Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[MedicMom]

Oh wow - that looks incredible!

I have another rookie question if you don't mind. I purchased some leather therapy and was probably a little heavy handed when using it on a BT bag. It seemed to really darken and enhance the scratches - they looked like pen parks after to give you an idea of the effect. I let it dry for 24 hours and no difference. I dunked it and will try to condition again when its almost dry but I'm reluctant to use the Leather Therapy. Also, I thought it was hard to know how much I was applying when using a damp sponge. Anyone have any tips? I'm considering switching to leather CPR - do you apply with a rag instead of a sponge? And can you use it liberally? Thanks for the tips!

I am a rookie myself I haven't used LT yet but really like the CPR that this group suggested. I haven't tried rehabbing any light bags yet so I am curious to see how your BT works out - post pics! I use a sponge or buff pad for the CPR and it seems to work great - I have been a little heavy handed with it at times and just keep rubbing it in and haven't had any issues.

 

[seekingvintage]

CPR is especially good for BT bags, in my experience,as it does not darken, and it works wonders with scratches. I like Leather therapy, too, but use it sparingly, on a cloth.

 

[Pursepursuerr]

Anyone have a clue on what I should do to recover or color in these two white spots? Previous owner tried to clean pen and a weird pink stain at the top but took out a lot of dye instead.
I was thinking of trying Acrylic paint with conditioner as recommended on this thread. Would this be able to recover with just conditioning?

 

[Lake Effect]

My current rehab in progress is the “burgundy” NYC convertible clutch and I am having a weird problem. It arrived very soft and odorless. I almost didn’t dunk, but it had the usual corner scuffs so I decided to wash it. The water took on a weird cloudiness I have never seen before. The bag has become very stiff (yes I got all the soap out) and has a strange smell. The smell appeared in the water and reminded me of my old pediatric dentist office from the 80s. It stuck around after the bag began drying. I would think it might be mold, but there were no spots and, as I said before, no odor at all until it got wet. Did I activate mold with the dunk?

I also really am unhappy with the color. The seller pics made it look a nice wine red and though it turns my hands reddish during CPR, it just looks brown. I wanted burgundy not brown. Is it possible something was put in it to enhance the color and it washed off and made the water cloudy while triggering the smell?

Maybe at some point it was treated with some mystery product? Shoe cream as opposed to polish? Water repellant? Maybe it was stored near chemicals? That 80's dental office smell was probably a disinfectant.
I feel you. I long for burgundy. I let a few really nice bags pass. My amethyst Garcia Flap is nice, but it's not vintage leather. I'll probably have to wait a few years for something I want less than $150 to cycle around. Sigh. I just never know how much I like a bag until the bidding is over or it's out of stock!!!

 

[Lake Effect]

View attachment 4763643
Anyone have a clue on what I should do to recover or color in these two white spots? Previous owner tried to clean pen and a weird pink stain at the top but took out a lot of dye instead.
I was thinking of trying Fieblings Acrylic dye with conditioner as recommended on this thread. Would this be able to recover with just conditioning?

If you can figure out the way to restore Periwinkle, you could have a potential gold mine on your hands. Does Fieblings make a dye in this shade?

 

[Ravvie99]

My current rehab in progress is the “burgundy” NYC convertible clutch and I am having a weird problem. It arrived very soft and odorless. I almost didn’t dunk, but it had the usual corner scuffs so I decided to wash it. The water took on a weird cloudiness I have never seen before. The bag has become very stiff (yes I got all the soap out) and has a strange smell. The smell appeared in the water and reminded me of my old pediatric dentist office from the 80s. It stuck around after the bag began drying. I would think it might be mold, but there were no spots and, as I said before, no odor at all until it got wet. Did I activate mold with the dunk?

I also really am unhappy with the color. The seller pics made it look a nice wine red and though it turns my hands reddish during CPR, it just looks brown. I wanted burgundy not brown. Is it possible something was put in it to enhance the color and it washed off and made the water cloudy while triggering the smell?

