Coach Rehab and Rescue Club
- Thread starter greenpixie
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R
So pretty! A red Regina is a dream for some of us!
She is my first Regina. I wanted a color and red came up first. There is a yellow en route and I would like an aqua one.
Today is British Tan rehab day! Ranch bag, large Plaza, Rambler, and Court. I decided to dunk the Ranch first because it's my least favorite of the 4 and the one I paid the least for ($20 shipped I think). I noticed little black spots that could be mold on the Ranch today, which I swear were not there when I bought it. I'm wondering if the increasing humidity brought out the spots. This is my first time dealing with possible mold and as diappointing as that is, I'm glad it's on the Ranch of all bags. I sprayed it with vinegar and let it soak in for a few minutes before running a tepid bath. I'm going to work on the Rambler last because it's my favorite and the most expensive. I've heard BT can be tricky, so I'll see how the other 3 turn out before I touch the Rambler. It probably doesn't even need a dunk, but it smells like a basement and the leather is very dry.
Hi there. I'm new to rehabbing vintage Coach.
I bought 5 vintage Coach and a Dooney for $150 which I thought was an incredible deal but you all seem to beat even that!
Anyway - after dunking, all my Coach bags seem stiff. Is this the point where you put them on your dash, to soften them up? Mine are all dry now, just stiff. I planned to apply Apple leather conditioner to all this week.
I have an Essex brief, a "Light Tote" (not really that light), a swinger bag in bone - with marks that won't come off - and two others.
TIA
Ideally you would want to apply the conditioner before the bags are completely dry. This is when the pores in the leather are still opened up from the bath and are able to receive more conditioner. I also condition the areas on the bag that dry quicker (straps and piping) within just a few hours of the bath while the body of the bag is still too wet to condition. Leather may crack if it has gotten wet and allowed to dry completely without moisturizing it with the conditioner. It has been my experience that bags that I dunk take some time and use to get as soft as they once were but for the most part they do seem to remain ever so slightly stiffer after a bath than they were before. I've never had a bone colored bag but on some of my lighter colors I've been able to scrub out some stains with mild dish soap and my fingertips.
I've never used Apple conditioner but many of us here prefer Leather CPR because it's a robust conditioner that is less likely to darken the leather. I have always had wonderful results with CPR.
Thank you!!! OK I will buy some CPR off ebay today.. The Essex brief and tote are still damp, the swinger is completely dry though. I have a bouquet of leather conditioners including Doc Martins, Blackrock, the Apple - etc. But they all are different and would produce different results on the Coach I believe.
Of all the bags I obtained, I was meh on the bone swinger until I saw Coach is selling a "restored" version for $695 on their site. LOL.
Hi and welcome
If you are happy with your bags, then you got a good deal!As @Morgan_Bellini said, you want to apply conditioner to your bags while they are drying. My comment about wiping a bag down and putting it on my dash was because I had dunked it and applied leather CPR a few months earlier but was not sure if I wanted to apply an additional conditioner like Obenauf's Oil. And it got put by the wayside.
Putting a bag on the dash of my car is not part of my typical routine.
If you read through old posts, most of us use a deeper, heavier conditioner like Leather CPR or Leather Therapy Restorer and Conditioner (and either is worth investing in; I started rehabbing with Leather Therapy and when then got finished up I bought Leather CPR), while the bag is drying. Some of us vary on putting it on immediately or waiting till the bag is at the end of drying.
I have not use Apple conditioner. If you do a search of this thread, several people here indicate it is a light conditioner and is not substantial enough to use after dunking.
You could also do a search in this thread of the conditioners you mentioned you already have to see how people have/have not used them.
Good Luck.
Well that's just a big pile of loveliness.
Yes, BT is tricky. My feeling is it just lends itself to spontaneous spotting that represent some little spill or something that it absorbed at some past time and just decides to surface, or spots emerging during cleaning and or conditioning. And I love BT anyway. As it is, I pulled out my BT Plaza Large that I was not completely satisfied with after rehabbing. I am ruminating over more CPR or Renapur.
I approve lol. Carry on!
Would you recommend not dunking the Rambler then? It's very clean, just dry and a little smelly. I would be so sad to ruin it unnecessarily.
People are silly to pay that much for a restored bag. Wait until you learn a few more things and see how you can restore bags too. It's not that hard, you just have to learn to recognize bags that can't be fixed, such as those with ink stains or fading. Even the easy rehabs don't always turn out $695 worthy, but most of the time they do. Plus it's satisfying and rewarding and it opens up your purchasing options when you can recognize what is rehabbable (is that a word? It looks funny) and what might give you trouble. Enjoy the experience and welcome to the thread!
Of all the conditioners I have, Doc Martins wonder balsam is the thickest (a thick paste). A lot or people swear by it.Hi and welcome
As @Morgan_Bellini said, you want to apply conditioner to your bags while they are drying. My comment about wiping a bag down and putting it on my dash was because I had dunked it and applied leather CPR a few months earlier but was not sure if I wanted to apply an additional conditioner like Obenauf's Oil. And it got put by the wayside.
Putting a bag on the dash of my car is not part of my typical routine.
If you read through old posts, most of us use a deeper, heavier conditioner like Leather CPR or Leather Therapy Restorer and Conditioner (and either is worth investing in; I started rehabbing with Leather Therapy and when then got finished up I bought Leather CPR), while the bag is drying. Some of us vary on putting it on immediately or waiting till the bag is at the end of drying.
I have not use Apple conditioner. If you do a search of this thread, several people here indicate it is a light conditioner and is not substantial enough to use after dunking.
You could also do a search in this thread of the conditioners you mentioned you already have to see how people have/have not used them.
Good Luck.
If you have a pair of vintage cowboy boots that you thrifted, I'll bet doc martins would be the way to go for that. But I put it on the vintage Dooney Norfolk bag I have - and it left a sticky residue, although it did, indeed condition the leather and make the cracks go away. So I was trying to find a happy medium with the Apple. I ordered the CPR so don't have that one yet.
Blackrocks is a wonderful finisher. I usually apply several coats of CPR - one coat per day until the bag is nice and soft - and then a coat of Blackrocks, which I apply lightly and wipe off any excess right away.
I would most likely dunk it. Dunking will optimize penetration of the conditioner. An option would be to wipe it down with a damp cloth ( I use a little Lexol Cleaner mixed with warm water), give it 10 minutes and then apply CPR.
I'm sorry, I did not mean to make you overly cautious. We run the risk with any bag when we even apply light conditioner. It is just light bags and BT are less forgiving. That is why I still do not like to pay over a certain amount for a bag that needs thorough cleaning or conditioning.
You can get started using the Apple conditioner and it will be fine. I have used it and it is a little lighter than Leather CPR, but you can give your bags one or two treatments with Apple and another with Leather CPR later when you receive it.
If you bags have any uneven coloration or wear on the corners and piping, doing a final application of Black Leather n Rich can be helpful to finish the rehab.