stain the suede.. is that normal?

I did have to touch up the color, it's the nature of white, when a corner gets scuffed on a dark colored bag you can put conditioner on it and it will look better, well can't do that with a white bag, if it gets scuffed the color is gone and you need a product to cover it. I had a suggestion from @Lake Effect to try saphir products and found they work wonders, they are a colorant but a conditioner also. I don't know about the verdigris, I know if I wipe my pony down with conditioner or whatever, and I wipe over the brass I get a dark smear, and have to wipe the leather down again. I took the hardware off like you did, and soaked in vinegar and then scrubbed and I still get schmears. I had to give my pony 2 baths, and its pre registration, that was terrifying. Welcome to the "f" this white bag club. Haha

 

[valv54]

Thanks for the tip, valv54!

I remember seeing your white pony express in the family shot you posted. It’s so white! Did you have to touch up the colour?

I did wash my bag with vinegar (it had 4 baths!) but I am eager to give bleach a try. How much would you suggest? Sorry I searched the forum and can’t seem to find the answer..

When I was cleaning the leather around the hardware with straight vinegar I noticed that it would cause a film of verdigris to form on the brass - ie when I put strips of paper towel soaked with vinegar through the loops, the verdigris in the suede did actually lighten, but then the brass would turn green and re-stain the suede.. is that normal?

Try to wipe the hardware with a polishing cloth before dunking again. A vinegar soak should have taken care of it. Maybe another tpf'er out there has other suggestions.

 

[Lake Effect]

Thanks for the tip, valv54!

I remember seeing your white pony express in the family shot you posted. It’s so white! Did you have to touch up the colour?

I did wash my bag with vinegar (it had 4 baths!) but I am eager to give bleach a try. How much would you suggest? Sorry I searched the forum and can’t seem to find the answer..

When I was cleaning the leather around the hardware with straight vinegar I noticed that it would cause a film of verdigris to form on the brass - ie when I put strips of paper towel soaked with vinegar through the loops, the verdigris in the suede did actually lighten, but then the brass would turn green and re-stain the suede.. is that normal?

You will be discouraged by many here from using bleach! It has a much higher pH than is recommended for leather. That being said, in my early *I’ll try anything once* rehab days, fwiw, for mold I used about one cup of bleach in 2 gallons of water, as I had seen another rehabber note (in her defense, she is a nurse and that is what every traditionally trained nurse I know would recommend to kill any microorganism !). It was for a putty Convertible Clutch and Classic Hobo, with no ill effects on the bag/leather.
Many have recommend benzoyl peroxide/zit cream for whitening. Do a search here of that for those posts.

 

[katev]

Katev, sorry if this is a silly question but did you also soak the strap when you dunked this Bleecker set? It seems like a strange type of leather to me, almost like cardboard. I'm wondering how it held up in the bath.

Not silly at all! I definitely soaked the strap with the rest of the bag and there were absolutely no problems. It is a stiffer leather but it was fine and I was able to shape the strap nicely while it was drying.

In general, sometimes thinner areas of bags like straps, hangtags, fringe, etc. tend dry faster than the rest of the bag, so I may apply a product like Leather Therapy or Leather CPR to areas that seem to be drying faster while they are still drying - just to make sure that they won't crack.

 

[Ammrx]

I'm curious as to how your Bleecker duffle eventually turned out. Did the color ever even out?

No it is still blotchy in places. I am debating dunking again. I just don't want to lose more color so I am trying to decide if I'll live with it as is or redunk it. Thanks for asking. Or if anyone has any other suggestions, I'm always up for learning.

 

[qwertie]

I did have to touch up the color, it's the nature of white, when a corner gets scuffed on a dark colored bag you can put conditioner on it and it will look better, well can't do that with a white bag, if it gets scuffed the color is gone and you need a product to cover it. I had a suggestion from @Lake Effect to try saphir products and found they work wonders, they are a colorant but a conditioner also. I don't know about the verdigris, I know if I wipe my pony down with conditioner or whatever, and I wipe over the brass I get a dark smear, and have to wipe the leather down again. I took the hardware off like you did, and soaked in vinegar and then scrubbed and I still get schmears. I had to give my pony 2 baths, and its pre registration, that was terrifying. Welcome to the "f" this white bag club. Haha

It’s my first real rehab so I really didn’t want to remove the hardware. but I had to because green stuff just kept showing up. If I could I would have removed the rings holding the straps, and the buckle too. Now I wonder if verdigris is lurking in all my other vintage bags (I have a thing for the turnlock, but needless to say this is tampering that excitement a bit...) Noted about saphir, I’ll check to see if they have it at the shoe repair shop near my work.

