Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[Narnanz]

Some of you may remember this awful dirty bone bag I picked up for $4 for practice:
View attachment 4666736
I admitted defeat. It just wasn't going to rehab in the color department. So I got it cleaned and conditioned, and then committed sacrilege. I am not quite finished yet. Have to get the rest of the piping, the pull tab, and the handle loops, plus do something with the strap, but my first use of Angelus paints went well:
View attachment 4666738

That is really cool. Great use of colour.

 

[Lothruin]

That is really cool. Great use of colour.

Thanks!

 

[Busykitty]

Thank you! I was dubious about a successful rehab but glad I took the chance. It didn't have any verdigris, so I lucked out there. I am curious on the best way to deal with that though. My most recent arrival is a black city bag that does have verdigris but I imagine that would be much more problematic on lighter color bags if it had discolored the surrounding leather.

The best way to deal with verdigris IMO is to remove all the hardware you can and clean off a dry bag with pointed cotton swabs, or toothpicks to start. Deb the restorer had a great tip on instagram using spent dryer sheets on the hardware after it’s removed. The verdigris clings to them like a magnet! If the bag is not a light color, I’ll dunk with white vinegar added after getting the big chunks off and pay extra attention with a soft toothbrush in the bath to areas of verdigris. I’ve yet to deal with a light colored bag with a verdigris problem but I hear it can smear and stain.
For bags with top handles, I’ll use these brushes made to clean reusable straws to scrub out the openings in the handles where the hardware lays and verdigris builds up.

 

[StefanoDiMera]

The best way to deal with verdigris IMO is to remove all the hardware you can and clean off a dry bag with pointed cotton swabs, or toothpicks to start. Deb the restorer had a great tip on instagram using spent dryer sheets on the hardware after it’s removed. The verdigris clings to them like a magnet! If the bag is not a light color, I’ll dunk with white vinegar added after getting the big chunks off and pay extra attention with a soft toothbrush in the bath to areas of verdigris. I’ve yet to deal with a light colored bag with a verdigris problem but I hear it can smear and stain.
For bags with top handles, I’ll use these brushes made to clean reusable straws to scrub out the openings in the handles where the hardware lays and verdigris builds up.

Great tips! I'm going to try the dryer sheet trick. Thank you!

 

[nursebetty]

I got my first vintage Coach buy in the mail the other day. In retrospect, starting with the color bone was probably not a great idea, but I lucked out. I used leather CPR to clean and condition , Brasso on the hardware and a gentle touch up with a magic eraser on the red stains (lucky it didn't pull the paint). I'm so pleased with the results with such little intervention! I am full-on obsessed with getting a well-rounded vintage collection now. The vintage Coach are made so well, I get sad thinking of these peices unknowingly discarded or not cared for. Especially when I seriously doubt Coach will ever manufacture with such great quality durable leathers and design again (or manufacture in the US again).

Wow! I'm encouraged to try a bone bag now. Great job!

 

[musiclover]

My Rambler rehab project. Still a little dry so more conditioning needed. But I’m really pleased with the results. I am always amazed with the quality and thickness of older Coach leather.


It came without a tag but no bother (I knew at the time of buying)—I’ll get a colourful tag at Coach for a little pop
There’s a wee scratch on the left back but nothing to interfere with use. I’m very happy with my purchase!

 

[Busykitty]

My Rambler rehab project. Still a little dry so more conditioning needed. But I’m really pleased with the results. I am always amazed with the quality and thickness of older Coach leather. View attachment 4667152

View attachment 4667153
It came without a tag but no bother (I knew at the time of buying)—I’ll get a colourful tag at Coach for a little pop View attachment 4667154
There’s a wee scratch on the left back but nothing to interfere with use. I’m very happy with my purchase!

You might be able to lessen that scratch with some buffing with a horsehair brush.

 

[musiclover]

You might be able to lessen that scratch with some buffing with a horsehair brush.

Thank you, Busykitty. Is a horsehair brush quite soft? I've never used one before.

 

[Busykitty]

Thank you, Busykitty. Is a horsehair brush quite soft? I've never used one before.

They are soft. It’s the kind of brush you use to shine shoes. They are the same thing.

 

[Busykitty]

Before and after of this little Costa Rican! She came with lots of scratches and marks. Unfortunately this is the only before pic I have. So I took all her hardware off and dunked with baby Woolite. I polished all the hardware with 00 steel wool. After the bath I let her dry completely with the aide of a fan. Applied 2-3 coats of cpr with a horsehair brush buff in between coats when completely dry. Then a coat of Renapur, wait for that to completely dry and buff some more. One more coat of Renapur and a final buff, then reattached the hardware and she’s done! I’m really happy with her!

 

[vickenator]

Please let me know what you find. I'm keeping notes!

I am a month late on this, I apologize. I just did the measurements and here is what I found!

It does appear to be about a .5" difference between the drops of both bags. I tried to photograph them as well as I could but this was kind of a hatchet job of it. Funny how much of a difference that .5" really makes for me, though, as the 11285 is quite comfortable whereas the 10743 is not so much. Maybe I need to resoak the 10743 and hang it with a brick inside for a few days!

10743 bag:


11285 bag:

 

[Catbird9]

I am a month late on this, I apologize. I just did the measurements and here is what I found!

It does appear to be about a .5" difference between the drops of both bags. I tried to photograph them as well as I could but this was kind of a hatchet job of it. Funny how much of a difference that .5" really makes for me, though, as the 11285 is quite comfortable whereas the 10743 is not so much. Maybe I need to resoak the 10743 and hang it with a brick inside for a few days!

10743 bag:
View attachment 4667429 View attachment 4667430

11285 bag:
View attachment 4667431 View attachment 4667432

Thanks for this! I'll add these measurements to my files.

 

[musiclover]

They are soft. It’s the kind of brush you use to shine shoes. They are the same thing.

Thank you! I am definitely going to get one to add to my rehabbing supplies.

 

[LunaSilver]

I was dunking a 2002 Costa Rica Stewartness bag today. It was authenciated a while ago. It had some unpleasant smell, I was hoping a dunk will take care of that. I did not expect once wet the smell got much worse and stinked up the room. It is hard to describe the ordour, sort like strong medicine musked over hint of rotting flesh. Anyone knows what is it? Thanks.

 

[Ireiki4u]

I was dunking a 2002 Costa Rica Stewartness bag today. It was authenciated a while ago. It had some unpleasant smell, I was hoping a dunk will take care of that. I did not expect once wet the smell got much worse and stinked up the room. It is hard to describe the ordour, sort like strong medicine musked over hint of rotting flesh. Anyone knows what is it? Thanks.

Yuck!