I think they can both be dunked. It is possible the black will run on the lining, although I'm pretty sure I've dunked cosmetic cases with this lining and didn't have that problem. It will be hard getting the straps back into shape if you can't unbuckle them and lay them flat. I wouldn't worry about the hard base in the brown bag.
Coach Rehab and Rescue Club
- Thread starter greenpixie
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Thank you so much whateve. I'm going to dunk it now
I’m fairly new to restoring vintage leather, but I’ve tried both Bick and CPR, and the are very similar as far as I can tell. The Bick has a slightly more noticeable odor than the CPR, but the texture of the products and the end results on leather are identical. I’ve taken a liking to Sadie’s leather cream, though. It seems to absorb more deeply in the full grain bags, where as the CPR stays on the surface.
Thanks for giving a comparison of Bick and CPR!
Edited, so many rehabs, so many products, so little time!
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That's usually true but active mold growth could be fuzzy, and my experience with spue were distinct white circles. I hope not, but if the hair dryer doesn't show spue then I'd worry about mold, be sure to use vinegar in the bath.
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I saw all the pics on AT too! You bag reminds me very much of my colorblock Rambler, also an NYC bag! I have worked on dozens of bags, but that was the driest bag I ever worked on and I really did not fully appreciate it at the time. I would do a lot differently, but it is water under the bridge. If you want to continue only BlackRock and CPR, I would give it a generous app of CPR, wait 2 days during which I would generously buff with a soft towel and horsehair bush. Then apply an app of BR, doing the same. Continue several rounds to see how the leather responds. If it does respond, continue until you are satisfied
Given the products I have on hand, I would apply an app of Obenauf’s Oil, wait 4-5 days. Then dunk again, and while wet/damp applying 2-3 apps of Leather Therapy RC (maybe 12 hours apart), then a few apps of CPR and then Renapur, which I use in place of BR. Buffing like a madwoman in between apps of everything.
Bear in mind these are products I have used, many here use other products I have not gotten around to.
Best of luck and I didn’t say so already, love that bagKeep us posted!
Eta - other opinions are welcome
It’s been a handful of months since I had a good rehab! I got this dingy, worn aqua Lunch Box Zip for a pretty good price a couple weeks ago. Finally finished the rehab today!
Before:
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I gave this cutie a bath with dawn dishsoap - this was one dirty bag! A lot of what I thought was faded color on the front was actually dirt and the inside felt so weird and slimy during the bath. Never felt that before, so I gave the inside a good scrubbing even though it actually didn’t look dirty. After the bath, I gave her 5-6 coats of CPR over 3-4 days. Then I applied a mix of angelus leather paint (mint, bone, and brown) and CPR to all the faded parts. It took a lot of applications to get the color completely even! Finished her off with an application of Obenauf’s LP and then Blackrocks after the color finished drying.
After:
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Still missing a crossbody strap, but she’s borrow the hang tag off another bag I have and want to re-rehabI’ve ordered a strap off Etsy that’ll arrive early next month. Hopefully it’ll look good with this color!
I saw all the pics on AT too! You bag reminds me very much of my colorblock Rambler, also an NYC bag! I have worked on dozens of bags, but that was the driest bag I ever worked on and I really did not fully appreciate it at the time. I would do a lot differently, but it is water under the bridge. If you want to continue only BlackRock and CPR, I would give it a generous app of CPR, wait 2 days during which I would generously buff with a soft towel and horsehair bush. Then apply an app of BR, doing the same. Continue several rounds to see how the leather responds. If it does respond, continue until you are satisfied
Given the products I have on hand, I would apply an app of Obenauf’s Oil, wait 4-5 days. Then dunk again, and while wet/damp applying 2-3 apps of Leather Therapy RC (maybe 12 hours apart), then a few apps of CPR and then Renapur, which I use in place of BR. Buffing like a madwoman in between apps of everything.
Bear in mind these are products I have used, many here use other products I have not gotten around to.
Best of luck and I
Update on my Stewardess. She is looking better, but still feels kind of rough and is easily scratched. What I've done so far in total. 1) soak in Dawn and wash 2) stuffed with clean rags to dry (alternating sides). It took a few days 3) while still damp applied Leather CPR X2 and buffed each time 4) once dry applied CPR again and after a few hours applied Blackrock by hand and buffed. This is when I attached the first set of pictures. My latest steps 1)wiped everything with Fiebings Saddle Soap and buffed as it dried. I was going to dunk as advised above, but I really didn't want to wait a few more days to start the conditioning process again. You apply Fiebings with a wet sponge, so I figured it would help add moisture while also adding a different kind of conditioner 2) applied 2x Leather CPR after an hr or so each time and buffed each time 3) applied Blackrock and buffed. Each product absorbs quickly. I apply CPR with a little sponge (the kind used for horse tack). Blackrock I apply by hand. And here are the pics. I was going to apply Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP Leather Conditioner today. As an aside, with all the products I now have you would think I had a mountain of vintage bags (as of yesterday just 4) or worked in a leather shop.I saw all the pics on AT too! You bag reminds me very much of my colorblock Rambler, also an NYC bag! I have worked on dozens of bags, but that was the driest bag I ever worked on and I really did not fully appreciate it at the time. I would do a lot differently, but it is water under the bridge. If you want to continue only BlackRock and CPR, I would give it a generous app of CPR, wait 2 days during which I would generously buff with a soft towel and horsehair bush. Then apply an app of BR, doing the same. Continue several rounds to see how the leather responds. If it does respond, continue until you are satisfied
Given the products I have on hand, I would apply an app of Obenauf’s Oil, wait 4-5 days. Then dunk again, and while wet/damp applying 2-3 apps of Leather Therapy RC (maybe 12 hours apart), then a few apps of CPR and then Renapur, which I use in place of BR. Buffing like a madwoman in between apps of everything.
