Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[Paris Girl]

I just can’t stop

two more for the collection
View attachment 5127233
Taupe(?) Watson and an Olive(?) Chrystie.
I’ve seen a few taupe/putty and olive/loden bags but I can never tell which color is which (and I think other people can’t either, which just adds to my own confusion). If anyone has a good distinction between these pair of colors and could let me know the official color of mine, I would appreciate it!

Also I notice that the spring lock of the chrystie isn’t closing too well. It does close, but I don’t even have to pull on it to open. Anyone have this issue with spring lock bags? I only have one other and it doesn’t have this issue. Any thoughts on what could be causing it/how to fix it?

Pretty nervous about dunking these since I haven’t dunked one since my jade bag. They are darker colors but still light enough for dark spots to show. They definitely need a dunk though as they’re all bent out of shape. Anybody have any luck/ or no luck with dunking taupe and olive bags?

ETA: the chrystie has quite a lot of verdigris, is there a way to remove the hardware? I’ve seen it done with turnlocks but I have no idea how it works with spring locks.

Btw, I looked back at some of my documentation on Willis colors. Coach made olive fall of 1994 and came out with loden in 1998 (I see it in holiday preview 1998 catalog). The first year I see taupe is fall of 1995. I don’t know if colors were produced similarly in other bag styles but I would assume so.

 

[Lake Effect]

I'm pretty sure someone tried to find replacement hardware for these springlocks unsuccessfully. I don't think Mercari has a partial refund option. You need to open a return request within 3 days and not accept the purchase or it will become final.

I don’t think you’ll have much luck finding the spring lock hardware. I have heard of others actually replacing the spring lock with a turnlock. One person said they did it on a bag style they loved but didn’t care much for the spring lock closure.

I have seen on just a very few occasions, eBay sellers offer spring lock hardware. Iirc it was Catbird9 found a solution involving someone who did leather repair. I can’t recall exactly what she used found to do it.

 

[Lake Effect]

I just can’t stop

two more for the collection
View attachment 5127233
Taupe(?) Watson and an Olive(?) Chrystie.
I’ve seen a few taupe/putty and olive/loden bags but I can never tell which color is which (and I think other people can’t either, which just adds to my own confusion). If anyone has a good distinction between these pair of colors and could let me know the official color of mine, I would appreciate it!

Btw, I looked back at some of my documentation on Willis colors. Coach made olive fall of 1994 and came out with loden in 1998 (I see it in holiday preview 1998 catalog). The first year I see taupe is fall of 1995. I don’t know if colors were produced similarly in other bag styles but I would assume so.

It does appear that certain colors were offered on many styles for varying number of seasons. Taupe and various greens appear to be made during specific time frames.

I can’t really offer any help with the color of your bags from the photos. I agree with Paris Girl that you can at least narrow it down to what was offered in the catalogs when you know when it was made. I have a hodgepodge of catalogs. What are reg #s?

 

[violetsvanity]

I was attracted to the color of this 1996 Worth Bag #4143...could be putty or khaki. Found her at Goodwill, marked down from $24.99 to $19.99. A little more than I like to pay, but in good overall condition (with a matching hangtag) except for a couple of ink spots and an area of color loss on the front. Before pics are here: http://forum.purseblog.com/coach-shopping/authenticate-this-coach-818914-296.html#post25242102

There was a little verdi gris on the strap and around the buckles that I treated with a paste of baking soda and vinegar. I painted on the mixture and let it sit for 5 minutes or so and scrubbed with a toothbrush before the bath. Once she was soaking in a warm, sudsy Dawn bath, I used Tarni-shield on the buckles, ball chain and zipper pull. I like cleaning the brass as part of the bath, so I can get all the product off the leather more easily. Then the usual scrub, rinse and stuff.

The zipper pull had lost some of its reinforcement, so I cut a little strip of thin chipboard (like the back of a pad of note paper), doubled it and gently bent it into a U shape. I carefully slid it into the loop of leather that attaches to the zipper pull and generously coated it with clear acrylic gloss enamel.

