Coach Rehab and Rescue Club
- Thread starter greenpixie
- Start date
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Thanks!! Yeah, I'm thinking the same thing. I'm weary that at first, I'll be like, "Ooo, purple bag."
And then the novelty may wear off, and I just won't want to reach for a bag that shows scratches like this.
I think the seller may have actually overlooked the scratches, or underestimated their significance. (She doesn't specialize in vintage Coach.)
For example, in the listing she noted: "Some minor darkening to leather under flap..."
When buying the item, I asked her about it, and she said it was minor but she wants to be accurate in listings, and she sent pictures.
Basically, the bag overall is a little bit faded, and under the flap, the leather is closer to its original color.
The issue is very, very minor. Barely noticeable. But she bothered to include it, and truthfully disclosed it.
Looking again at the listing pictures, I faintly see where some of the scratches are, but I think that's because now I know they're there, and I know where to look. (They're not described in the listing.)
Do you think it might be appropriate to let her know about the scratches, and ask her what she may suggest?
Wondering about the etiquette around partial refunds?
(I'm thinking that the scratches may not have been factored into the cost of the item.)
I don't yet know the ropes around eBay, and I don't want to do anything inappropriate, or that's likely to result in me getting negative feedback.
(I'm not a very high volume buyer, so I don't have a tonne of feedback yet, though all my feedback is positive.)
P.S. If she offers to let me return the item, I still have the option to decide to keep the item instead, yes?
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I hate to ask about more than one bag, or more than one issue at a time.
This is time-sensitive, so I shall ask and hope you don't hate me.
I've been conditioning a very dry, red Manor lately.
I haven't dunked it.
Parts of the leather were so dry, I wanted to get it into ok shape before dunking and trying to reshape the stiff, brittle, hard leather.
Did three coats of Leather CPR over the last week+, with no major change.
I applied Leather Therapy Restorer & Conditioner about five hours ago.
You know how Leather Therapy says on the bottle that: "RESTORER may bring out old, embedded oils and soaps to the surface as it dries - simply wipe down with a damp sponge."
Well, on parts of the bag, the leather is still oily. (Maybe CPR is coming up to the surface...)
Wondering: how long should Leather Therapy be left on the bag?
What's a normal drying time for dry, vintage, glove tanned leather?
My plan is to go to sleep, and reevaluate in the morning.
If I'm making a big mistake, and someone happens to see this in time, please stop me.
(Or let me know when you do see this, and at least I'll know for next time.)
This is time-sensitive, so I shall ask and hope you don't hate me.
I've been conditioning a very dry, red Manor lately.
I haven't dunked it.
Parts of the leather were so dry, I wanted to get it into ok shape before dunking and trying to reshape the stiff, brittle, hard leather.
Did three coats of Leather CPR over the last week+, with no major change.
I applied Leather Therapy Restorer & Conditioner about five hours ago.
You know how Leather Therapy says on the bottle that: "RESTORER may bring out old, embedded oils and soaps to the surface as it dries - simply wipe down with a damp sponge."
Well, on parts of the bag, the leather is still oily. (Maybe CPR is coming up to the surface...)
Wondering: how long should Leather Therapy be left on the bag?
What's a normal drying time for dry, vintage, glove tanned leather?
My plan is to go to sleep, and reevaluate in the morning.
If I'm making a big mistake, and someone happens to see this in time, please stop me.
(Or let me know when you do see this, and at least I'll know for next time.)
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You should contact her and tell her that you're not happy with the bag because of the scratches on the front. Depending on her return policy, she may allow a return or offer a partial refund. You can accept her offer or decide to keep the bag.
I hate to ask about more than one bag, or more than one issue at a time.
This is time-sensitive, so I shall ask and hope you don't hate me.
I've been conditioning a very dry, red Manor lately.
I haven't dunked it.
Parts of the leather were so dry, I wanted to get it into ok shape before dunking and trying to reshape the stiff, brittle, hard leather.
Did three coats of Leather CPR over the last week+, with no major change.
I applied Leather Therapy Restorer & Conditioner about five hours ago.
You know how Leather Therapy says on the bottle that: "RESTORER may bring out old, embedded oils and soaps to the surface as it dries - simply wipe down with a damp sponge."
Well, on parts of the bag, the leather is still oily. (Maybe CPR is coming up to the surface...)
Wondering: how long should Leather Therapy be left on the bag?
What's a normal drying time for dry, vintage, glove tanned leather?
My plan is to go to sleep, and reevaluate in the morning.
If I'm making a big mistake, and someone happens to see this in time, please stop me.
(Or let me know when you do see this, and at least I'll know for next time.)
