Usually it works for me just to shape the bag with towels while it is drying to get it back into the correct form. Occasionally I have had to weight it down with something heavy while it's drying to get it into shape, like a heavy glass bowl or a ceramic dish or a vase.
Coach Rehab and Rescue Club
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Usually it works for me just to shape the bag with towels while it is drying to get it back into the correct form. Occasionally I have had to weight it down with something heavy while it's drying to get it into shape, like a heavy glass bowl or a ceramic dish or a vase.
I have never rehabbed a Weston but I have dunked other bags with dowels (Willis, Murphy) and they handled it well. The dowels are wood and I didn't have any serious issues with expansion.
Thank you! And your Biltmore looks fabI have safely dunked my Madisons with lots of vinegar in the water. Keep the dunk short so as not to alter the texture of the pebbled leather. I use a hairdryer on a low setting to dry the interior of my bags more quickly, shaping them with my fingers as I go. When sufficiently dry I stuff with clean cloths to retain the shape.
Here's my Madison Biltmore:
View attachment 5443820
Store your bags in such a way that the leather can breathe, inside and out. For example pack with tissue paper rather than anything plastic. Good luck, kistae!
Other opinions are welcome.
My most substantial rehab ever. This Costa Rica stewardess bag had many issues: severely cracked and color missing on straps, missing grommet on the strap, multiple rips on the edge piping, rips at the top where the strap attaches, and the interior floor of the bag was ripped and free-floating (this last item not revealed when I bought the bag). I gave it the works! Dunked, reshaped, conditioned, touch-up black leather dye over a great percentage of the surface, also a mixture of black fabric paint mixed with leather glue to close the rips, glued down the bottom suede, more conditioning, replaced grommet, polished brass, and blackrocks. It's not perfect, but it passes the "would you carry it?" question. After all the work, I think I have to keep this bag for myself. Toward the end of this post 4 pics are "before." The strap was in really bad shape but I didn't photograph the worst of it.
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Wow...you really worked hard on that one.
I love the soft Costa Rica leather, and I got the bag for only $30. Decided to see what I could do to improve it. And now I have a box with hundreds of "grommets" in a variety of colors and sizes in case I ever need another one.
Costa Rca Leather...in my opinion...the Best Leather in the vintage bags
Oh WOW you really did a fabulous job on this bag and I can understand why you would want to keep it for yourself. It seems to me that not only the work but your heart went into this rehab. It definitely passes the "carry" test.
I purchased a gorgeous NWOT Legacy Zip 9966 in camel. It was flawless except for some wrinkling of the leather in one corner and a couple of small indentations from storage. Because I'm a bit OCD 
I decided to dunk in the hopes I could minimize both.
I dunked with Dawn (no vinegar because of the nickel hardware) in hot water and soaked for 2 hours. I then towel dried and began using the hairdryer inside and outside of the bag to shrink and smooth out the wrinkles. I also dried the creed to preserve it. The indentations on the bag had already disappeared during the dunk.
Before: taken indoors
After: taken indoors
After: taken outside paired with a stunning tea rose from @LunaSilver!
Thanks for looking!
I decided to dunk in the hopes I could minimize both.I dunked with Dawn (no vinegar because of the nickel hardware) in hot water and soaked for 2 hours. I then towel dried and began using the hairdryer inside and outside of the bag to shrink and smooth out the wrinkles. I also dried the creed to preserve it. The indentations on the bag had already disappeared during the dunk.
Before: taken indoors
After: taken indoors
After: taken outside paired with a stunning tea rose from @LunaSilver!
Thanks for looking!
I'm sure you've done it by now but anyway, I dunked a red Weston recently and it turned out great! Love it but haven't used it yet..
Since I never paid much attention to the cheapo bags I used to carry, it always surprises me how recuperative good leather really is, as is shown here time and time again. Also the tea rose is stunning. Is there a place where these are sold ?I purchased a gorgeous NWOT Legacy Zip 9966 in camel. It was flawless except for some wrinkling of the leather in one corner and a couple of small indentations from storage. Because I'm a bit OCD
I dunked with Dawn (no vinegar because of the nickel hardware) in hot water and soaked for 2 hours. I then towel dried and began using the hairdryer inside and outside of the bag to shrink and smooth out the wrinkles. I also dried the creed to preserve it. The indentations on the bag had already disappeared during the dunk.
Before: taken indoors
View attachment 5538715 View attachment 5538717
After: taken indoors
View attachment 5538724
After: taken outside paired with a stunning tea rose from @LunaSilver!
View attachment 5538725
View attachment 5538726
Thanks for looking!