For the color loss on the front I used a mixture of Folk Art Coffee Bean acrylic and Leather CPR... pretty near color match that filled in the color and hid the ink spot. I used Leather CPR 2x all over and finished with a light application of Blackrocks. Ive had Blackrocks pick up acrylic in the past, so I went light. Buffed with a microfiber cloth and shes back to soft and supple and good to go.

Wow! Looks awesome

 

[violetsvanity]

It took me 5 weeks to get rid of cigarette smoke smell from a Sonoma Nubuc. I washed it first but not sure if that made any difference. Then I sprayed it daily over the course of a week with Febreeze spray inside and out, then I shut it is a plastic box with charcoal - you could use baking soda - for a few days. Then I hung it in the sun for a few day, more Febreeze and I washed it again and finally it was gone! The advice I got here was - have patience - and it finally paid off!

Smart!!

 

[aqua1117]

Hi all,
I'm new to rehab and have a question about bringing back luster to the leather after bathing.

I got a horrific condition original rambler in black recently with unknown dirt, sticky substance (melted candy?) and pet hairs all over bag. Extensive pet hair almost made me think the person may have carried their small pet inside?! Who knows.

Anyways, my question is, how to bring back glow to leather that has matt texture. After vacuuming and deep cleaning the bag in hot water, bag is clean. Applied about 3 rounds of leather CPR. Flap and regular part of the leather has good luster but the piping appears very matt. I followed the recommendation on this thread and got both BR and Renapur. I applied BR but the piping are still dull, no luster.

Is this something you make it shine or it's the condition of the leather that cannot be reversed? Any suggestions welcome!

 

[LaVinCoach]

Hi all,
I'm new to rehab and have a question about bringing back luster to the leather after bathing.

I got a horrific condition original rambler in black recently with unknown dirt, sticky substance (melted candy?) and pet hairs all over bag. Extensive pet hair almost made me think the person may have carried their small pet inside?! Who knows.

Anyways, my question is, how to bring back glow to leather that has matt texture. After vacuuming and deep cleaning the bag in hot water, bag is clean. Applied about 3 rounds of leather CPR. Flap and regular part of the leather has good luster but the piping appears very matt. I followed the recommendation on this thread and got both BR and Renapur. I applied BR but the piping are still dull, no luster.

Is this something you make it shine or it's the condition of the leather that cannot be reversed? Any suggestions welcome!

I have read from many others on here that they like to buff the bag with a horse hair brush. It usually takes several minutes (I've seen many say they getting glowing bags after buffing for an hour) and requires a bit of elbow grease! I was buffing my bags too lightly before and couldn't see a difference until somebody told me I had to put some muscle into it I typically use a lint-free microfiber cloth as the horse hairbrush I have tends to shed and makes the process pretty annoying, and I think it does a pretty good job, but I'd like to try with a better brush in the future. Hope this helps! If anyone has any other recommendations feel free to jump in! I'm pretty new to rehabbing myself, but I've learned a lot from everyone on here

 

[aqua1117]

I have read from many others on here that they like to buff the bag with a horse hair brush. It usually takes several minutes (I've seen many say they getting glowing bags after buffing for an hour) and requires a bit of elbow grease! I was buffing my bags too lightly before and couldn't see a difference until somebody told me I had to put some muscle into it I typically use a lint-free microfiber cloth as the horse hairbrush I have tends to shed and makes the process pretty annoying, and I think it does a pretty good job, but I'd like to try with a better brush in the future. Hope this helps! If anyone has any other recommendations feel free to jump in! I'm pretty new to rehabbing myself, but I've learned a lot from everyone on here

Thank you, LaVinCoach for your quick response! Wow, buffing for an hour?! Makes sense.. I agree with you about the horse brush. I haven't been able to use it well and found the microfiber cloth to be easier to use!

Will update if I see some improvement!

