Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[bluemotion]

It is indeed the piping repair, and the Angelus filler. Thank you for the compliment, the bag was in excellent shape and just needed a small piping repair and conditioning. I will post my first rehab (full dunk & repair to piping split in three places) of my personal Court bag & multifunction purse as soon as I take pictures and write copy. Happy New Year & Best Wishes to all!

Happy New Year!

You're most welcome! You've convinced me to put it in my shopping cart. Look forward to seeing those repairs 😊

 

[NinaKimbrough]

Hi y'all. I'm new here. I'm not a purse junkie as much as a leather worker. I go to thrift stores to find good leather on purses and coats, then I use the leather to make something new. I found two coach bags (shocking!) K1S-7750 Cross-body and C9C-9306 large tote. The leather in both is not torn or damaged, just aged.

The Cross-body is in great shape and I think it just needs a reshaping and polishing. Any recommendations on how to polish/restore the beautiful shine?

The tote has some fading to the leather, and the interior needs some re-gluing (cementing) which I know how to do. To restore the fading, should I re-dye the whole bag in black leather dye? Is there a black polish that would work better?

Thanks, all. FYI I'm not going to cut up the coach bags - they're too gorgeous and honestly I prefer to work with thinner leather. I'll likely sell them on eBay once they're cleaned up. IDK the rules here yet - am I allowed to offer them to the group here for sale?

Nina

 

[whateve]

Hi y'all. I'm new here. I'm not a purse junkie as much as a leather worker. I go to thrift stores to find good leather on purses and coats, then I use the leather to make something new. I found two coach bags (shocking!) K1S-7750 Cross-body and C9C-9306 large tote. The leather in both is not torn or damaged, just aged.

The Cross-body is in great shape and I think it just needs a reshaping and polishing. Any recommendations on how to polish/restore the beautiful shine?

The tote has some fading to the leather, and the interior needs some re-gluing (cementing) which I know how to do. To restore the fading, should I re-dye the whole bag in black leather dye? Is there a black polish that would work better?

Thanks, all. FYI I'm not going to cut up the coach bags - they're too gorgeous and honestly I prefer to work with thinner leather. I'll likely sell them on eBay once they're cleaned up. IDK the rules here yet - am I allowed to offer them to the group here for sale?

Nina

You can't offer the bags for sale on the forum. Even if you list them on another site, you aren't allowed to link to them.

The tote isn't lined, right? I would dunk that one. You didn't mention the colors of the bags; are they both black? You might be surprised at how well the color comes back with dunking and conditioning. I try to avoid dyeing if at all possible. I don't like using polish on this kind of leather.

You can probably dunk the lined bag as well but I would start with the unlined bag first so you can learn the process.

You probably already have your favorite conditioners. Mine are Leather CPR and Blackrock Leather n Rich. When you dunk a bag, it needs several coats of a very moisturizing conditioner afterwards to replace the moisture lost in the bath.

 

[nauticalstar]

I don't have any pets at the moment, but if I did, it would wear a tiara.

Your pet art wears a tiara much more willingly than most! Luna is full of sass but she’s just curious enough that I can occasionally get away with stuff like this! Sometimes I also reshape her forehead stripe with petting lol

Yes, HoneyBunny was a Netherland Dwarf Rabbit and she was 13 years old when she passed away.

Gracie is our 6th rabbit and we are so glad to welcome her into our home. She had a rough early life but now she is our Little Princess, maybe she could borrow the tiara from Luna?!

The tiaras came from my long ago bridal shower so there are plenty to go around! Still sold on Amazon too if you search hair comb tiaras. It’s very funny- my crew of 3 makes up our 4th, 5th and 6th buns! All were found abandoned outside and brought to a wonderful rescue group. My girls were just two weeks old- the homeowner thought the mom was wild until she saw the 7 babies- 5 of which didn’t look wild at all!

 

[Narnanz]

Not Coach...but what do you do.

 

[vw65vert]

Not Coach...but what do you do.

Keep it.

 

[NinaKimbrough]

You can't offer the bags for sale on the forum. Even if you list them on another site, you aren't allowed to link to them.

The tote isn't lined, right? I would dunk that one. You didn't mention the colors of the bags; are they both black? You might be surprised at how well the color comes back with dunking and conditioning. I try to avoid dyeing if at all possible. I don't like using polish on this kind of leather.

You can probably dunk the lined bag as well but I would start with the unlined bag first so you can learn the process.

You probably already have your favorite conditioners. Mine are Leather CPR and Blackrock Leather n Rich. When you dunk a bag, it needs several coats of a very moisturizing conditioner afterwards to replace the moisture lost in the bath.

Hi, and thanks for getting back to me. Good to know about the selling policy, I will absolutely respect that.

Yes, both the lined bag and the unlined tote are black.

Will the conditioners you suggested help restore the color to the faded black leather?

Regarding the unlined tote, last evening I washed (gently) and dunked, and indeed, the tote pretty much came back to life! It is pretty amazing, actually. This morning it is only a tiny bit damp, but indeed the black is still faded. I'll try the conditioners you mentioned.