Thanks for the welcome! Though with this experience this is very likely going to be my one and only attempt at a white bag. I now have even more appreciation for rehabbers and their successfully rehabbed bags!

Try to wipe the hardware with a polishing cloth before dunking again. A vinegar soak should have taken care of it. Maybe another tpf'er out there has other suggestions.

Oh I have been using a dish scrubber pad so it’s rough. But it sounds like I actually needed something smoother.. oops!! Thanks for pointing that out!

You will be discouraged by many here from using bleach! It has a much higher pH than is recommended for leather. That being said, in my early *I’ll try anything once* rehab days, fwiw, for mold I used about one cup of bleach in 2 gallons of water, as I had seen another rehabber note (in her defense, she is a nurse and that is what every traditionally trained nurse I know would recommend to kill any microorganism !). It was for a putty Convertible Clutch and Classic Hobo, with no ill effects on the bag/leather.
Many have recommend benzoyl peroxide/zit cream for whitening. Do a search here of that for those posts.

Thanks for sharing, Lake Effect! I’m nervous about bleach since I’m clumsy and bleach isn’t harmless like vinegar, but I’m willing to give it a try. Though I haven’t dunked the bag in straight vinegar yet (only diluted so far) so maybe that’s a step I can try before the bleach. I did also read about the zit cream, but in the bag’s current condition I might need a whole tub to rub on the bag! Lol..

Thanks a lot valv54 and Lake Effect! The bag wasn’t exactly cheap - considering it was supposed to be in “great vintage condition,” now I know what that means - so I’m happy to know I haven’t run out of options yet. Thanks for all your tips!!

 

[valv54]

It’s my first real rehab so I really didn’t want to remove the hardware. but I had to because green stuff just kept showing up. If I could I would have removed the rings holding the straps, and the buckle too. Now I wonder if verdigris is lurking in all my other vintage bags (I have a thing for the turnlock, but needless to say this is tampering that excitement a bit...) Noted about saphir, I’ll check to see if they have it at the shoe repair shop near my work.

Thanks for the welcome! Though with this experience this is very likely going to be my one and only attempt at a white bag. I now have even more appreciation for rehabbers and their successfully rehabbed bags!



Oh I have been using a dish scrubber pad so it’s rough. But it sounds like I actually needed something smoother.. oops!! Thanks for pointing that out!



Thanks for sharing, Lake Effect! I’m nervous about bleach since I’m clumsy and bleach isn’t harmless like vinegar, but I’m willing to give it a try. Though I haven’t dunked the bag in straight vinegar yet (only diluted so far) so maybe that’s a step I can try before the bleach. I did also read about the zit cream, but in the bag’s current condition I might need a whole tub to rub on the bag! Lol..

Thanks a lot valv54 and Lake Effect! The bag wasn’t exactly cheap - considering it was supposed to be in “great vintage condition,” now I know what that means - so I’m happy to know I haven’t run out of options yet. Thanks for all your tips!!

Oh no, it hurts when you pay a lot and they don't rehab well, I've been there too! And no more white bags for me either. To much work and up-keep.

 

[polkadots55]

Is it impossible to get scratches out of the vintage Gramercy made in Italy handbags, wallets, etc? Here is an example of what I'm referring to with some scratches on the exterior: https://poshmark.com/listing/Coach-satchel-5c92aa346197452b4c783020 Didn't know if Blackrock's would conceal or not.

 

[Lake Effect]

It’s my first real rehab so I really didn’t want to remove the hardware. but I had to because green stuff just kept showing up. If I could I would have removed the rings holding the straps, and the buckle too. Now I wonder if verdigris is lurking in all my other vintage bags (I have a thing for the turnlock, but needless to say this is tampering that excitement a bit...) Noted about saphir, I’ll check to see if they have it at the shoe repair shop near my work.

