Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[Hoku44]

Question!

I bought my Holy Grail bag and am in the midst of giving it the five star spa treatment it deserves. It had a luxurious bath in heated distilled water in Woolite and a slathering of CPR and then I found these minute cracks. What is the best product to fix this? Fiebings Leather Cement?

The hangtag is original but the bead chain has squarish instead of round beads. Just wondering if anyone has seen a bead chain like this. I'm not questioning authenticity or what not.. I just found this bead chain interesting because there is no tarnish despite the bags age and wondering if there was ever a difference in these flimsy things!

Pic below of regular bead chain with the squarish one..

 

[DL Harper]

I have used it and was not fond of the results. I found it be too thick and heavy. I did use it sparingly too.

If I have a bag that is that dry, I use Leather Therapy instead. I am baffled by the high reviews on Amazon for that stuff.

I wonder the same about the reviews. Every time I even look at my bottle of Leather Honey I think of Winnie the Pooh and his honey pot.

 

[MoreCoachPleez]

@MoreCoachPleez

Here are the spring lock pieces as well as what the leather looks like when you remove them. Each piece has 2 parts that twist on & off. You can remove the pieces by using cuticle scissors in the 2 holes (as I’ve shown) & twisting to loosen/tighten:
View attachment 5421417View attachment 5421418View attachment 5421419View attachment 5421420View attachment 5421421View attachment 5421422View attachment 5421423View attachment 5421424View attachment 5421425

^on this bag in particular, the spring lock is broken so I plan to swap for a turn lock (like your bag) after I rehab it.

Thank you for such a detailed response! And your pics were very helpful... yup, I will definitely be sticking with the good ol' turnlock. Now I'm off to find some puff paint Thank you once again!

 

[Coachaddict4020]

The hangtag is original but the bead chain has squarish instead of round beads. Just wondering if anyone has seen a bead chain like this. I'm not questioning authenticity or what not.. I just found this bead chain interesting because there is no tarnish despite the bags age and wondering if there was ever a difference in these flimsy things!

I have a few nyc bags with the squarish bead chain. It looks way better IMO, It “sparkles”

 

[Hoku44]

I have a few nyc bags with the squarish bead chain. It looks way better IMO, It “sparkles”

It does!!

 

[ConstanceD]

I just tried this on a small pen ink line on the front of a BT Patricia's Legacy and it totally did me dirty. It left a dark stain and didn't remove the ink. I should have just left it alone. argh. I followed her instructions and she is wrong. As someone else said somewhere you can even see in her video that it lightened the already light color leather. Well mine just darkened it. argh argh argh.

Oh Noooo! Thanks for sharing. I tried the cuticle remover a long time ago and just found it useless on an old pen mark. However, I did find a good tip on the rehab and rescue club. Someone suggested Leather Master/ dye transfer remover. I took a fine paint brush and painted it on the pen mark, and blotted off. It took a lot of repetition, but with that and buffing, it faded it to the point that it's like 25% noticeable instead of 100%

 

[JJK250]

Oh Noooo! Thanks for sharing. I tried the cuticle remover a long time ago and just found it useless on an old pen mark. However, I did find a good tip on the rehab and rescue club. Someone suggested Leather Master/ dye transfer remover. I took a fine paint brush and painted it on the pen mark, and blotted off. It took a lot of repetition, but with that and buffing, it faded it to the point that it's like 25% noticeable instead of 100%

I'll keep that in mind. What is with people and their damn pens?

 

[katev]

I'll keep that in mind. What is with people and their damn pens?

Pens are have always been a problem and I hate finding ink marks inside rehab projects, but I did find a beautiful Bleecker Coach solution for carrying pens in my own purse and it has worked well for me for years, see the link below:

A Chic Solution for the Pen-in-Purse Problem!

This is quite a small purchase but a very satisfactory one because it solves a problem for me. I feel that a pen is a necessary tool but ever since I had one leak inside my bag during a flight I have used a case to hold my pen. For the last few years I have been using a give-away plastic...

forum.purseblog.com

 

[JJK250]

Pens are have always been a problem and I hate finding ink marks inside rehab projects, but I did find a beautiful Bleecker Coach solution for carrying pens in my own purse and it has worked well for me for years, see the link below:

A Chic Solution for the Pen-in-Purse Problem!

This is quite a small purchase but a very satisfactory one because it solves a problem for me. I feel that a pen is a necessary tool but ever since I had one leak inside my bag during a flight I have used a case to hold my pen. For the last few years I have been using a give-away plastic...

forum.purseblog.com

That's a great idea. I was also reading through the thread from 2014 and others also recommended a space pen. I've seen them around and wondered if they would leak. Has anyone posted that they did leak at some point? I rarely need a pen when I'm out, but I hate having to ask around for one. I've been tempted to use lip liner, but I always recognize my stupidity before I do it. Although, if your giving out your number to a cute bloke on a napkin, lip liner is quite appropriate.

 

[JJK250]

I suggested Leather Therapy Restorer & Conditioner as a mosituring and hydrating agent. I like to use it on some bags but it isn't esential. Right now I am working on 3 vintage bags that haven't been touched in a long time so I gave them all an application of LT while they were still a little damp after the bath, to deep moisturize them. Of course the straps and pull tabs dry much faster so I gave them some Leather Therapy sooner.

The label on the Leather Therapy Restorer & Conditioner bottle claims that it also "inhibits mold and mildew" so that's good! Shake the bottle well before applying.

