Being able to take the turnlock off was a revelation.
Coach Rehab and Rescue Club
- Thread starter greenpixie
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I've not inspected the panel too closely yet. It appears to have just come loose at the ends but I will definitely do a careful inspect and clean of the panel/underside as needed. I was so thrilled to nab a Stewardess bag, especially as it was caught in the wild! A Stewardess has been on my vintage wishlist. Poor thing. It was sort of balled up, hanging on a rod but caught up in a mess of other bags. You couldn't even see the bag but my little eye spied that telltale Coach buckle strap peeking out of the mess and I started digging. It was $16.99 - more than I normally would spend on a thrift store item but worth it for an NYC Coach!
Do you have a particular brand of leather cement you recommend, @Busykitty?
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This reminds me, I was waiting for a table for brunch a couple days ago and a woman walked in with her husband and a nice vintage black and brass Stewardess on her shoulder. After she sat her husband down on a bench, she wandered my way and I complimented her on her lovely vintage bag, which led to a discussion about quality leather and so on. She said she was planning to take it to a leather repair shop in town, though I did advise her she could probably condition it herself and namedropped the site. She didn't seem too keen on trying it herself and part of me was thinking I should carry little business cards advertising this forum around with me and then realized I just might be too addicted to TPF!
People look at me sideways all the time, when I tell them about restoring a bag myself. Usually they get wide eyed and start walking away quickly, or I get a "mmm". Lol. Noone really understands.This reminds me, I was waiting for a table for brunch a couple days ago and a woman walked in with her husband and a nice vintage black and brass Stewardess on her shoulder. After she sat her husband down on a bench, she wandered my way and I complimented her on her lovely vintage bag, which led to a discussion about quality leather and so on. She said she was planning to take it to a leather repair shop in town, though I did advise her she could probably condition it herself and namedropped the site. She didn't seem too keen on trying it herself and part of me was thinking I should carry little business cards advertising this forum around with me and then realized I just might be too addicted to TPF!
How do you take them off? I've been using a tiny screw driver but it kinks the oval plate every time so I stopped taking them off. I'm off of work for the week so I have to get as many bags rehabbed as I can and many of them have nasty verdegris around the locks, so they'll have to come off.
I ordered the plastic tools @Busykitty uses and recommends. I was using small knifes before and poking myself, scratching the hardware but it's much easier now. Now my hardware is ready before the bag even dries!
https://www.amazon.com/GOOACC-Dashb...l+tool&qid=1576936124&sprefix=car+pane&sr=8-5
@Busykitty and House, thanks for the link. I would like to show a little more ambition with hardware. I do like the “antique” look of vintage brass on some of my bags. On others, I think, this would look nice polished up.
Coach does offer a few fobs with antique brass (I have the Horse n carriage) that are a dead on match for vintage bag brass in decent shape imo.
What a deal! Some of the leather has that pebbly look seen in the older vintage NYC bags, that I see as desirable! And just because I’m replying to the great deal you got, I used Fiebing’s Leathercraft Cement for some piping that was worn open and was pleased. It happened to be in a local Michael’s for $2.95 or $3.95.I've not inspected the panel too closely yet. It appears to have just come loose at the ends but I will definitely do a careful inspect and clean of the panel/underside as needed. I was so thrilled to nab a Stewardess bag, especially as it was caught in the wild! A Stewardess has been on my vintage wishlist. Poor thing. It was sort of balled up, hanging on a rod but caught up in a mess of other bags. You couldn't even see the bag but my little eye spied that telltale Coach buckle strap peeking out of the mess and I started digging. It was $16.99 - more than I normally would spend on a thrift store item but worth it for an NYC Coach!
Do you have a particular brand of leather cement you recommend, @Busykitty?
If they only knew how much money they could save and how rewarding it is!
I know what you meant but when I read this I laughed out loud thinking how much money I've spent on dozens of "cheap" bags that I can rehab. I might have saved more money by not figuring this out and just buying a few already rehabbed bags! Can't argue about how rewarding it is to restore a shabby old bag though. That really is the best part and what makes it all worth it to me. And it's a fun hobby that I like to tell people about when they ask about whatever bag I'm carrying that day.