Thanks for the welcome! Though with this experience this is very likely going to be my one and only attempt at a white bag. I now have even more appreciation for rehabbers and their successfully rehabbed bags!



Oh I have been using a dish scrubber pad so it’s rough. But it sounds like I actually needed something smoother.. oops!! Thanks for pointing that out!



Thanks for sharing, Lake Effect! I’m nervous about bleach since I’m clumsy and bleach isn’t harmless like vinegar, but I’m willing to give it a try. Though I haven’t dunked the bag in straight vinegar yet (only diluted so far) so maybe that’s a step I can try before the bleach. I did also read about the zit cream, but in the bag’s current condition I might need a whole tub to rub on the bag! Lol..

Thanks a lot valv54 and Lake Effect! The bag wasn’t exactly cheap - considering it was supposed to be in “great vintage condition,” now I know what that means - so I’m happy to know I haven’t run out of options yet. Thanks for all your tips!!

It wouldn’t surprise me if others weigh in as well over the next day or two. Oh man, nothing like hands on experience , right?? I bought a light colored bag that did not rehab as hoped, though I knew it might be tough from the pics. There do seem to be sellers (I know, not all) that overestimate the condition of their bag
(My dirty secret, I am really lazy about cleaning hardware)

 

[Morgan_Bellini]

Not silly at all! I definitely soaked the strap with the rest of the bag and there were absolutely no problems. It is a stiffer leather but it was fine and I was able to shape the strap nicely while it was drying.

In general, sometimes thinner areas of bags like straps, hangtags, fringe, etc. tend dry faster than the rest of the bag, so I may apply a product like Leather Therapy or Leather CPR to areas that seem to be drying faster while they are still drying - just to make sure that they won't crack.

Excellent, thank you! I did notice the quick drying on thinner parts of bags, I'll be sure to keep that in mind for the strap on my Bleecker duffle when I work up the courage to dunk it. I dunked a little red Casino bag last night and had to condition the thin little spaghetti strap after just a few hours of drying. I'm glad I checked it before I went to bed, it already felt flaky dry. It's looking good this morning!

 

[Morgan_Bellini]

No it is still blotchy in places. I am debating dunking again. I just don't want to lose more color so I am trying to decide if I'll live with it as is or redunk it. Thanks for asking. Or if anyone has any other suggestions, I'm always up for learning.

I'm sad to hear that! I was really hoping it would have evened out for you by now. What a bummer. I do hope that it can still be fixed somehow.

 

[qwertie]

It wouldn’t surprise me if others weigh in as well over the next day or two. Oh man, nothing like hands on experience , right?? I bought a light colored bag that did not rehab as hoped, though I knew it might be tough from the pics. There do seem to be sellers (I know, not all) that overestimate the condition of their bag
(My dirty secret, I am really lazy about cleaning hardware)

Me too. Being in Canada, I’m already paying a lot for shipping and exchange fees, so i try to find bags in better condition. I have been lucky enough to come across mostly clean bags where only light cleaning is needed. I’ve only dunked one other bag before this one and that one had no verdigris (that I can see anyway). So this is my first time cleaning hardware!

 

[Jacynthe]

Hello All! I purchased this bag at my local thrift. First attempt at a red bag. I have dunked it and in the process of CPR. Not sure if I jumped the gun because I have not yet received authentication. I still like the bag. A lot of colour transfer on the outside back wall, from denim? Any ideas to minimize these stains? Thank you in advance for any information you are able to provide!

 

[houseof999]

One fail after another. Ugh! I have a BT convertible clutch. It had lots of pen marks. In an effort to remedy this pen marks with all sorts of cleaners the area surrounding the pen marks lightened. But the pen mark didn't completely disappear. So I bought British tan wood-n-stuff sample to make the piping look better. I applied it on the ink spots to cover. It covers but doesn't match my BT [emoji22]. So to make that spot disappear I decided to go to town and applied a mix of leather CPR and wood-n-stuff all over the bag. The rest of the bag looks fine but it's the freaking face of the bag, the front flap on top, won't absorb it evenly. [emoji35] Maybe I have to do another coat without mixing it with CPR. Not happy with the results. You can still see the lighter area on the back where the ink line was.