I had this happen to me and it was mold. It was hiding as an almost invisible dust without any odor. The fun began when I dunked. Unpleasant smells emerged and it changed perfectly soft smushy leather and made it feel stiff, almost plastic-y. CPR wouldn't absorb well either. I didn't have the color problem though.
I would take that bag outside away from all your other bags immediately if it were me, at least until you determine what's going on. I had to throw out many, many precious bags after waiting too long to quarantine the bad one. There may be other explanations and I'm hoping it's not mold for you!

 

[MrsGAM]

View attachment 4763643
Anyone have a clue on what I should do to recover or color in these two white spots? Previous owner tried to clean pen and a weird pink stain at the top but took out a lot of dye instead.
I was thinking of trying Fieblings Acrylic dye with conditioner as recommended on this thread. Would this be able to recover with just conditioning?

If you can figure out the way to restore Periwinkle, you could have a potential gold mine on your hands. Does Fieblings make a dye in this shade?

I’ve been wanting to try restoring Periwinkle! I just need to find a bag under $20. If it was me, I’d try Saphir Creme Surfine in Jean Blue mixed with one of the cream colored Saphir Creme Renovatrice to get the right color + CPR. I used a mix of Saphir Creme Surfine and Creme Renovatrice to recolor an orange Abbie that had mildew damage.

 

[Lake Effect]

Oh wow - that looks incredible!

I have another rookie question if you don't mind. I purchased some leather therapy and was probably a little heavy handed when using it on a BT bag. It seemed to really darken and enhance the scratches - they looked like pen parks after to give you an idea of the effect. I let it dry for 24 hours and no difference. I dunked it and will try to condition again when its almost dry but I'm reluctant to use the Leather Therapy. Also, I thought it was hard to know how much I was applying when using a damp sponge. Anyone have any tips? I'm considering switching to leather CPR - do you apply with a rag instead of a sponge? And can you use it liberally? Thanks for the tips!

I can tell you, I was very heavy handed with LT (and just about everything, I won't bore you with my Obenauf's Oil story again) in my early rehab days with Putty and BT but it was after dunking, and I honestly do not think my bags were worse for the heavy hand with LT.
For LT, I began applying within an hour or two of taking the bag out of the sink, although the first time I used it, the bag was almost dry and that was fine too. I put a small amount on an old cotton t-shirt and worked it onto the leather, covering the entire bag. I have since used up, lol, a 32 oz bottle and have not re-ordered more yet. I used that up over 2 years!
For CPR, I was doing the same as for LT. Now I put a small glob on a plastic container lid and wearing a disposable globe, apply a small amount with my fingers, working it into the leather to cover say, an entire side of the bag. I will gently wipe the surface of any excess, but usually most absorbs (because I lean toward true rehab specicals!). Then I work around the bag. If the piping was very dry, like my recent Letter Brief, I run extra on the piping with my finger tip.
You may see others doing it completely different. We all have our own *special sauce* YMMV
Sometimes the prior owner of a bag has attempted to remove marks, and in turn leaves a discolored area so now there are two stains. And with BT, unfortunately, I haven't found a way around that.
I know this does not help you now, but this is where a cheap bag or two is helpful as a trial bag to get the feel for doing this. For me, while I did find some online info before I started rehabbing, it was a true learn-by-doing process.
I am going to search for the YouTube video link made by a member here.

Edited - found the post with the link to the video:

Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

Yeah, the black water is suspicious. I was just reading the reviews on Amazon for Blackrock. It seems they may have changed the formula sometime last year. They definitely changed the packaging. Interesting about the formula change. My product is in fact the grayish brown paste pictured on the...

forum.purseblog.com

 

[Pursepursuerr]

I’ve been wanting to try restoring Periwinkle! I just need to find a bag under $20. If it was me, I’d try Saphir Creme Surfine in Jean Blue mixed with one of the cream colored Saphir Creme Renovatrice to get the right color + CPR. I used a mix of Saphir Creme Surfine and Creme Renovatrice to recolor an orange Abbie that had mildew damage.
View attachment 4763673

oooo thats beautiful! I'm not sure on what to do. I really don't want to mess up the bag because I had to pay at reseller price for it. Just looking for a way to make it beautiful again

 

[Pursepursuerr]

If you can figure out the way to restore Periwinkle, you could have a potential gold mine on your hands. Does Fieblings make a dye in this shade?

