There are scattered dark shadows across the entire back of the bag. One of these was already there upon purchase but the rest appeared after the 2nd dunk:
Coach Rehab and Rescue Club
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There are scattered dark shadows across the entire back of the bag. One of these was already there upon purchase but the rest appeared after the 2nd dunk:
Oops, I forgot to take before pictures. It is drying now. It turned out to be a good thing I dunked since there was a damaged part that someone had glued sloppily, and that glue is now off. Hopefully I can do a better repair.
Never call the 800 # call your local post office they are more helpful. I have the numbers for the local post office, local distribution and even my carriers phone number. They just keep giving me all the numbers...lolI am so aggravated with USPS!!! I have a Costa Rican Court due to me back on Wednesday, but according to their tracking, it was delayed and trapped at some unknown facility with no city or state, which I found odd. I've always been able to see what city and state a package is sitting in. After 5 whole business days, it finally updates that it is back at the original city of origin! So I call USPS customer service, but there is a 45+ min wait. I've been waiting in lines all day running errands, I am done. So I decide to email them instead. Fill out all the details, only to get a pop up that USPS US email site is temporarily down. It's like the universe doesn't want me to have this bag, I tell ya! So I finally contact the seller, because I want to see if it gets sent back to them being the return address. Waiting to see if they can find out more information. Holy Moses, this is a pain.
Thanks for letting me vent, this is my next rehab project and I was hoping to get it done this weekend....
Wow, you got your carrier's number? I wish I had that one!
Anybody have any suggestions as to what I can do to repair the worn leather of this pre-94 Whitney Bag. The leather is worn just enough that the inner piping material ( i guess it's like a plastic tubing) is showing though in a couple spots on the bottom. I know some people have mentioned a paint or something that seals it. Should I repair/coat it before I dunk...or after. The rest of the bag is in good shape (for being 25+ years old) other than being kinda scuffy and basically needs vacuumed out on the inside. Id like to dunk and condition though. Here's a pic of the bag from the listing. The up close one of the bottom I took after receiving it today.
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I usually dunk before repairing. For me, the best and easiest repair is with fabric puff paint, but you could also use leather cement and paint it afterwards.
Agreed, whateve. My Ranch is before the change in serial # in 1994 and has the burgundy undertones. My bags from the late 90’s have no burgundy undertones.
Your bag appears to be British Tan, correct?? If so, BT, and light colors, can be tricky beasts, IMO. My theory is that bags are subject to minor splatters and splashes when used throughout the day (as opposed to travelling to and from church, as I am convinced is the history of my pristine red Pocket Bag). They penetrate the leather and possibly deepen over time, most likely due to oxidation (geek speak - just coming into contact with air!) and then emerge to the surface with dunking.
Based on the fact that the owner who put Coach on the map, back in the day, choose the same processing used for baseball glove leather because base ball gloves could be left out in the rain, dry out and be oiled (that was the term I remember my dad and brother using on this topic) I believe the leather can stand numerous dunkings, with in reason. But the tricky part is how will the pigment, in particular, a lighter one, handle repeat dunking and what stains may emerge.
Dear Whateve,
I looked back through my notes, and I think I have dunked 20 vintage Dooney bags, 17 successfully, with three failures. (Bags included Outbacks, Essexes, a Tack Bag, Carriers, Spectators, pochettes and totes.) In the cases of the 3 fails, the piping split in multiple places on the two tote bags, and on a Carrier. My hunch is that areas where there is the most flexing are vulnerable, such as where the hanging pocket attaches on a tote, or where the fold-over flap flexed on the Carrier. As others have said, the Dooney piping is delicate, especially when wet. I'm guessing that the piping dries faster than the AWL.
All that said, other bags with fold-over flaps came out great, and the dunking process restored their original firm shape. I used Leather Therapy on the piping and trim areas. I worried that the Essex bags might have cardboard in the base, but I think it's some type of plastic, and they came out great, too. Sorry that I don't have pictures to share; but it looks like my success rate on dunking Dooneys is 85%.
A while back, I dunked , what I believe is an Essex, smaller, flap style, with no ill effects, as I have done with my Coach. I have held off on Dooneys as I do not need to get sucked into another brand lol. But in the last few months, I know there was posting here on brief style bags that did not fare well with standard dunking. And quite a while back, I was reading old posts and someone had a stunning result for a vintage multi colored Dooney bucket/duffle.
I’ll see if I can find the posts.
This was the quote from last summer on the Carrier style disaster.
random thought, I love the search feature.
Hi everyone,
Anyone ever rehab this briefcase? This Essex is up on the authentication thread - I'm being optimistic as I think it's real
Anyway, my real concern is the hardware. Are the turnlocks solid brass, or plated? I once used steel wool on plated nickle with disastrous results.
Any tips appreciated! Here are some photos if the bag:
Anyone ever rehab this briefcase? This Essex is up on the authentication thread - I'm being optimistic as I think it's real
Anyway, my real concern is the hardware. Are the turnlocks solid brass, or plated? I once used steel wool on plated nickle with disastrous results.
Any tips appreciated! Here are some photos if the bag:
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Question for those who leave bags for some time in water with added vinegar after all the rinsing: do you rinse in plain water as a final step or not?
Hi everyone,
Anyone ever rehab this briefcase? This Essex is up on the authentication thread - I'm being optimistic as I think it's real
Anyway, my real concern is the hardware. Are the turnlocks solid brass, or plated? I once used steel wool on plated nickle with disastrous results.
Any tips appreciated! Here are some photos if the bag:
It's probably plated since I think they only used solid brass on their NYC era bags. However, I don't think cleaning older brass-plated locks (can't say anything about nickel) of this kind should be an issue. Sometimes they're in such poor condition (verdigris and/or corrosion and scratches) that removing plating is the only option. Unless someone shares a more elegant and easy way of doing it, it takes some time and elbow grease. If the lock is removable, I usually soak the parts for a few hours in some water with Brasso added in a closed jar that I shake occasionally. That makes the process a bit easier. After that - just scrubbing with steel wool and Brasso, then polishing with jewelry polishing squares and fine-tuning with a jewelry cloth.
I think many colors on vintage bags went through transformation over the years. I have a few BT bags from different years, and they all vary vastly in color.
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