Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[LadaZuri]

Here is the 2005 mystery blue Janice. I absolutely love this bag and have done as much restoring of the colour as possible without a colour refresh. I decided this morning that will be my next step, as I'm a bit of a perfectionist and I believe the colour loss can still be improved.

She is definitely one of my favourite bags and the tearose charm by @LunaSilver is perfection with her! (Janice has more of a blue/green hue than is pictured below).


The colour loss of the made in China bags does not restore as fully as other vintage bags, but the extraordinary colours they come in make up for it.
(These photos more accurately depict her true blue/green shade).




The above photos are after dunking, CPR immediately post dunk, heated Renapur on the sponge and Blackrocks. Will post more photos post colour refresh! Wish me luck!

 

[CoachMaven]

It's your bag and of course you can do what you want to with it, but personally I wouldn't alter a rare, vintage, designer bag. I'd probably look for a different bag that better fits my needs; but in response to your question about attaching a strap extender in the middle of the strap, I think that would make it uncomfortable on your shoulder.

I have seen clip-on/buckle-on strap extenders that attach to one end of the strap, like the one at the link below. Of course this specific extender is designed for a removable strap, not a sewn-on strap, but perhaps a good leather worker could devise something similar for your bag.

Amazon.com: 3 Pieces 7.9 Inch Length Aluminum Metal Bag Extender Chain, Handbag Shoulder Strap Extender Gold Bag Strap Charms for Body Purse Bag Shoulder Strap Extender Supplies

Shop Chuangdi at the Amazon Arts, Crafts & Sewing store. Free Shipping on eligible items. Save on everyday low prices.

www.amazon.com

I once bought a black Carly bag (that I still haven't rehabbed!) that included an unusual strap extender. Someone had added a double-ended brass clip to one end of the strap to give it a few extra inches - see pic below. I don't know if this was the best solution but the good news is that it didn't damage the bag.

View attachment 5075973

I have the large version of this bag in black and the leather on it is unreal! Super squishy and thick! Between the leather and the hardware it makes for a heavy bag, but I love it so much I deal with it.

 

[Roro]

Hello! I’m about to rehab a Vintage Coach Duffle Sac. The leather is soft and smooshy to touch but its flattened and dirty so this would have to be dunked. I would just like to ask if duffle sacs are supposed to be structured? Like when you put it upright, is it supposed to stand on its own? I’m always seeing that in pictures but somehow i can’t see that happening with this one because the leather is so soft and a little heavy. Should i expect it to be formed/structured after the rehab? Thanks in advance for your insights!

I agree with @katev to stuff the bag and store it stuffed. I have many duffle sacs and almost none of them stand on their own. It's exactly what I love about them.

 

[Birdie13]

I don't use it all the time, I've only used it when the bag's hardware was prone to verdigris. @Birdie13 is a jewelry maker so she might have another suggestion?

Hi! I just polish, nothing else goes on after. I would be afraid of having to deal with dust messing up the surface while drying.

 

[Narnanz]

Started the Chelsea...
Just have to fix up a little stuffing issue.

 

[Lake Effect]

Started the Chelsea...View attachment 5095659View attachment 5095660View attachment 5095661
Just have to fix up a little stuffing issue.

Very interested to see how this compares to the City.

 

[ArengoKC]

Keep it stuffed and and structured while it is drying so that it doesn't get wrinkled and lumpy. Later it may not stand very straight on its own, but keep it stuffed with tissue in storage - again to keep it from getting creased or bumpy.

I agree with @katev to stuff the bag and store it stuffed. I have many duffle sacs and almost none of them stand on their own. It's exactly what I love about them.

Thank you so much for your insights! Excited to do the dunk today and see how it turns out.

Also, how do you color refresh your bags? If its just color loss on the pipings and corners i believe the advise here is to go hard with leather conditioner or touch up with acrylic paint with CPR. Is that right? But what about if the whole bag is dull and a little faded? I read that some use liquid dye. May I know your process?

 

[Narnanz]

Very interested to see how this compares to the City.

I will do a comparison when Ive finished.

 

[Roro]

Thank you so much for your insights! Excited to do the dunk today and see how it turns out.

Also, how do you color refresh your bags? If its just color loss on the pipings and corners i believe the advise here is to go hard with leather conditioner or touch up with acrylic paint with CPR. Is that right? But what about if the whole bag is dull and a little faded? I read that some use liquid dye. May I know your process?

I don’t pretend to the knowledge and experience of some of our Coach rehabbers but I’d advise you to go slowly. The dunk can help redistribute the dye in the leather. I have never used additional dye on my bags. Just lots of CPR starting when the bag is damp. You may be surprised at the results.