Not sure if its even a good idea just looking for advice! I would probably have to mix colors too

 

[MrsGAM]

Oh wow - that looks incredible!

I have another rookie question if you don't mind. I purchased some leather therapy and was probably a little heavy handed when using it on a BT bag. It seemed to really darken and enhance the scratches - they looked like pen parks after to give you an idea of the effect. I let it dry for 24 hours and no difference. I dunked it and will try to condition again when its almost dry but I'm reluctant to use the Leather Therapy. Also, I thought it was hard to know how much I was applying when using a damp sponge. Anyone have any tips? I'm considering switching to leather CPR - do you apply with a rag instead of a sponge? And can you use it liberally? Thanks for the tips!

I usually only use Leather Therapy on dark colors or textures leathers (like the Italian Madison and Gramercy lines or the Sheridans). I prefer CPR for all other bags. I use it very liberally (using a craft sponge to apply it) then wipe of the excess.

 

[aerinha]

I had this happen to me and it was mold. It was hiding as an almost invisible dust without any odor. The fun began when I dunked. Unpleasant smells emerged and it changed perfectly soft smushy leather and made it feel stiff, almost plastic-y. CPR wouldn't absorb well either. I didn't have the color problem though.
I would take that bag outside away from all your other bags immediately if it were me, at least until you determine what's going on. I had to throw out many, many precious bags after waiting too long to quarantine the bad one. There may be other explanations and I'm hoping it's not mold for you!

It felt plastic-y at first as it began to dry. I checked it this morning and it is softening up, the flap soaks in CPR, but the smell remains.

 

[aerinha]

I’ve been wanting to try restoring Periwinkle! I just need to find a bag under $20. If it was me, I’d try Saphir Creme Surfine in Jean Blue mixed with one of the cream colored Saphir Creme Renovatrice to get the right color + CPR. I used a mix of Saphir Creme Surfine and Creme Renovatrice to recolor an orange Abbie that had mildew damage.
View attachment 4763673

oooo thats beautiful! I'm not sure on what to do. I really don't want to mess up the bag because I had to pay at reseller price for it. Just looking for a way to make it beautiful again

I have a periwinkle lunch box with Color loss and fading in the piping and a scratch on the back panel that CPR won’t fix. Am trying to decide how to approach.

 

[Lake Effect]

I’ve been wanting to try restoring Periwinkle! I just need to find a bag under $20. If it was me, I’d try Saphir Creme Surfine in Jean Blue mixed with one of the cream colored Saphir Creme Renovatrice to get the right color + CPR. I used a mix of Saphir Creme Surfine and Creme Renovatrice to recolor an orange Abbie that had mildew damage.
View attachment 4763673

I was thinking the Jean Blue might not be "purple enough". But yes, mixing it . . . . Interesting. But I agree, a cheap bag to experiment on is the way to go.
Side note, you are giving me ideas about touching up vintage Rust!!!

 

[aerinha]

View attachment 4763643
Anyone have a clue on what I should do to recover or color in these two white spots? Previous owner tried to clean pen and a weird pink stain at the top but took out a lot of dye instead.
I was thinking of trying Acrylic paint with conditioner as recommended on this thread. Would this be able to recover with just conditioning?

I am guilty of doing this to a beige Tods bag with a pen mark. Alcohol took off the ink and the dye. I mixed leather paints to get close in color and made a different mess to deal with. Eventually through wiping and some CPR it’s really not noticeable. But there after, I leave pen alone.