Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

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#28,396
Loop
aerinha said:
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?
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That is so unfortunate. Sorry to hear that. Is it possible the bag was brown but dip dyed with red?
 
#28,399
mpd said:
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!
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I slather on CPR with my bare hands and I never worry about putting too much on. I just finished 3 british tan colored rehabs and one saddle colored rehab and none of the bags darkened from the CPR.
 
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#28,400
aerinha said:
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.
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I was supposed to have CPR come in Thursday so I can try with it but it was delayed as a lot of mail and packages are. I would try to take it to a leather cobbler but there isn’t many here
 
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#28,401
aerinha said:
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?
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Ravvie99 said:
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!
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My Pony Express has a clean leather smell, no hint of mold, but the leather feels strange. It feels velvety soft yet plasticky. Is this what you guys experienced too? It was authenticated here but had it not been, I would have worried it was fake because of how the leather feels and how good of condition it is in (looks and feels brand new so can't possibly be 30 years old). In your experiences, do you think a straight vinegar wipe would have helped your bags? I'm still on the fence about dunking my Pony. I dont think it needs it but I love how clean my bags are after a bath.
 
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#28,402
Morgan_Bellini said:
My Pony Express has a clean leather smell, no hint of mold, but the leather feels strange. It feels velvety soft yet plasticky. Is this what you guys experienced too? It was authenticated here but had it not been, I would have worried it was fake because of how the leather feels and how good of condition it is in (looks and feels brand new so can't possibly be 30 years old). In your experiences, do you think a straight vinegar wipe would have helped your bags? I'm still on the fence about dunking my Pony. I dont think it needs it but I love how clean my bags are after a bath.
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I didn’t use Much vinegar on my CC because it was odorless and spot free. Several of My other covid era rehabs had unidentified marks so I gave them vinegar water soaks before a soap and water bath. This one just had the vinegar left over after wiping down its hardware dumped in the bath water. It wasn’t nearly enough if this has mold.

Like a lot of my vintage bags the leather was pliable and had a velvety look/feel pre dunk. Nothing seemed plastic-y about it. In fact it was nearly a puddle it was so soft. While wet it still seemed flexible, but as it dried, all except the flap felt plastic-y and hard. It is improving with cpr, but still smells.

I opted not to dunk my Pony because the leather had a good sheen and was really nice.
 
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#28,405
Morgan_Bellini said:
I slather on CPR with my bare hands and I never worry about putting too much on. I just finished 3 british tan colored rehabs and one saddle colored rehab and none of the bags darkened from the CPR.
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Same...I use the palm of my right hand to massage it in and use the palm of my left hand on the otherside of the leather as something to press against when I massage.
I only remove excess where it banks up by piping and seams
 
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#28,406
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#28,409
mpd said:
My first rehab is complete! This little court was a great project bag to get a feel for the process. And now I'm hooked :smile: Thanks for all of the helpful information! This forum is incredible.
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Its a slippery slope you get into. I started with a Mahogany Janice just to have a go...and 28 bags later I still thoroughly enjoying it.
My bank balance isn't though.
 
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#28,410
Amazon prime delivered my CPR this morning so I got to do my second dunk on the companion and then I put the first layer on.

Question to all cpr users:

my leather has become very soft. Is this normal? Its very squishy, Could I have put too much on? I was planning on doing another coat but now Im wondering if I should just leave the 1 coat as is to risk the bag becoming softer?
 
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