Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[Catbird9]

Thank you! Have you ever redone the edge coating on straps? It looks like there was a dark coating of some sort and it came off as the bag was used.
View attachment 4538412
Any suggestions about what I can use to make it look uniform?

I'd use Fiebings Edge Kote Brown. Use a toothpick or cut a q-tip in half and use the cut end (not the cotton) to apply it. Don't load up your applicator too much, and use a steady hand so it doesn't glop over onto the surrounding leather. Wipe any mistakes off quickly before it dries.

 

[pruetjx]

I see, that's why you said I won't even need to repaint, because Blackrock evens out color variations, and smooths over scratches and scuffs, like the worn corners of my black Regina. Good to know! I'll definitely need to go get some now, pronto! Thanks again for all your wisdom, Catbird9

You could also search the forum for discussions about Renapur. I've used it on my last two rehabs and I like it better than blackrocks. It is made from beeswax and is much less sticky. I find that Blackrocks tends to pick up lint while it is drying and I can never get it off. A little Renapur goes a long way, the bag can get pretty oily if you aren't careful. I don't know about long term, but in the month or so I've been using it, I've really liked it.

 

[katev]

Thank you! Have you ever redone the edge coating on straps? It looks like there was a dark coating of some sort and it came off as the bag was used.
View attachment 4538412
Any suggestions about what I can use to make it look uniform?

I don't recall needing to do the strap edging, but I would probably use a dark brown acrylic paint to touch it up.

 

[sakiaoki]

You could also search the forum for discussions about Renapur. I've used it on my last two rehabs and I like it better than blackrocks. It is made from beeswax and is much less sticky. I find that Blackrocks tends to pick up lint while it is drying and I can never get it off. A little Renapur goes a long way, the bag can get pretty oily if you aren't careful. I don't know about long term, but in the month or so I've been using it, I've really liked it.

Hey, thanks for the recommendation, Preutjx! I've heard of Renapur, but it's definitely a lot lesser known than Blackrock, so I wasn't sure how well it worked. It sounds like you've had really good experience with it.

Since I have 2 vintage coach bags I'm looking to rehab, I might try one with Blackrock and the other with Renapur (if I can find it) and see how they turn out!

 

[valv54]

Hey, thanks for the recommendation, Preutjx! I've heard of Renapur, but it's definitely a lot lesser known than Blackrock, so I wasn't sure how well it worked. It sounds like you've had really good experience with it.

Since I have 2 vintage coach bags I'm looking to rehab, I might try one with Blackrock and the other with Renapur (if I can find it) and see how they turn out!

I second renapur, I've been using it for a few years. I like it better than BlackRock as well. Like @pruetjx said its not sticky, and I feel it absorbs better, and won't change the color that much.

 

[houseof999]

I'd use Fiebings Edge Kote Brown. Use a toothpick or cut a q-tip in half and use the cut end (not the cotton) to apply it. Don't load up your applicator too much, and use a steady hand so it doesn't glop over onto the surrounding leather. Wipe any mistakes off quickly before it dries.

View attachment 4538423

Thank you! Just added to the list.

 

[AbsoluteUnknown]

I second renapur, I've been using it for a few years. I like it better than BlackRock as well. Like @pruetjx said its not sticky, and I feel it absorbs better, and won't change the color that much.

Agreed. Definitely like the texture and the smell. Which is the one that smells like almond? Not a fan. Renapur doesn't have a "perfume" smell and so I won't get a headache from using it.

 

[sakiaoki]

I second renapur, I've been using it for a few years. I like it better than BlackRock as well. Like @pruetjx said its not sticky, and I feel it absorbs better, and won't change the color that much.

Agreed. Definitely like the texture and the smell. Which is the one that smells like almond? Not a fan. Renapur doesn't have a "perfume" smell and so I won't get a headache from using it.

Yes, I've heard before that it smells better, too! That would certainly be a plus point Thank you Valv54 & reginatina for sharing your thoughts on Renapur. I don't know where to find it in stores, but it seems like they're available online (UK sites).

 

[valv54]

Yes, I've heard before that it smells better, too! That would certainly be a plus point Thank you Valv54 & reginatina for sharing your thoughts on Renapur. I don't know where to find it in stores, but it seems like they're available online (UK sites).