 

[LaVinCoach]

I'm pretty sure someone tried to find replacement hardware for these springlocks unsuccessfully. I don't think Mercari has a partial refund option. You need to open a return request within 3 days and not accept the purchase or it will become final.

Yes, I saw the policy on Mercari about the return request within 3 days, but I guess I'm just concerned about what would happen if the seller refuses the return? She seems convinced that the bag closes properly... I wouldn't want to be left bagless and without a refund. Not sure if that is how it works when you ask for a return on Mercari, but it was what I understood from reading the policy.

I do also really like the bag and wouldn't mind making some alterations to it, I'm just not sure how feasible it would be.

I don’t think you’ll have much luck finding the spring lock hardware. I have heard of others actually replacing the spring lock with a turnlock. One person said they did it on a bag style they loved but didn’t care much for the spring lock closure.

I did see that post when looking for how to repair the springlock. It's definitely an option I would consider, but I do like the look of the spring lock on the Chrystie. I was also considering maybe keeping the outside "button" looking part as decorative and maybe swapping the inside with some kind of magnetic closure? I'm just not sure how to remove the spring lock or if the outside part would remain on once removing the inside part.

I have seen on just a very few occasions, eBay sellers offer spring lock hardware. Iirc it was Catbird9 found a solution involving someone who did leather repair. I can’t recall exactly what she used found to do it.

Yea, I'm seeing that it's a pretty difficulty part to replace. I did see the post by Catbird9, but she had a different issue with her bag, she had to replace a washer-type piece.

BTW, I dunked a taupe Willis with no problem. As for colors, I’m more familiar with Willis bags but I often look at the production year to help determine the color. I’ve got catalogs and have Wayback Machine pages with colors and production years for comparison.

Btw, I looked back at some of my documentation on Willis colors. Coach made olive fall of 1994 and came out with loden in 1998 (I see it in holiday preview 1998 catalog). The first year I see taupe is fall of 1995. I don’t know if colors were produced similarly in other bag styles but I would assume so.

It does appear that certain colors were offered on many styles for varying number of seasons. Taupe and various greens appear to be made during specific time frames.

I can’t really offer any help with the color of your bags from the photos. I agree with Paris Girl that you can at least narrow it down to what was offered in the catalogs when you know when it was made. I have a hodgepodge of catalogs. What are reg #s?

Good to know that my taupe bag should be safe with a good dunking

And thank you both for helping with figuring out the colors! I think I'm going to start saving catalog images when I come across them. Unfortunately the ones I do see typically are just segments of the catalog and I can never tell what year they're from. From what @Paris Girl mentioned, my olive bag is from 1995 so it seems that it would be the olive color. As for the "taupe" Watson the number is B6D. I really appreciate your help!

 

[LaVinCoach]

Thank you, LaVinCoach for your quick response! Wow, buffing for an hour?! Makes sense.. I agree with you about the horse brush. I haven't been able to use it well and found the microfiber cloth to be easier to use!

Will update if I see some improvement!

Hopefully you get some good results! I've also seem some people mention using a blow dryer or leaving the bag outside when it's hot out to heat up the bag in order to help the conditioner melt in better. I've heard that helps give bag a nice shine as well!

 

[Lake Effect]

Yes, I saw the policy on Mercari about the return request within 3 days, but I guess I'm just concerned about what would happen if the seller refuses the return? She seems convinced that the bag closes properly... I wouldn't want to be left bagless and without a refund. Not sure if that is how it works when you ask for a return on Mercari, but it was what I understood from reading the policy.

I do also really like the bag and wouldn't mind making some alterations to it, I'm just not sure how feasible it would be.



I did see that post when looking for how to repair the springlock. It's definitely an option I would consider, but I do like the look of the spring lock on the Chrystie. I was also considering maybe keeping the outside "button" looking part as decorative and maybe swapping the inside with some kind of magnetic closure? I'm just not sure how to remove the spring lock or if the outside part would remain on once removing the inside part.


