Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[Lake Effect]

Thank you. I have more that are not in the pic. Some are going back in the market because they don't work for me. [emoji3525]

Shortage of vintage Coach averted !!!

 

[Eugooglizer]

Guess one is never considered baptised as a rehabber until their first dunk

Lol! Apparently there's a full-fledged vintage Coach bag Revival happening in this thread!

 

[tealocean]

Cleaned hardware tonight. Just a water and baking soda paste on most of it, with a little bit of very fine steel wool on the turnlocks. I'm leaving the patina on the hardware from the tote. Tomorrow, we dunk. I am going to dunk the Murphy, even with the wood dowel, but not submerge that bit. I'm fairly sure the two newer bags are Mocha. Does anyone have a recommendation for a puff paint match? The plug on one end of the dowel is missing, and I think it almost looks like it is just edge paint, but it could be a small round of leather, and I might be able to find a close match in my stash. But just in case...

View attachment 4399416

This is so helpful to see! You got the hardware gleaming! I'm not ready to remove hardware, but I will keep this in mind instead of my baking soda toothpaste!

 

[Lothruin]

This is so helpful to see! You got the hardware gleaming! I'm not ready to remove hardware, but I will keep this in mind instead of my baking soda toothpaste!

This is my first bag rehab aside from the very easy Demi I posted a bit ago. But, I spent 2 years as a professional goldsmith, and I have done leatherwork as an aspect of costuming, so I may have come into it with a good bit of overlapping knowledge. If I couldn't have gotten the hardware shining, I 'd have been ashamed of myself.

 

[tealocean]

This is my first bag rehab aside from the very easy Demi I posted a bit ago. But, I spent 2 years as a professional goldsmith, and I have done leatherwork as an aspect of costuming, so I may have come into it with a good bit of overlapping knowledge. If I couldn't have gotten the hardware shining, I 'd have been ashamed of myself.

It must be fun to be able to use your skills for beautifying your bags! I'm happy to know baking soda works, and next time I'll go for the baking soda now that I know that a pro used it!

 

[Cyanide Rose]

I have no idea which is which. I think* they are all supposed to be the same color. Not sure if the official color name burgundy or Oxblood. I think at one point there was a plum. I believe the dye batches varied from time to time. The other experts here can you tell you more. I was mostly hunting "burgundy" when I found these.

My full size photo from my Avatar is here somewhere. I can never remember the post #. So here it is again for your viewing pleasure. View attachment 4398177

What is the one, top row at the end on the right called? Thanks so much [emoji4]

 

[Lothruin]

It must be fun to be able to use your skills for beautifying your bags! I'm happy to know baking soda works, and next time I'll go for the baking soda now that I know that a pro used it!

A pro does use it, but disclaimer:
Baking soda and water is excellent for cleaning tarnished sterling and brass. But it is still a mild abrasive, so it shouldn't be used on softer metals, those where a high polish is required, or repeatedly on anything plated. (I mean, if you really need to give some antique silverware a shine up, it probably wouldn't kill it, but if you repeatedly shine your silverplate, it's going to wear it away.) It's also not appropriate for many stones, although I've used it on rings with diamonds and sapphires/rubies. ESPECIALLY don't use it on or near pearls and avoid many of the semi-precious stones you often find as cabochons in silver jewelry, like turquoise, malachite, and mother of pearl. But, for your sterling and brass without stones, whether it's jewelry, bag hardware, or solid table setting pieces, plain old baking soda is your friend.

 

[Morgan_Bellini]

I wondered if maybe stiffener was only in some models. Mine are authentic, checked out here. The feel of the Manor flap is different that my Court. But check yours out when it comes, if you are taking the hardware off to clean anyway, just open up the leather a teensy bit and look inside that oval cut-out, or feel with your fingers. It looks like tan, slightly rough cardboard and the leather is partially glued to it. I now believe I have fibreboard in other bags ( Canterbury, Equestrian - all on flaps).

