Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[whateve]

I need a small piece of thin black leather binding to put along the edge of a strap. Any ideas?

 

[seekingvintage]

I need a small piece of thin black leather binding to put along the edge of a strap. Any ideas?

I keep a couple of “donor” bags on hand for binding and parts. They were purchased inexpensively at thrift shops. Like you, I am hunting for binding for my burgundy Rambler. The challenge for me has been finding leather of comparable quality to Coach veg tanned.

 

[Ilovebutter]

My British Tan Pocket Purse rehab got completed today. I don’t know if its just me but the bag looks darker than before I dunked it. I did 1 coat of CPR and 1 coat of Renapur. I forgot to remove some pen marks under the flap but Im keeping this bag in my personal collection so not that bothered by them! Also, this bag bled a lot during the dunk and stained my towels but the colour still came out very even.

Before & after pics:

View attachment 4784261View attachment 4784262View attachment 4784263View attachment 4784264View attachment 4784265View attachment 4784266View attachment 4784267

how did you make the brass turnlock look so good? Did you replace it with new turnlocks or did you just polish it?

 

[Coachaddict4020]

how did you make the brass turnlock look so good? Did you replace it with new turnlocks or did you just polish it?

I cover the hardware with brasso using a q-tip and I let it sit for a minute. I then take a paper towel and buff the hardware. If theres any un-eveness, I use a fine grit nail file to buff the uneven spots. Finally, I use a silver polish cloth to buff the hardware to a shiny glow. If the the hardware isn’t tarnished or uneven, I will only use the silver polish cloth on it. Others here have different polishing methods, but this is what works for me

 

[BowieFan1971]

Thank you for the quick response, Whatev! You alway give great advice So far, the one side looks good. I'll do the other side in the morn to make it uniform.

Actually, I'm hopping the leather gets darker (is patina the correct term?) since it is currently a bit lighter than I'd hoped. Would really love it a few shades darker (honey-colored) so it looks more like a fall rather than summer bag. Is there a way to speed up that process without damaging the leather?

I have done a lot of rehab on vachetta on LVs. Apple Care is perfect and will not harm it....just don’t apply too often. A light coat of conditioning oil may help darken it a bit, but sunlight does a much better job. Put your freshly conditioned bag in a window for a few days and see how you like it after.

 

[MrsGAM]

MrsGAM what product did you use on the piping to restore the colour and vibrancy to the leather? All your bags turned out so beautifully even if some of the colours weren't your first choices!

I didn't have to use anything other than conditioner to restore the color! I started with 4-5 applications of Leather CPR (with 6-12 hours between applications) when it was still damp, then applied 2-3 coats of Leather Therapy Restorer & Condition when it was almost done drying (also 6-12 hours between apps). When the bag was dry, I applied 1 coat of Obenauf's LP (not the oil) by hand, waited a day, then applied Blackrocks Leather N' Rich as the final coat. I find that the combination of Obenauf's LP and Blackrocks usually restores the color of the piping, though it might take 1-2 apps of both. FYI - I don't use Leather Therapy on lighter colors, like British Tan! I only usually use it on black and Mahogany.

 

[aerinha]

I've always said I would need to go up in a helicopter to get a picture of all of mine.

Drone!

 

[aerinha]

I need a small piece of thin black leather binding to put along the edge of a strap. Any ideas?

When I made the zipper pull for my red lunchbox, I bought a scrap of leather off Etsy. You could try looking there.

 

[LadaZuri]

I didn't have to use anything other than conditioner to restore the color! I started with 4-5 applications of Leather CPR (with 6-12 hours between applications) when it was still damp, then applied 2-3 coats of Leather Therapy Restorer & Condition when it was almost done drying (also 6-12 hours between apps). When the bag was dry, I applied 1 coat of Obenauf's LP (not the oil) by hand, waited a day, then applied Blackrocks Leather N' Rich as the final coat. I find that the combination of Obenauf's LP and Blackrocks usually restores the color of the piping, though it might take 1-2 apps of both. FYI - I don't use Leather Therapy on lighter colors, like British Tan! I only usually use it on black and Mahogany.

Thank you so much for your response, MrsGAM! I am surprised at all the different products you used and so appreciate the information! To help with my learning curve, may I ask what each product does in the process of the restoration that gives such beautiful end results? When I received my first ever vintage bag this week (Abbie !!!) I vacuumed, dunked/washed, removed mould, successfully re-shaped, but then possibly erred using Coach Moisturizer to recondition. (I incorrectly presumed that Coach products were the best choice for Coach bags). There are still lightly faded areas on the piping I'd like to address, but I am wondering if any other product I use will be able to penetrate the silicone from the Coach Moisturizer? I'm contemplating another dunk...

Any and all suggestions are welcome! Many thanks!



.

 

[Coachaddict4020]

Thank you so much for your response, MrsGAM! I am surprised at all the different products you used and so appreciate the information! To help with my learning curve, may I ask what each product does in the process of the restoration that gives such beautiful end results? When I received my first ever vintage bag this week (Abbie !!!) I vacuumed, dunked/washed, removed mould, successfully re-shaped, but then possibly erred using Coach Moisturizer to recondition. (I incorrectly presumed that Coach products were the best choice for Coach bags). There are still lightly faded areas on the piping I'd like to address, but I am wondering if any other product I use will be able to penetrate the silicone from the Coach Moisturizer? I'm contemplating another dunk...