I'm new to rehabbing, so I feel kind of silly responding. But with the two bags I've been working on, I've dunked them and after I towel dry them a little bit (so they're not dripping water) and stuff them with washcloths, I apply the first coat of Leather CPR while they're still damp. Did two more coats of CPR in the subsequent 4 days and have had good results so far, but the leather was not terribly dry before I dunked either of them.
I think at this point maybe let the leather 'rest' for a couple days and reevaluate, then consider dunking + applying CPR after the dunk (but before it's dried at all) then see how that looks the next day. Definitely curious to hear the experts chime in on this.
I hate to ask about more than one bag, or more than one issue at a time.
This is time-sensitive, so I shall ask and hope you don't hate me.
I've been conditioning a very dry, red Manor lately.
I haven't dunked it.
Parts of the leather were so dry, I wanted to get it into ok shape before dunking and trying to reshape the stiff, brittle, hard leather.
Did three coats of Leather CPR over the last week+, with no major change.
I applied Leather Therapy Restorer & Conditioner about five hours ago.
You know how Leather Therapy says on the bottle that: "RESTORER may bring out old, embedded oils and soaps to the surface as it dries - simply wipe down with a damp sponge."
Well, on parts of the bag, the leather is still oily. (Maybe CPR is coming up to the surface...)
Wondering: how long should Leather Therapy be left on the bag?
What's a normal drying time for dry, vintage, glove tanned leather?
My plan is to go to sleep, and reevaluate in the morning.
If I'm making a big mistake, and someone happens to see this in time, please stop me.
(Or let me know when you do see this, and at least I'll know for next time.)
I think this is why it's usually recommended to dunk before applying conditioners. If the bag was not only very dry but also very dirty, the accumulated soils and oils would prevent the conditioners from penetrating properly.
Dunking opens up the pores of the leather and detergent (such as Dawn) dissolves the soils and lifts them out. If you don't dunk first, you are rubbing the soils deeper into the bag as you apply conditioners.
At this point, I would follow this instruction from the Leather Therapy Restorer that you quoted:
"RESTORER may bring out old, embedded oils and soaps to the surface as it dries - simply wipe down with a damp sponge."
Amazing color! Can't wait to see how she comes out!
I know, I'm so happy I finally found a purple station!
Lolol! No I have a deep sink, next to the washer, that I do all my dunking in.Your not stuffing her in the washing machine?
Thanks! I have learned so much from others here and have been given great ideas , so I am happy to give a quick overview of the process. When I found tPF, I had absolutely no interest in Coach items made after say 2000-ish. I was just all about the vintage. But over time, I wandered here and there and before I knew it, I was looking at bags in the 10 year old range and wondered how they would clean up. And though I think I will always love Vintage Coach at heart, there are some really well made non Vintage bags out there. I learned from a chalk/white Pleated Ergo with a Tattersall lining to go easy on the conditioner. Which makes sense with thinner leather that is only 10 years old and has been used, but not abused. So it a particular style catches my eye and is not overly used and the price is right, why not. I am drawn to brighter colors, until I can find them in vintage
ETA and it doesn’t hurt to have a local flea market and thrift store that seem to have quite a supply of cheap non-vintage Coach. Who doesn’t wasn’t to experiment on $10 bags??
One of the problems with reconditioning leather is you never know how it going to respond, especially is it is stiff and brittle. I have dunk as few stiffer, dry, water stained and mildew bags, but not one that was brittle. I have not preconditioned a bag before dunking (yet!) so I really can’t offer any experience on how long to leave LT on the bag.I hate to ask about more than one bag, or more than one issue at a time.
This is time-sensitive, so I shall ask and hope you don't hate me.
I've been conditioning a very dry, red Manor lately.
I haven't dunked it.
Parts of the leather were so dry, I wanted to get it into ok shape before dunking and trying to reshape the stiff, brittle, hard leather.
Did three coats of Leather CPR over the last week+, with no major change.
I applied Leather Therapy Restorer & Conditioner about five hours ago.
You know how Leather Therapy says on the bottle that: "RESTORER may bring out old, embedded oils and soaps to the surface as it dries - simply wipe down with a damp sponge."
Well, on parts of the bag, the leather is still oily. (Maybe CPR is coming up to the surface...)
Wondering: how long should Leather Therapy be left on the bag?
What's a normal drying time for dry, vintage, glove tanned leather?
My plan is to go to sleep, and reevaluate in the morning.
If I'm making a big mistake, and someone happens to see this in time, please stop me.
(Or let me know when you do see this, and at least I'll know for next time.)
Stay strong! There is still opportunity to be surprised. We learn this by doing!!