Coach Rehab and Rescue Club
- Thread starter greenpixie
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Thank you! It seems to have survived the dunking well. The piping is still intact but very dry. A small amount of ink bled through to the outside. I didn't think this would happen, as in the past I've had Dooneys with tons of ink inside that I couldn't budge, so I didn't even try. It's not bad anyway and there are other spots I was going to have to cover with paint. The shape is much better and the bag looks brighter.
I rehabbed a 1994 Essex. I dunked it just as I would any other bag.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 had the older style turnlocks:
I didn't remove them -- they were pretty clean. I just masked off the leather and rubbed the hardware with steel wool, followed by Cape Cod Metal Polishing cloth.
Yours appear to be a different style turnlock. I think you'll probably need to use steel wool on them to remove the coating, then polish using your favorite method.
The Essex was one of my most memorable rehabs, well worth the time and effort. Enjoy!
After reading this thread for a while I took a plunge and did my first vintage rehab. Before and after pictures of my Rambler. I'm very pleased.
Great choice for a first rehab, she's beautiful!
Thank you so much, it's silly but I feel so proud of bringing her back to life!
Not silly at all! You should be proud of the excellent job you did.
Hi everyone! I'm in the process of rehabbing my first Willis. I have a question about the d-rings. Hoping someone can please help. If so, I'd really appreciate it!
I removed the two d-rings that hold the strap. Unscrewing and removing them was easy.
When I tried to remove the d-rings that hold the top handle, those d-rings wouldn't unscrew easily. So I decided not to force them, and figured I'd ask here before trying further.
For the Willis, anyone know if all four d-rings can be unscrewed and removed?
=D
I removed the two d-rings that hold the strap. Unscrewing and removing them was easy.
When I tried to remove the d-rings that hold the top handle, those d-rings wouldn't unscrew easily. So I decided not to force them, and figured I'd ask here before trying further.
For the Willis, anyone know if all four d-rings can be unscrewed and removed?
=D
I would wash it first. Then I would decide if I wanted to do anything. Maybe a little leather cement to hold it together.
Honestly, I only found out recently the d-rings could be removed! I dunked both a Willis and a baby Willis, completed the rehab and didn't have a single issue with either one. A couple of years later they're both doing fine!
I repaired almost exactly the same type of piping gap on my Tabac Courier!
I worked on it after dunking it when it was dry. I glued it with Fiebing's Leather Cement and pressed it between my fingers for maybe 30 seconds. Then I left it undisturbed overnight to dry. Then I smoothed a little Fiebing's Edge Kote over it with a small paintbrush. If I were doing this today I would probably use puff paint or acrylic fabric paint instead. I would try for a smoother finish.
ETA: I agree with whateve, you might decide you don't need to do anything to it.
They should all be removable. But I had the same thing happen recently with a tight screw. Like you, I decided not to force it and risk damaging the screw. You can wash it with the rings in or out.
I finished the rehab of the Bleecker Embossed Woven Leather Pocket Clutch 51640 SV CRV in Bright Mandarin and White stripes with Silver hardware.
The bag is not vintage (far from it!) because it was released in 2014 for $248 but I picked it up at a charity thrift shop for $10 and it was kindly authenticated by @BeenBurned and @whateve.
It's a cute little "special occasion summer bag" and the rehab was easy and it came out well. The bag was very clean and in good shape but there were some soiled marks on the sides and on the front and back of the bag. I was able to minimize but not eliminate them entirely.
The only tricky thing about this rehab was reshaping the bag and maintaining the shape during drying because it has been squashed during storage.
I gave it a bath in Dawn and scrubbed the soiled areas then stuffed it with towels and carefully shaped it to dry. I wanted it to dry with the 2 handle sides of the bag lined up evenly, and with the white panels on the sides dimpled inwards and not bulging out, and with the bottom flat enough for the bag to stand up.
It took a little maneuvering but it worked okay and I removed the towels after a day and let it continue to dry. At one point I had to tie rubber bands together to secure the 2 handles together so that they would dry evenly. The leather flap covering the outside zipper kept trying to curl up and dry lopsided so I used yellow "Frogtape for Delicate Surfaces" to keep lying flat. I also had to weigh down the 2 fringed decorations so that they would dry flat and even.
I was able to minimize the flaws and soiled spots but not remove them entirely, but I am okay with the results and decided to leave well enough alone.
I used Leather CPR to condition the leather and rubbed the hardware with a soft cloth to make it shiny. I also added a little something extra to the bag! This bag did not come with a creed patch or a hangtag. It only has a Made in China tag inside and a tiny white Coach patch near the bottom of the bag on one side. I decided it was suffering from an identity crisis and I added a silver handtag!
Here are BEFORE pics of my $10 Bleecker Embossed Woven Leather Pocket Clutch 51640 SV CRV in Bright Mandarin and White stripes with Silver hardware from 2014 (MSRP = $248):
The bag is not vintage (far from it!) because it was released in 2014 for $248 but I picked it up at a charity thrift shop for $10 and it was kindly authenticated by @BeenBurned and @whateve.
It's a cute little "special occasion summer bag" and the rehab was easy and it came out well. The bag was very clean and in good shape but there were some soiled marks on the sides and on the front and back of the bag. I was able to minimize but not eliminate them entirely.
The only tricky thing about this rehab was reshaping the bag and maintaining the shape during drying because it has been squashed during storage.
I gave it a bath in Dawn and scrubbed the soiled areas then stuffed it with towels and carefully shaped it to dry. I wanted it to dry with the 2 handle sides of the bag lined up evenly, and with the white panels on the sides dimpled inwards and not bulging out, and with the bottom flat enough for the bag to stand up.
It took a little maneuvering but it worked okay and I removed the towels after a day and let it continue to dry. At one point I had to tie rubber bands together to secure the 2 handles together so that they would dry evenly. The leather flap covering the outside zipper kept trying to curl up and dry lopsided so I used yellow "Frogtape for Delicate Surfaces" to keep lying flat. I also had to weigh down the 2 fringed decorations so that they would dry flat and even.
I was able to minimize the flaws and soiled spots but not remove them entirely, but I am okay with the results and decided to leave well enough alone.
I used Leather CPR to condition the leather and rubbed the hardware with a soft cloth to make it shiny. I also added a little something extra to the bag! This bag did not come with a creed patch or a hangtag. It only has a Made in China tag inside and a tiny white Coach patch near the bottom of the bag on one side. I decided it was suffering from an identity crisis and I added a silver handtag!
Here are BEFORE pics of my $10 Bleecker Embossed Woven Leather Pocket Clutch 51640 SV CRV in Bright Mandarin and White stripes with Silver hardware from 2014 (MSRP = $248):
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I have the mixed materials version of this clutch. I love it because it holds so much more than a normal clutch.
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