Bear in mind these are products I have used, many here use other products I have not gotten around to.
Best of luck and I didn’t say so already, love that bag
Eta - other opinions are welcome
Do y'all think she will ever get to the point where you won't see scratches? I seem to leave a mark every time I touch it. Do I just need to leave her alone for a bit? Please advise. She'll always be first vintage bag and I will proudly use her no matter how she looks. Hell, I look pretty rough a lot of days and I seem to do just fine.
And now I have a ques for a Willis. I’ve got a ways to go yet as he’s not responding that quickly to treatment. He stilled smelled musty after a wash with Dawn & vinegar and drying. I then sprayed Concrobium on the inside where there had been mold. (On the advice from some lovely person here.) it seems to be doing the job as the musty smell has faded a great deal. Does anyone know how to treat the mark on the front flap? It was there when I got him, it just wasn’t visible through the dirt. I have applied CPR 2x and it stayed the same. I’m dunking him again today. Please advise legion of rehabbers. Y’all are the best.
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Newly rehabbed bags often scratch easily. If you leave it alone for a while, the products you have used will absorb into the leather. I usually find that my bags don't scratch as much after some time has passed. If they do scratch, the scratches are typically easy to buff out.Update on my Stewardess. She is looking better, but still feels kind of rough and is easily scratched. What I've done so far in total. 1) soak in Dawn and wash 2) stuffed with clean rags to dry (alternating sides). It took a few days 3) while still damp applied Leather CPR X2 and buffed each time 4) once dry applied CPR again and after a few hours applied Blackrock by hand and buffed. This is when I attached the first set of pictures. My latest steps 1)wiped everything with Fiebings Saddle Soap and buffed as it dried. I was going to dunk as advised above, but I really didn't want to wait a few more days to start the conditioning process again. You apply Fiebings with a wet sponge, so I figured it would help add moisture while also adding a different kind of conditioner 2) applied 2x Leather CPR after an hr or so each time and buffed each time 3) applied Blackrock and buffed. Each product absorbs quickly. I apply CPR with a little sponge (the kind used for horse tack). Blackrock I apply by hand. And here are the pics. I was going to apply Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP Leather Conditioner today. As an aside, with all the products I now have you would think I had a mountain of vintage bags (as of yesterday just 4) or worked in a leather shop.
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I think it looks great. Vintage leather naturally shows scratches from fingernails. You can try to rub them out with your fingers. My currant Rambler's Legacy was in brand new condition when I got her and it used to drive me crazy that every time I carried her, I scratched the leather. I love the pebbled look of your stewardess.Update on my Stewardess. She is looking better, but still feels kind of rough and is easily scratched. What I've done so far in total. 1) soak in Dawn and wash 2) stuffed with clean rags to dry (alternating sides). It took a few days 3) while still damp applied Leather CPR X2 and buffed each time 4) once dry applied CPR again and after a few hours applied Blackrock by hand and buffed. This is when I attached the first set of pictures. My latest steps 1)wiped everything with Fiebings Saddle Soap and buffed as it dried. I was going to dunk as advised above, but I really didn't want to wait a few more days to start the conditioning process again. You apply Fiebings with a wet sponge, so I figured it would help add moisture while also adding a different kind of conditioner 2) applied 2x Leather CPR after an hr or so each time and buffed each time 3) applied Blackrock and buffed. Each product absorbs quickly. I apply CPR with a little sponge (the kind used for horse tack). Blackrock I apply by hand. And here are the pics. I was going to apply Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP Leather Conditioner today. As an aside, with all the products I now have you would think I had a mountain of vintage bags (as of yesterday just 4) or worked in a leather shop.
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I've had marks like that. Sometimes they are stubborn. I don't know what you can do. Just keep conditioning and hope it fades. Otherwise, you might have to use a bit of color.
I feel guilt every time a leave a mark. I’m going to let her sit for a few days and then apply the Obenaufs.
Any thoughts on what they’re from? It seems that what ever spilled/dripped on it bleached the surface.
That's exactly what it seems like.
ETA: Is it possible that when you had it in the bath, you squirted soap on that spot?
I thought about that. At first I also thought it was perhaps from the vinegar in the water. But I looked at the pictures from before I washed it and the mark was already there. See the attached pic.
Update on my Stewardess. She is looking better, but still feels kind of rough and is easily scratched. What I've done so far in total. 1) soak in Dawn and wash 2) stuffed with clean rags to dry (alternating sides). It took a few days 3) while still damp applied Leather CPR X2 and buffed each time 4) once dry applied CPR again and after a few hours applied Blackrock by hand and buffed. This is when I attached the first set of pictures. My latest steps 1)wiped everything with Fiebings Saddle Soap and buffed as it dried. I was going to dunk as advised above, but I really didn't want to wait a few more days to start the conditioning process again. You apply Fiebings with a wet sponge, so I figured it would help add moisture while also adding a different kind of conditioner 2) applied 2x Leather CPR after an hr or so each time and buffed each time 3) applied Blackrock and buffed. Each product absorbs quickly. I apply CPR with a little sponge (the kind used for horse tack). Blackrock I apply by hand. And here are the pics. I was going to apply Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP Leather Conditioner today. As an aside, with all the products I now have you would think I had a mountain of vintage bags (as of yesterday just 4) or worked in a leather shop.
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If that’s your idea of ‘looking rough,’ I’d be embarrassed for you see to ME on an average day, let alone the bag I’m using! She’s gorgeous!