Occasionally I have to run a leather bag through the washing machine to deep clean it because the bag is filthy and sink baths aren't doing a decent job. I tie them up inside a net laundry bag or a pillow case. When I machine wash a leather bag I usually use Leather Therapy Laundry products, see below.

I've got so many rehab products I'm like a "mad chemist" in my workshop!

View attachment 5077192

Late to comment, but I would also love to just try different products to see how they work on a single bag. I am overwhelmed with the experience, insight and guidance everyone in this thread provides. It would be my dream to get a large non-redeemable bag and just scratch and stain and just beat the crap out of it so I could try different methods to repair. I've worked on 3 bags that had issues and it's clear that I don't know diddly. My Patricia was my first major victim of stupidity. If anyone is interested, they can just look at my previous posts for evidence. And yes stupidity is the correct word.

 

[katev]

Late to comment, but I would also love to just try different products to see how they work on a single bag. I am overwhelmed with the experience, insight and guidance everyone in this thread provides. It would be my dream to get a large non-redeemable bag and just scratch and stain and just beat the crap out of it so I could try different methods to repair. I've worked on 3 bags that had issues and it's clear that I don't know diddly. My Patricia was my first major victim of stupidity. If anyone is interested, they can just look at my previous posts for evidence. And yes stupidity is the correct word.

Don't beat yourself up, you are not stupid! It's a learning experience and we are all still learning! We all have "rehab rejects" but we usually don't talk much about them much and we prefer to show off our successes. I have several failed rehab bags that I plan to "get back to later" to see if I can do anything with them.

My philosophy has been to try and not spend a lot of money on a project bag and I've been lucky because it used to be pretty easy for me to pick up project bags cheaply. That is no longer true but I still get lucky sometimes. It's "garage sale season" so keep your eyes open and work on learning how to spot fakes.

I've also tried to not buy bags that are too big of a challenge because they are frustrating and depressing and a lot of work - often with little reward. Unfortunately, I still weaken and give in sometime to "a nice bag at a good price that has a lot of damage" and I also have a lot of early purchase bags in my rehab pile that I probably should never have purchased.

However, I still love finding and restoring quality bags and it really makes me happy to bring a fabulous bag back to beauty - so hang in there and keep trying; and don't be afraid to ask questions, good luck!

 

[katev]

I am still a fan of coach straw bags as fun, summer rehab projects and I have several!

You can often pick them up cheaply because they may look hopeless but my experience has been that they can be dunked and they usually rehab pretty easily; but if the straw is actually damaged then it's probably not a good prospect for a rehab project.

Last year I rehabbed a Legacy Straw Tote 113 with Black Trim and Brass Hardware and I gave it to a friend as a gift. She thanked me but her reaction was a little subdued and at the time I wondered if perhaps she didn't like the style, or maybe she didn't care for the idea of carrying a straw bag?

I saw her yesterday and I was surprised that she was carrying the bag and she was gushing about how much she loves it and that "it's a perfect bag for summer!" - so I was relieved.

See below for before and after pictures of her straw bag.

Legacy Natural/Black Straw Tote 113 Before:
https://forum.purseblog.com/threads...ost-for-format.889527/page-4015#post-34498662

Legacy Natural/Black Straw Tote 113 After:
https://forum.purseblog.com/threads...-bags-for-summer.803874/page-12#post-34508884

 

[JJK250]

Don't beat yourself up, you are not stupid! It's a learning experience and we are all still learning! We all have "rehab rejects" but we usually don't talk much about them much and we prefer to show off our successes. I have several failed rehab bags that I plan to "get back to later" to see if I can do anything with them.

My philosophy has been to try and not spend a lot of money on a project bag and I've been lucky because it used to be pretty easy for me to pick up project bags cheaply. That is no longer true but I still get lucky sometimes. It's "garage sale season" so keep your eyes open and work on learning how to spot fakes.

I've also tried to not buy bags that are too big of a challenge because they are frustrating and depressing and a lot of work - often with little reward. Unfortunately, I still weaken and give in sometime to "a nice bag at a good price that has a lot of damage" and I also have a lot of early purchase bags in my rehab pile that I probably should never have purchased.

However, I still love finding and restoring quality bags and it really makes me happy to bring a fabulous bag back to beauty - so hang in there and keep trying; and don't be afraid to ask questions, good luck!

Thanks. The most I've found that I would consider cheap was a $3 checkbook wallet. And I don't even carry my checkbook with me anymore. I've been able to hit a few yard sales and I found a lovely black bag (can't remember the name now) on FB marketplace before the yard sale started. I've thought about investing in some leather tools and trying my hand at flower making like @LunaSilver. She gave amazing instructions and I'm thinking about giving it a go.

 

[Jacynthe]

Dollar General is a discount chain, but they are not a “dollar store” like the chain, Dollar Tree, used to be. They sell it for $10. Girl if I could buy that for a buck, I’d get a side hustle going that would be funding an early retirement!!!

Wow! Still a great price. Too bad it doesn't work out for a side hustle!

 

[katev]

Thanks. The most I've found that I would consider cheap was a $3 checkbook wallet. And I don't even carry my checkbook with me anymore. I've been able to hit a few yard sales and I found a lovely black bag (can't remember the name now) on FB marketplace before the yard sale started. I've thought about investing in some leather tools and trying my hand at flower making like @LunaSilver. She gave amazing instructions and I'm thinking about giving it a go.

Wow, you are brave, good luck to you!

I have several checkbook wallets and I don't carry a checkbook anymore, either. Sometimes I take the checkbook folder out of the wallet and use it to organize stray papers in my purse, like coupons, receipts, etc.