 

[LadaZuri]

Thank you so much for your insights! Excited to do the dunk today and see how it turns out.

Also, how do you color refresh your bags? If its just color loss on the pipings and corners i believe the advise here is to go hard with leather conditioner or touch up with acrylic paint with CPR. Is that right? But what about if the whole bag is dull and a little faded? I read that some use liquid dye. May I know your process?

Colour refreshing is a great idea when a bag is faded, unevenly coloured or the piping worn. The trick is to mix only a TINY bit of acrylic paint with the CPR:



Plenty of CPR and mix THOROUGHLY:



The ideal is for the acrylic paint to be absorbed into the leather along with the conditioner, rather than creating an obviously painted surface. Make sure the acrylic paint is completely mixed with the CPR before applying and do thin, even coats. I apply in a circular motion like straight conditioning. Watch for any accidental streaks of colour and blend in/disperse immediately with straight CPR.

Blacks are much easier and more forgiving to colour refresh than colours!

Good luck and have fun!

 

[whateve]

Hello! I’m about to rehab a Vintage Coach Duffle Sac. The leather is soft and smooshy to touch but its flattened and dirty so this would have to be dunked. I would just like to ask if duffle sacs are supposed to be structured? Like when you put it upright, is it supposed to stand on its own? I’m always seeing that in pictures but somehow i can’t see that happening with this one because the leather is so soft and a little heavy. Should i expect it to be formed/structured after the rehab? Thanks in advance for your insights!

Coach always pictured it sagging and floppy. When I rehab, I stuff so they will dry structured, but it is such a big bag that when you carry it, you'll probably want to squish it down, at least at the top.

 

[klc2021]

Oh dear... I think this Murphy might be navy blue now that it's clean, which is cool. But I think I can't sell it. Look at that cut! I don't know how I didn't see it before. It's a very clean cut, so maybe it was glued well, which I will attempt myself, but regardless, that's some bad damage. Dang it!

I'm so sorry about the slash! It cleaned up nicely. Can I ask why you think it's navy and what year this was made? I'm still not sold on my black bag, it has some serious blue undertones.

 

[MrsGAM]

Hello! I’m about to rehab a Vintage Coach Duffle Sac. The leather is soft and smooshy to touch but its flattened and dirty so this would have to be dunked. I would just like to ask if duffle sacs are supposed to be structured? Like when you put it upright, is it supposed to stand on its own? I’m always seeing that in pictures but somehow i can’t see that happening with this one because the leather is so soft and a little heavy. Should i expect it to be formed/structured after the rehab? Thanks in advance for your insights!

Coach always pictured it sagging and floppy. When I rehab, I stuff so they will dry structured, but it is such a big bag that when you carry it, you'll probably want to squish it down, at least at the top.

I agree with @whateve ! Here’s how I shaped mine:

Here it is stuffed with some packaging material:

And here it is when I last used it:

 

[Lake Effect]

Thank you so much for your insights! Excited to do the dunk today and see how it turns out.

Also, how do you color refresh your bags? If its just color loss on the pipings and corners i believe the advise here is to go hard with leather conditioner or touch up with acrylic paint with CPR. Is that right? But what about if the whole bag is dull and a little faded? I read that some use liquid dye. May I know your process?

I have gotten some very satisfying results with the deep and finishing conditioners mentioned. However, I did a have black Plaza that while in great condition, it did have universal fading. I used a leather recolorant, Saphir Juvacuir. I bought it off a website, www.hangarproject.com but I believe others have since bought it off Amazon. The bag had been fully cleaned and conditioned. I applied it with a make up sponge, let it dry for a few days. I would have to look at my old posts to see if I did Black Rock after that.

 

[amber1109]

I gave 2 baths to the camel Willis at the link below and there were no problems with watermarks. After washing it in Dawn and rinsing with clean water I let it drain in the sink for a short while; then I stuffed it with towels and carefully shaped it into the proper form. I turned it a few times while it was drying and I applied Leather CPR while it was damp to keep it from drying too fast. The next day I remove the towels and continued to dry and apply conditioner. The piping and corners looked fine after the final application of Black Rocks conditioner.

Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

I've never heard of the curly girl method. I've always hated my curly hair. The curls never go the right direction. I stopped using shampoo over a year ago because my hair is dry. I didn't realize that was a good thing to do for curly hair. Most of the time I like to straighten it but I only...

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Thank you for sharing your experience! I've learnt a lot!!!