Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[Aku_no_Hana]

Is that the patent leather version? Possibly puff paint would work.

Yes it is. Thank you!

 

[septembersgirl]

Hi all! I’m a first time poster with a new found love for vintage Coach that started with my $2.49 Salvation Army find of a black 1994 Willis bag.

I have since successfully rehabbed a few bags. My most recent project, however, is proving more challenging. Meet my red (late 80s?) Station Bag. She is structurally in decent condition, save some wear on the piping, but she is SO. DANG. DIRTY.

I gave her a bath, then a good sudsy scrub with Lexol. Some places are coming clean but others are still filthy, especially the back and lower front (below turnlock), not to mention the mysterious drippy stain on the back.

Before and after pics below...she is still drying. I’m in need of tips for deeper cleaning. I feel like the dirt is ~right there~ near the surface, I’m just not sure how to get to it.

Any tips are much appreciated! Thank you!

 

[aerinha]

Hi all! I’m a first time poster with a new found love for vintage Coach that started with my $2.49 Salvation Army find of a black 1994 Willis bag.

I have since successfully rehabbed a few bags. My most recent project, however, is proving more challenging. Meet my red (late 80s?) Station Bag. She is structurally in decent condition, save some wear on the piping, but she is SO. DANG. DIRTY.

I gave her a bath, then a good sudsy scrub with Lexol. Some places are coming clean but others are still filthy, especially the back and lower front (below turnlock), not to mention the mysterious drippy stain on the back.

Before and after pics below...she is still drying. I’m in need of tips for deeper cleaning. I feel like the dirt is ~right there~ near the surface, I’m just not sure how to get to it.

Any tips are much appreciated! Thank you!

I am not an expert, but it looks more dried out than dirty to me. CPR might even out the color. For the drip, and this is a use at your own risk deal, I have had success gently rubbing stains with white vinegar on a swab or white paper towel prior to washing the bag. You could try the vinegar and then rewash the bag.

For me it took this stain

To this (just vinegar)

To this after washing post vinegar (the remaining mark is an impression in the leather, not stain)

 

[Jeny09]

I recently purchased a Soft Satchel (if you read my other post you may know this took weeks to arrive!). Well, she's finally here. was so excited to bathe her, stuff her and condition her. Then, when I went to actually use her, the zipper was malfunctioning. It zips, but the teeth don't fully connect and it pulls open in places very easily. I went on the PF to search if people had this problem (I vaguely remember reading something about the vintage Lightweights having zipper issues?) to no avail. I searched for zipper replacement options near me, thinking I'd go to a cobbler or similar and came upon a youtube page which had a ridiculously easy solution the worked!
Basically, you take pliers and pinch the bottom half of the zipper pull. If this is completely obvious to everyone, I apologize but in case there is anyone out there with a busted zipper, you may want to try it! Here is the link if anyone wants to take a look.

Thank you soo much, this is pretty handy. Nice information to have! [emoji4][emoji120]

 

[septembersgirl]

I am not an expert, but it looks more dried out than dirty to me. CPR might even out the color. For the drip, and this is a use at your own risk deal, I have had success gently rubbing stains with white vinegar on a swab or white paper towel prior to washing the bag. You could try the vinegar and then rewash the bag.

For me it took this stain
View attachment 4422510
To this (just vinegar)
View attachment 4422511
To this after washing post vinegar (the remaining mark is an impression in the leather, not stain)
View attachment 4422512

Thank you @aerhina! I will try the vinegar (don’t have much to lose ). I have Lexol conditioner that I’ll try and if that doesn’t work I’ll look into leather cpr.

 

[whateve]

Thank you @aerhina! I will try the vinegar (don’t have much to lose ). I have Lexol conditioner that I’ll try and if that doesn’t work I’ll look into leather cpr.

If the only conditioner you've used is Lexol, that could be why the bag hasn't responded well. You need heavier duty conditioners for a rehab, like Leather CPR, Leather Therapy, Leather Honey...

 

[septembersgirl]

If the only conditioner you've used is Lexol, that could be why the bag hasn't responded well. You need heavier duty conditioners for a rehab, like Leather CPR, Leather Therapy, Leather Honey...

I have Lexol and Leather Milk. I actually hadn’t put on any conditioner yet when I took those pics. I have since then put on one coat of Lexol conditioner and it looks about the same. I think my local TSC has leather CPR so I’ll go check that out tomorrow.

Thank you, @whateve!

 

[whateve]

I have Lexol and Leather Milk. I actually hadn’t put on any conditioner yet when I took those pics. I have since then put on one coat of Lexol conditioner and it looks about the same. I think my local TSC has leather CPR so I’ll go check that out tomorrow.