Any and all suggestions are welcome! Many thanks!



.View attachment 4805394

If you don’t mind me chiming in,
I use Fiebing’s Resolene for my faded black edges- it works wonders. Ive posted this before but Ill show you the before & after of my CC rehab where the edges were faded. You only need 1 to 2 light coats. It dries super fast. If you layer too much it becomes rubbery which you don’t want. Also, you should use conditioner after using the Resolene if you go that route!
Before:

after:

 

[vintagecoachie]

If you don’t mind me chiming in,
I use Fiebing’s Resolene for my faded black edges- it works wonders. Ive posted this before but Ill show you the before & after of my CC rehab where the edges were faded. You only need 1 to 2 light coats. It dries super fast. If you layer too much it becomes rubbery which you don’t want. Also, you should use conditioner after using the Resolene if you go that route!
Before:
View attachment 4805426
after:
View attachment 4805427

Wow, makes it look like new!

 

[seekingvintage]

I keep a couple of “donor” bags on hand for binding and parts. They were purchased inexpensively at thrift shops. Like you, I am hunting for binding for my burgundy Rambler. The challenge for me has been finding leather of comparable quality to Coach veg tanned.

Also, there is a leather supply shop on Etsy, based in Montreal, that sells veg tanned binding leather, in 5 yard rolls. I have not purchased from them, but wanted to share the link: https://www.etsy.com/listing/505081...search_query=binding&ref=shop_items_search_12

 

[MrsGAM]

Thank you so much for your response, MrsGAM! I am surprised at all the different products you used and so appreciate the information! To help with my learning curve, may I ask what each product does in the process of the restoration that gives such beautiful end results? When I received my first ever vintage bag this week (Abbie !!!) I vacuumed, dunked/washed, removed mould, successfully re-shaped, but then possibly erred using Coach Moisturizer to recondition. (I incorrectly presumed that Coach products were the best choice for Coach bags). There are still lightly faded areas on the piping I'd like to address, but I am wondering if any other product I use will be able to penetrate the silicone from the Coach Moisturizer? I'm contemplating another dunk...

Any and all suggestions are welcome! Many thanks!



.View attachment 4805394

Leather CPR is for deep conditioning the leather. So is Leather Therapy, but I usually only use it on super dry, dark colored bags! And also the Sheridan, Madison, and Gramercy collections of textured leather bags. I would definitely recommend using Leather CPR at least out of these two - dry bags really drink it up! Obenauf's LP is an extra step I take because I like how soft it makes the leather; it's really a preference on whether you use it or not! Blackrocks Leather N Rich is a must! It's that last 1 or 2 applications of Blackrocks that really makes the leather glow, and I would recommend trying that on your Abbie before anything else. Read and follow the directions on the container! Renapur is an alternative that some ladies on here use instead of Blackrocks; I haven't tried it yet, but you can see really great results from using it on here. Also, I forgot to include buffing! I buff with a horsehair brush in between applications of conditioner. It really helps the leather glow, as well. I only use recolorants on the piping (or other faded areas) if all this conditioning fails to improve it.

 

[LadaZuri]

Leather CPR is for deep conditioning the leather. So is Leather Therapy, but I usually only use it on super dry, dark colored bags! And also the Sheridan, Madison, and Gramercy collections of textured leather bags. I would definitely recommend using Leather CPR at least out of these two - dry bags really drink it up! Obenauf's LP is an extra step I take because I like how soft it makes the leather; it's really a preference on whether you use it or not! Blackrocks Leather N Rich is a must! It's that last 1 or 2 applications of Blackrocks that really makes the leather glow, and I would recommend trying that on your Abbie before anything else. Read and follow the directions on the container! Renapur is an alternative that some ladies on here use instead of Blackrocks; I haven't tried it yet, but you can see really great results from using it on here. Also, I forgot to include buffing! I buff with a horsehair brush in between applications of conditioner. It really helps the leather glow, as well. I only use recolorants on the piping (or other faded areas) if all this conditioning fails to improve it.

This is so helpful! Thank you MrsGAM! I'm off to place some orders!

If you don’t mind me chiming in,
I use Fiebing’s Resolene for my faded black edges- it works wonders. Ive posted this before but Ill show you the before & after of my CC rehab where the edges were faded. You only need 1 to 2 light coats. It dries super fast. If you layer too much it becomes rubbery which you don’t want. Also, you should use conditioner after using the Resolene if you go that route!

Much appreciated information, Coachaddict4020! I want to learn all I can! Your piping turned out brilliantly!

 

[Mambutt]

If you don’t mind me chiming in,
I use Fiebing’s Resolene for my faded black edges- it works wonders. Ive posted this before but Ill show you the before & after of my CC rehab where the edges were faded. You only need 1 to 2 light coats. It dries super fast. If you layer too much it becomes rubbery which you don’t want. Also, you should use conditioner after using the Resolene if you go that route!
Before:
View attachment 4805426
after:
View attachment 4805427

Is there a big difference between using Resolene on the corners as opposed to acrylic paint + CPR? I've seen both used on here with great results.