I don't want to put you off this rehab at all, and I feel bad that I may have caused some worry - please dunk if you want to! I just wanted to share my face-palm experience so that someone else doesn't have the same results.

I appreciate you sharing your experience! Thank you!

 

[Morgan_Bellini]

Pics of flap before and after. Still a stunning bag - but it would be awesome if the flap didn't lose that crispness.

It's still a gorgeous bag! Thank you for sharing the pics. I think I will just proceed cautiously when dunking mine. Maybe let the body of the bag soak longer than the flap and leave the hardware on.

 

[aerinha]

It was like Christmas today so many boxes arrived. My d rings for the court came, a little big but will work, and both my rehab projects.

First a US made mahogany Willis
Looks more burgundy here

I don’t plan to dunk. Just wet wipe and CPR. The leather feels great and she isn’t too marked up.

Then comes my mahogany Manor bag.

She smells of old lady perfume but it’s not as strong as my Tods dust and roses perfume bomb bag. I plan to dunk to fix the smell, scratches and uneven coloring. I do not think there is cardboard in the flap

She has gross hardware. The front plate is dirty and green, the rest including zippers are black

I did a bit of rehab and scrubbed it with vinegar using qtips and toothpicks. It looks much better now and I plan to do it again post dunk and dry

 

[nursebetty]

I've seen that too -- you described it well. I think it was on/in an interior pocket.

I've seen proof of what appears to be cardboard in the Binocular Bag posted here:

Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

It's very possible that different materials were used as reinforcement over the years, at different plants, on different styles.

It's still a gorgeous bag! Thank you for sharing the pics. I think I will just proceed cautiously when dunking mine. Maybe let the body of the bag soak longer than the flap and leave the hardware on.

Looking at my funky Manor flap has me really wanting to try to unwarp it a bit. I've taken off the hardware to have a poke around and am attaching some pics of the mystery stiffener used in mine. I still think mine is a fibre product - it has a texture that looks man-made to me, it's hard to see in the photos but the pattern is like a repeating herringbone and looks pressed on. It has a coarse feel, is thin and flexes, but the texture reminds me of recycled cardboard egg cartons. ( the tan material seen through the turnlock opening - best I could do). But who knows? I'm the polar opposite of an expert on leather

 

[Morgan_Bellini]

Looking at my funky Manor flap has me really wanting to try to unwarp it a bit. I've taken off the hardware to have a poke around and am attaching some pics of the mystery stiffener used in mine. I still think mine is a fibre product - it has a texture that looks man-made to me, it's hard to see in the photos but the pattern is like a repeating herringbone and looks pressed on. It has a coarse feel, is thin and flexes, but the texture reminds me of recycled cardboard egg cartons. ( the tan material seen through the turnlock opening - best I could do). But who knows? I'm the polar opposite of an expert on leather

Oh wow! That's interesting! I wonder what the heck it is?

 

[nursebetty]

Oh wow! That's interesting! I wonder what the heck it is?

I have no idea. It's driving me bonkers! I think I need to just step away from the purses for a bit.

 

[Lothruin]

Looking at my funky Manor flap has me really wanting to try to unwarp it a bit. I've taken off the hardware to have a poke around and am attaching some pics of the mystery stiffener used in mine. I still think mine is a fibre product - it has a texture that looks man-made to me, it's hard to see in the photos but the pattern is like a repeating herringbone and looks pressed on. It has a coarse feel, is thin and flexes, but the texture reminds me of recycled cardboard egg cartons. ( the tan material seen through the turnlock opening - best I could do). But who knows? I'm the polar opposite of an expert on leather

I think the bonded leather guess is a good one. That looks an awful lot like this:
https://www.salamanderbl.com/en/Welcome

 

[kithrobyn]

Took my bag with the really long name ( Coach Madison Gathered Twisted Leather Carrie) to the Coach store today. They will send her off to get the frame fixed if it is possible.