Thank you, @whateve!

In the future, it is best to start applying conditioner before the bag has completely dried out from the bath. The bath opens up the pores of the leather so the conditioner sinks in better.

Some stains just don't come out.

 

[Jeny09]

A couple of weeks ago I bought this. I did not expect the seller to ship a barrel bag in a flat envelope and I did not expect to find split piping either. However, because it was cheap, I decided to keep the bag and report here on rehabbing the glazed buffalo leather.

View attachment 4420384

Here are the results of my experiment. Yes, you can dunk it, and it survived just fine. However, the leather is not as absorbent as the glove tanned leather, probably because of the glaze. The Leather Therapy conditioner did not go over well, I had to buff it off with a soft cloth, after that it was Leather CPR only. No Blackrocks, the luster restored by itself. It feels differently from how it originally was (I have another bag from this line), but it still glows.

This is what I have on my hands now:

View attachment 4420386

It was hard to reshape back to the barrel, and the leather is soft enough that it sags when the bag is standing on its own. It looks better when the bag is carried (here is what it looks like when it’s held by the handles)

View attachment 4420387
As far as the split piping, this is what it looks like now. I’ve just glued it, and will probably apply some shellac (tan cote) on top in those couple of small spots to make it stronger. A leather paint would probably help too, but I don’t feel like investing in this bag any more.

View attachment 4420385

It looks really good! You did well Minchanka [emoji7][emoji106]

 

[Aku_no_Hana]

Blackrocks is amazing! (As you all already know!) Just look at her glow! Thank you all so much for being here and sharing your knowledge.

 

[Lake Effect]

Hi all! I’m a first time poster with a new found love for vintage Coach that started with my $2.49 Salvation Army find of a black 1994 Willis bag.

I have since successfully rehabbed a few bags. My most recent project, however, is proving more challenging. Meet my red (late 80s?) Station Bag. She is structurally in decent condition, save some wear on the piping, but she is SO. DANG. DIRTY.

I gave her a bath, then a good sudsy scrub with Lexol. Some places are coming clean but others are still filthy, especially the back and lower front (below turnlock), not to mention the mysterious drippy stain on the back.

Before and after pics below...she is still drying. I’m in need of tips for deeper cleaning. I feel like the dirt is ~right there~ near the surface, I’m just not sure how to get to it.

Any tips are much appreciated! Thank you!

If the only conditioner you've used is Lexol, that could be why the bag hasn't responded well. You need heavier duty conditioners for a rehab, like Leather CPR, Leather Therapy, Leather Honey...

In the future, it is best to start applying conditioner before the bag has completely dried out from the bath. The bath opens up the pores of the leather so the conditioner sinks in better.

Some stains just don't come out.

Before I learned about the need for a deeper conditioner, I used Lexol conditioner on black bags (and a pair of boots) while they were wet and I couldn’t figure out why they had a chalky residue. It was the Lexol.
As mentioned, a deeper conditioner than Lexol is needed.
And red can be a tricky rehab, to boot.

 

[septembersgirl]

Before I learned about the need for a deeper conditioner, I used Lexol conditioner on black bags (and a pair of boots) while they were wet and I couldn’t figure out why they had a chalky residue. It was the Lexol.
As mentioned, a deeper conditioner than Lexol is needed.
And red can be a tricky rehab, to boot.

Thanks! I bought Leather CPR today. It’s aleady looking better after one coat!

I did apply the Lexol conditioner while the bag was damp. Didn’t make much of a difference, maybe because the Lexol isn’t heavy duty enough.

 

[BronxBeauty]

Thanks! I bought Leather CPR today. It’s aleady looking better after one coat!

I did apply the Lexol conditioner while the bag was damp. Didn’t make much of a difference, maybe because the Lexol isn’t heavy duty enough.

I haven't done a really dry bag in a while. It's an NYC stewardess from the Year 1 -- it has solid brass buckles, so date that (late 1970s-early 1980s?). What would you experts recommend? Leather Honey? Obenauf's Oil? Something else? I have used LH in the past and did not like the smell. Leather CPR is not cutting it on this one.

 

[Belicious]

I haven't done a really dry bag in a while. It's an NYC stewardess from the Year 1 -- it has solid brass buckles, so date that (late 1970s-early 1980s?). What would you experts recommend? Leather Honey? Obenauf's Oil? Something else? I have used LH in the past and did not like the smell. Leather CPR is not cutting it on this one.

What color is it? I like Obenauf's on a bag like that but it may darken the color which can be good or bad.

 

[BronxBeauty]

What color is it? I like Obenauf's on a bag like that but it may darken the color which can be good or bad.

It's BT, with a nice patina.