Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[Coachaddict4020]

Decided to do 2 rehabs simultaneously today- at least they’re both small bags lol

 

[aerinha]

Problem: Periwinkle lunch box with sad trim and a big white scratch on the back panel.

Experiment: because there seemed to be some dirt involved besides color loss and fading, I took a q-tip dipped in vinegar to edges and the scratch the day before dunking. I have had some luck with vinegar removing marks so I always try it, it can’t really hurt since the bag is getting washed with it anyway.

Before putting the bag in the water, I rubbed the problem parts directly with soap And then did my normal wash routine. When I was done, I noticed both looked much improved so I thought dryness might have caused part of the problem. Rather than wait to condition until the next day, I put CPR right on the edges and scratch straight out of the sink. I did more a few hours later. More this morning before work and then did whole bag tonight.

Results so far: scratch looks better, edges are still iffy. Could go either way on them once the bag dries.

 

[seekingvintage]

@valv54 Please tell me you have an absolutely light-tight closet to store your Flannel Grey Saddlery in!
The tracker was indeed way off and I got my Saddlery today. She's easily the saddest bag I've ever seen (I think there's a pun in here somewhere, lol). The photos don't do her poor condition justice. She's scratched, distorted, and faded. She was definitely a Flannel Grey stunner once. The parts that are protected from sunlight are still grey, like under the lower edge that has curled up.
I have two theories as to what happened here:

1) The dye is made up of various pigments of different durability. Flannel Grey is a warm grey, so it has more earthy undertones. To get it to look grey, blueish pigment was added and faded faster than the rest (like how blueish purple bags often fade to a more reddish berry color).

2) Flannel Grey is essentially a pastel color with a white base with the color sitting on top of a darker earthier color. Think rubbed-off edges on periwinkle.

Either way, I think I can get her to look healthy and smooth again, but as for the color, I'll probably have to settle for 'artfully dimensional distress'. She is very floppy and soft, and I think it's the same kind of deceptive softness I've encountered with my Dinky, the kind that hides extreme dryness. She just got her first coat of pre-dunk CPR and perked up some.
Here's how she arrived plus original grey under curl. The color is not quite as warm in person.

So sorry that you got a disappointing bag. It would be interesting to see the post-rehab results. I have a couple of unevenly faded bags as well, and have been puzzling over how to improve them.

 

[MaraudingMagpie]

So sorry that you got a disappointing bag. It would be interesting to see the post-rehab results. I have a couple of unevenly faded bags as well, and have been puzzling over how to improve them.

Oh I'm not disappointed, the fading is in line with what you could see from the listing photos. I was mentally prepared for having to live with an uneven color. I don't really want to mess with recolor ants, but maybe that would be a good option for you? My priority is an intact leather surface and good shape, I can live with minor stains and discoloration.

 

[Coachaddict4020]

My problematic Companion bag rehab is finally complete. This bag required a lot of work as the edges were painted in a sticky rubber coating, there was a pink nail polish stain on the front and it smelled like fish. This bag’s rehab included:
-peeling all the rubber off the edges
-2 dunks (One with vinegar for smell)
-2 coats of CPR
- paint remover to remove the nail polish stain
-edges repainted and strap repainted with Fiebing’s resolene
-2 coats of Renapur conditioner done a day apart

It no longer smells and the nail polish stain was removed but it left a few marks that aren’t noticeable. The edges look great now but feel weird in terms of texture- I can live with that. All in all, happy I was able to save this bag

P.s: sorry about the lighting differences in my pics, were replacing our blinds so I keep having to use different parts of the house depending on where I can get good lighting lol


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Before:

 

[Crystalcoach]

I was watching that one but the seller wouldn't ship to Germany.
If the stains don't budge at all, I would assume they are from something greasy or maybe some chemical spill. If I were you, I'd condition the bag until it can take no more and feels healthy and then cycle it through the washer in a pillowcase with regular detergent. If you're scared of ruining the bag with more extreme measures, ask yourself if you'd carry it with the stains, and if the answer is no, you don't have much to lose.

Fantastic! Since it's already half way there with conditioning, I think I'll try it. I have a feeling it's not going to come out even with a hot bath, and no, I wouldn't carry it the way it is. I don't need a perfect bag, but that kind of damage on that color of bag just looks hideous. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Crystalcoach]

Snagged this bag from Mercari for $25! The seller had 3 all from this era in similar styles, all super cheap. They sold in seconds, literally. Maybe one of y'all got one? Anyway, I want to
dunk it, but I am worried about the internal brass parts of the kiss lock pouch. The reason being, I dunked a light colored bag (lighter than this though and full grain leather but not Coach) with internal snap parts, the leather outside of which turned greenish from the verdigris inside. Ruined. I don't want something like that to happen with this vintage gem.