Yea, I'm seeing that it's a pretty difficulty part to replace. I did see the post by Catbird9, but she had a different issue with her bag, she had to replace a washer-type piece.





Good to know that my taupe bag should be safe with a good dunking

And thank you both for helping with figuring out the colors! I think I'm going to start saving catalog images when I come across them. Unfortunately the ones I do see typically are just segments of the catalog and I can never tell what year they're from. From what @Paris Girl mentioned, my olive bag is from 1995 so it seems that it would be the olive color. As for the "taupe" Watson the number is B6D. I really appreciate your help!

Gotcha! Yup, taupe is offered for your bag, per the paper Holiday Preview 95 and 96 Preview catalogs. I started with paper catalogs because I wanted something concrete too. I was lucky to get a bunch prior to somebody who got the ball rolling by asking for $75 or something like that for just one! I specifically go to flea markets hoping to find them.
I remember picking up a Patti cheap, with poor photos expecting it to be mahogany. I was disappointed with the taupe color. Then it grew on me and it's a fav. Dunked just fine, too.

 

[americandreaming]

I have read from many others on here that they like to buff the bag with a horse hair brush. It usually takes several minutes (I've seen many say they getting glowing bags after buffing for an hour) and requires a bit of elbow grease! I was buffing my bags too lightly before and couldn't see a difference until somebody told me I had to put some muscle into it I typically use a lint-free microfiber cloth as the horse hairbrush I have tends to shed and makes the process pretty annoying, and I think it does a pretty good job, but I'd like to try with a better brush in the future. Hope this helps! If anyone has any other recommendations feel free to jump in! I'm pretty new to rehabbing myself, but I've learned a lot from everyone on here

Thank you, LaVinCoach for your quick response! Wow, buffing for an hour?! Makes sense.. I agree with you about the horse brush. I haven't been able to use it well and found the microfiber cloth to be easier to use!

Will update if I see some improvement!

I can't get a good grip with a cloth. I have to ball it up.

 

[LadaZuri]

Hi all,
I'm new to rehab and have a question about bringing back luster to the leather after bathing.

I got a horrific condition original rambler in black recently with unknown dirt, sticky substance (melted candy?) and pet hairs all over bag. Extensive pet hair almost made me think the person may have carried their small pet inside?! Who knows.

Anyways, my question is, how to bring back glow to leather that has matt texture. After vacuuming and deep cleaning the bag in hot water, bag is clean. Applied about 3 rounds of leather CPR. Flap and regular part of the leather has good luster but the piping appears very matt. I followed the recommendation on this thread and got both BR and Renapur. I applied BR but the piping are still dull, no luster.

Is this something you make it shine or it's the condition of the leather that cannot be reversed? Any suggestions welcome!

I use a hairdryer to heat and actually melt the Renapur on the sponge, then I apply it to the whole bag. I will also very carefully make a few passes with the hairdryer over the bag. I let it rest for a few days to completely absorb and then buff my heart out.

Here's an example of the result. Red Basic Bag.

 

[shannastory]

Seeking some advice as I begin a rehab I’m excited about: a red made-in-NYC tote!



There are stray pen marks on the outside (I’m doing what I can for those with vinegar dabbing) and what look like small ink puddles on the inside. Nothing from the inside ink puddles has bled through to the outside of the bag, but I’m a little afraid they will when I dunk.

Im attaching some pictures - how would you handle these to lessen any risk of ink bleed through? Or are these little puddles too small to worry about? Many thanks for input!

 

[Paris Girl]

I use a hairdryer to heat and actually melt the Renapur on the sponge, then I apply it to the whole bag. I will also very carefully make a few passes with the hairdryer over the bag. I let it rest for a few days to completely absorb and then buff my heart out.

Here's an example of the result. Red Basic Bag.
View attachment 5127837

Gr at idea using the blow dryer! This bag looks awesome! I always buff with a horsehair brush and it does wonders.