I get it on amazon.

 

[Syren]

My Copley was actually in pretty bad condition, worse than this Biltmore, so I think I'll be able to clean her up well I still want another Madison in a pretty color, though! My Copely is red, so maybe a Carlyle or Gracie in blue or green.

Ooooo a red Copley sounds amazing! Can’t wait to see how the Biltmore cleans up!!

 

[MrsGAM]

Ooooo a red Copley sounds amazing! Can’t wait to see how the Biltmore cleans up!!

Here's my red Copely!

She had a lot of fading on the edges and flap. She was also super squished when she arrived.

 

[catthecurious]

Yesterday I came across something new (to me) in a NYC bag's nautical hardware. I received a red Companion bag that had fasteners with signature anchors, Talon zipper etc - I wouldn't doubt its authenticity. The leather is in an average condition as expected, I don't think there would be a particular challenge making it to look good after dunking and thorough conditioning. The hardware, however, had something I'd never seen before - a layer of red matte, what I thought, base paint under the gold top paint that mostly peeled off. I instantly panicked and tried rubbing it off with a jewelry polishing square. It took some really hard rubbing to see a normal golden brass color underneath. What the hell, I thought, and went to show it to my husband who knows way more about metals than I do. He said this is something called "red rot" that appears on brass surface (which is essentially a copper and zinc alloy) in the corrosion process called "dezincification", when zinc leaches out of metal. That mostly happens due to prolong exposure to oxigen/high humidity and is typically seen in older brass musical instruments. If it could be rubbed off with thorough polishing, that means the corrosion is not deep and the metal parts should be safe for future use as the process would be stopped. I also did a bit of research about the differences in brass alloy and found out that naval (nautical) brass is considered corrosion resistant due to presence of tin that prevents dezincification of parts exposed to water and moisture in the air. So it looks like whoever supplied these lobster claw fasteners and d-rings to Coach used a lower grade alloy, containing little or no tin, which only became obvious after years of use and exposure to elements.
If any of you ever had experience of dealing with red rot, were you able to get rid of it completely, and has it ever come back again?
In the second picture you can see some clean brass on the top after I rubbed off some leftover gold paint and red rot layer.

 

[Catbird9]

Here's my red Copely!

She had a lot of fading on the edges and flap. She was also super squished when she arrived.

Gorgeous bag, and color!

 

[katev]

Here's my red Copely!

She had a lot of fading on the edges and flap. She was also super squished when she arrived.

What a beauty!

 

[Catbird9]

Yesterday I came across something new (to me) in a NYC bag's nautical hardware. I received a red Companion bag that had fasteners with signature anchors, Talon zipper etc - I wouldn't doubt its authenticity. The leather is in an average condition as expected, I don't think there would be a particular challenge making it look good after dunking and thorough conditioning. The hardware, however, had something I'd never seen before - a layer of red matte, what I thought, base paint under the gold top paint that mostly peeled off. I instantly panicked and tried rubbing it off with a jewelry polishing square. It took some really hard rubbing to see a normal golden brass color underneath. What the hell, I thought, and went to show it to my husband who knows way more about metals than I do. He said this is something called "red rot" that appears on brass surface (which is essentially a copper and zinc alloy) in the corrosion process called "dezincification", when zinc leaches out of metal. That mostly happens due to prolong exposure to oxigen/high humidity and is typically seen in older brass musical instruments. If it could be rubbed off with thorough polishing, that means the corrosion is not deep and the metal parts should be safe for future use as the process would be stopped. I also did a bit of research about the differences in brass alloy and found out that naval (nautical) brass is considered corrosion resistant due to presence of tin that prevents dezincification of parts exposed to water and moisture in the air. So it looks like whoever supplied these lobster claw fasteners and d-rings to Coach used a lower grade alloy, containing little or no tin, which only became obvious after years of use and exposure to elements.
If any of you ever had experience of dealing with red rot, were you able to get rid of it completely, and has it ever come back again?
In the second picture you can see some clean brass on the top after I rubbed off some leftover gold paint and red rot layer.

That's interesting! I've never seen that red stuff before and it's great that your husband knew what it was.

I have seen older, anchor-stamped brass hardware corroded where the clasps rubbed against the D-rings, like a little divot. The corrosion is dull metallic gray.