Hello fellow vintage lovers! First time poster. I just purchased a lovely vintage Court on Ebay. I'll receive the bag later this week. Based on the creed, can I dunk this in water without damaging the bag? I've only restored 1 vintage bag that was manufactured in 1996. Any advice would be helpful. I'd also appreciate if anyone can tell me where and when the bag was made. Many thanks!
Coach Rehab and Rescue Club
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It was made in the US in the early 90s. It can be dunked.
Hello! I just did my first dunk on a vintage stewardess. It was much easier than I thought. Is a bag like this, with this type leather and lining “dunkable”?? Thank you!
It'll probably do fine, but the creed will swell with water and can become unreadable if you don't take swift action to prevent it. After the bag comes out of the water, towel dry the creed, then hit it with a hairdryer until it is just damp. I usually pull the lining out to dry at first, then put it back in before the leather is completely dry so I can stuff to reshape the bag.
AWESOME! Exactly the information I was looking for! Thanks @whatev
I’m going through my collection photographing bags I want to part with and I came across this spectator bag I had given up on…the color of the leather was so nice when I got it but it needed to be dunked…afterwards this happened…leather darkening in areas and spotting…you can even see the word ‘Coach’ etched into the leather prior to them dyeing it that resurfaced on the front flap after the dunk. I think I posted this bag about a year ago but thought I’d ask again in case anyone’s figured something out, is there anyway to fix this?
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That’s exactly what happened to my BT 4020. I dunked it as usual but it darkened & became uneven in many areas. I think you should try to re-dunk it one more time, CPR it & then buff it like crazy with a horse hair brush to see if it evens out. Otherwise, it seems like it would need a dye job. More opinions welcome
.eta: If you’re wondering why I don’t do the same thing to my 4020, I actually found another one in a different colour. The BT one is being re-homed to someone that appreciates it’s “character”
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That’s exactly what happened to my BT 4020. I dunked it as usual but it darkened & became uneven in many areas. I think you should try to re-dunk it one more time, CPR it & then buff it like crazy with a horse hair brush to see if it evens out. Otherwise, it seems like it would need a dye job. More opinions welcome
eta: If you’re wondering why I don’t do the same thing to my 4020, I actually found another one in a different colour. The BT one is being re-homed to someone that appreciates it’s “character”
Do you have any recommendations for good horse hair brushes?
I don’t think it really matters tbh. I have a bunch of them from different places, all under $10. The best one I’ve tried so far has come from a local dollar store for $4. Just make sure it’s 100% horse hair & has a good bristle density. Amazon has a huge selection of them as well
.First off: Let’s just say I knew what I was getting myself into (sort of!). Photos below tell the story.
It’s my first rehab, so I chose something in a dark color, not too damaged, to hone my skills. A 1998 Patricia’s Legacy bag, #9951. (thank you @Hyacinth for the authentication!) Worn at the corners, verdigris on all the brass, but otherwise no damage. Wasn’t too expensive, so I’m up for some experimentation.
After the first dunk (20 minutes each side, and a scrub with a soft toothbrush), it took 5 coats of CPR and one of BR to get it looking halfway decent. Still wasn’t where I wanted it to be, so I gave it a second dunk (another 15 minutes each side, no scrubbing), with 4 coats of CPR and one of BR. It looks a lot better, but a day in the sunlight confirmed that this is the dreaded blavy, and it still shows signs of fading on some of the piping. So now I’m thinking of dyeing it black. I’d like to dye the inside of the leather as well, if possible. I’ve gone through just about every post on this forum, and you all have different methods for achieving great results, so now I’m really confused!!
My questions are:
(Edited to fix formatting issues.)
It’s my first rehab, so I chose something in a dark color, not too damaged, to hone my skills. A 1998 Patricia’s Legacy bag, #9951. (thank you @Hyacinth for the authentication!) Worn at the corners, verdigris on all the brass, but otherwise no damage. Wasn’t too expensive, so I’m up for some experimentation.
After the first dunk (20 minutes each side, and a scrub with a soft toothbrush), it took 5 coats of CPR and one of BR to get it looking halfway decent. Still wasn’t where I wanted it to be, so I gave it a second dunk (another 15 minutes each side, no scrubbing), with 4 coats of CPR and one of BR. It looks a lot better, but a day in the sunlight confirmed that this is the dreaded blavy, and it still shows signs of fading on some of the piping. So now I’m thinking of dyeing it black. I’d like to dye the inside of the leather as well, if possible. I’ve gone through just about every post on this forum, and you all have different methods for achieving great results, so now I’m really confused!!
My questions are:
- Given that I’ve conditioned the leather so much, do I need to dunk it again before I dye it, or is just a rub over with acetone enough?
- For those of you who’ve dyed blavy to back, which are the best dyes you’ve used? (and more importantly, which are the ones to stay away from!)
- Is it just best that I learn to love this as is, and forget about further treatments?
(Edited to fix formatting issues.)
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I think that bag looks great. I think the navy is georgous. If you don't like it and want black, I would recommend you just sell it and buy a black one. Dying a bag is really difficult. It's messy and you may not like the results. Depending on how you do it, it may also change the texture of the leather.
I also think this bag look fabulous and definitely worth keeping. I have to yet dunk my first one and hope it comes out half as good
Agree with Tilis and Coach943 the bag looks great to me! You did a great job! Navy is a less common color than black so therefore commands a higher price on the resale market. I would not recommend dyeing it black. Black patty’s are plentiful and relatively inexpensive.
I also think this bag look fabulous and definitely worth keeping. I have to yet dunk my first one and hope it comes out half as good
I agree, I think that the bag is gorgeous and I would leave it alone; you did a great job!
In the past I have occasionally made the mistake of "over-rehabbing" a bag. I get the bag looking really good but it's still not perfect so I keep working on it - and occasionally I make it worse so I should have stopped when it was looking nice. Now I try to remember not to overdo it!
Well, I guess the verdict’s in - I should leave well enough alone. Given that I have nothing in my wardrobe that’s navy, I might just have to sell it. ☹️ Thanks everyone for the input. At least I know I can rehab a bag!!