 

[whateve]

My problematic Companion bag rehab is finally complete. This bag required a lot of work as the edges were painted in a sticky rubber coating, there was a pink nail polish stain on the front and it smelled like fish. This bag’s rehab included:
-peeling all the rubber off the edges
-2 dunks (One with vinegar for smell)
-2 coats of CPR
- paint remover to remove the nail polish stain
-edges repainted and strap repainted with Fiebing’s resolene
-2 coats of Renapur conditioner done a day apart

It no longer smells and the nail polish stain was removed but it left a few marks that aren’t noticeable. The edges look great now but feel weird in terms of texture- I can live with that. All in all, happy I was able to save this bag

P.s: sorry about the lighting differences in my pics, were replacing our blinds so I keep having to use different parts of the house depending on where I can get good lighting lol


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It looks great! Why did you choose resolene to finish the edges?

 

[whateve]

Snagged this bag from Mercari for $25! The seller had 3 all from this era in similar styles, all super cheap. They sold in seconds, literally. Maybe one of y'all got one? Anyway, I want to dr
dunk it, but I am worried about the internal brass parts of the kiss lock pouch. The reason being, I dunked a light colored bag (lighter than this though and full grain leather but not Coach) with internal snap parts, the leather outside of which turned greenish from the verdigris inside. Ruined. I don't want something like that to happen with this vintage gem.

View attachment 4769299

I dunked a similar bag without problems. Make sure there isn't any verdigris before dunking to prevent it from staining the leather.

 

[Crystalcoach]

I dunked a similar bag without problems. Make sure there isn't any verdigris before dunking to prevent it from staining the leather.

There's not, so yay! Can't wait to see how it turns out. I'll post after pics too.

 

[Coachaddict4020]

It looks great! Why did you choose resolene to finish the edges?

I have both Fiebing’s Edge Kote and Fiebing’s Resolene- theyre both the same Ingredients but resolene is much more watery and thin where as edge kote is thick and rubbery. I found after the 2 coats of CPR, parts of the edges were still a bit faded. I wasn’t sure if it was colour loss or dryness but I had great success using resolene to fix the edges of my convertible clutch rehab so I decided to try it again. It definitely painted over the faded areas and made them look good so it was a good call

 

[AggieK]

Snagged this bag from Mercari for $25! The seller had 3 all from this era in similar styles, all super cheap. They sold in seconds, literally. Maybe one of y'all got one? Anyway, I want to
dunk it, but I am worried about the internal brass parts of the kiss lock pouch. The reason being, I dunked a light colored bag (lighter than this though and full grain leather but not Coach) with internal snap parts, the leather outside of which turned greenish from the verdigris inside. Ruined. I don't want something like that to happen with this vintage gem.

View attachment 4769299

I have one like that and I dunked it without any problem. I think mine is maroon or burgundy.

 

[mpd]

So it's been just over 24 hours since the dunk. I applied a little bit of CPR yesterday evening because the bag felt mostly dry on the outside - inside the pockets and inside the bag were still damp. It's looking splotchy and I'm hoping someone can reassure me that this is normal when BT dries? It looks worse in the picture than it does in real life; it's not quite so dramatic in person. What do you think?

It’s finished! It took a lot of conditioner but I think it was very dry to begin with. It was a strange orange color and felt like plastic. Now it is a proper British tan and I love the depth the Blackrock brought out in the leather.

 

[katev]

My problematic Companion bag rehab is finally complete. This bag required a lot of work as the edges were painted in a sticky rubber coating, there was a pink nail polish stain on the front and it smelled like fish. This bag’s rehab included:
-peeling all the rubber off the edges
-2 dunks (One with vinegar for smell)
-2 coats of CPR
- paint remover to remove the nail polish stain
-edges repainted and strap repainted with Fiebing’s resolene
-2 coats of Renapur conditioner done a day apart

It no longer smells and the nail polish stain was removed but it left a few marks that aren’t noticeable. The edges look great now but feel weird in terms of texture- I can live with that. All in all, happy I was able to save this bag

P.s: sorry about the lighting differences in my pics, were replacing our blinds so I keep having to use different parts of the house depending on where I can get good lighting lol


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Before:
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Beautiful but you forgot to add "polishing the brass" to your list of rehab tasks!

 

[Coachaddict4020]

Beautiful but you forgot to add "polishing the brass" to your list of rehab tasks!

Haha I did! To be fair though, polishing brass is my least favourite part so I rush through it and tell myself “Ill come back and do it properly later”... and then later never comes lol