Regarding the lined bag, I didn't dunk it but gave the leather parts a gentle wash and stuffed it back to shape. This morning it looks fabulous! Its leather is in much better condition. I removed the straps and moistened them, and laid them out to dry flat. I placed a flat plastic clipboard on the ends with a little bit of weight on it, and this morning the ends of the strap are flat again. Before this, they'd kind of been pointed out on the sides of the bag. They are perfectly flat now.

I'm so glad to find this group - if not even for the Coach-specific suggestions but also for what I learn about leather care.

Thanks all!

Nina

 

[vw65vert]

Happy New Year!

You're most welcome! You've convinced me to put it in my shopping cart. Look forward to seeing those repairs 😊

As promised my first dunk & rehab Black Court Bag and Red multifunction purse. I don't have any before pics except the ebay thumbnail as I did this for me and did not think I would post it to the Forum. Both were dunked in Dawn dish soap and I did not do the repairs until the bags were dry. The blue circled areas are where I used the Angelus.

I first stabilized the repair areas with flexible glue (using toothpicks as applicators) when the bags were dry, I lightly sanded the area with 1500 grit sand paper to feather the edges (to give the Angelus something to stick to). Using a toothpick I applied the filler( it's cream colored you will definitely see it) in thin coats sanding between coats until I was satisfied. I used black dye applied with a cheap childs paint brush to the area of the repair to cover the Angelus filler. (it's paintable I just prefer dye to paint). The Red I used a Red sharpie mixed with Leather Therapy to blend.

Again this is for me, not resale. So I live with the patina on the red purse and actually like it.
The last picture is some of the products I used to achieve the results you see. I want to thank all on this forum that have gone before me for all the information and help. Without this Forum and the guidance it provides these results would not be possible.

 

[katev]

As promised my first dunk & rehab Black Court Bag and Red multifunction purse. I don't have any before pics except the ebay thumbnail as I did this for me and did not think I would post it to the Forum. Both were dunked in Dawn dish soap and I did not do the repairs until the bags were dry. The blue circled areas are where I used the Angelus.

I first stabilized the repair areas with flexible glue (using toothpicks as applicators) when the bags were dry, I lightly sanded the area with 1500 grit sand paper to feather the edges (to give the Angelus something to stick to). Using a toothpick I applied the filler( it's cream colored you will definitely see it) in thin coats sanding between coats until I was satisfied. I used black dye applied with a cheap childs paint brush to the area of the repair to cover the Angelus filler. (it's paintable I just prefer dye to paint). The Red I used a Red sharpie mixed with Leather Therapy to blend.

Again this is for me, not resale. So I live with the patina on the red purse and actually like it.
The last picture is some of the products I used to achieve the results you see. I want to thank all on this forum that have gone before me for all the information and help. Without this Forum and the guidance it provides these results would not be possible.

Beautiful job! You gave these lovely items a new chapter and I hope that you carry them proudly and enjoy them!

 

[bluemotion]

As promised my first dunk & rehab Black Court Bag and Red multifunction purse. I don't have any before pics except the ebay thumbnail as I did this for me and did not think I would post it to the Forum. Both were dunked in Dawn dish soap and I did not do the repairs until the bags were dry. The blue circled areas are where I used the Angelus.

I first stabilized the repair areas with flexible glue (using toothpicks as applicators) when the bags were dry, I lightly sanded the area with 1500 grit sand paper to feather the edges (to give the Angelus something to stick to). Using a toothpick I applied the filler( it's cream colored you will definitely see it) in thin coats sanding between coats until I was satisfied. I used black dye applied with a cheap childs paint brush to the area of the repair to cover the Angelus filler. (it's paintable I just prefer dye to paint). The Red I used a Red sharpie mixed with Leather Therapy to blend.

Again this is for me, not resale. So I live with the patina on the red purse and actually like it.
The last picture is some of the products I used to achieve the results you see. I want to thank all on this forum that have gone before me for all the information and help. Without this Forum and the guidance it provides these results would not be possible.

Fantastic! Step back, drink them in and enjoy! Thank you so much for sharing.

And you're right, this community is the best

 

[ConnieinSeattle]

As promised my first dunk & rehab Black Court Bag and Red multifunction purse. I don't have any before pics except the ebay thumbnail as I did this for me and did not think I would post it to the Forum. Both were dunked in Dawn dish soap and I did not do the repairs until the bags were dry. The blue circled areas are where I used the Angelus.

I first stabilized the repair areas with flexible glue (using toothpicks as applicators) when the bags were dry, I lightly sanded the area with 1500 grit sand paper to feather the edges (to give the Angelus something to stick to). Using a toothpick I applied the filler( it's cream colored you will definitely see it) in thin coats sanding between coats until I was satisfied. I used black dye applied with a cheap childs paint brush to the area of the repair to cover the Angelus filler. (it's paintable I just prefer dye to paint). The Red I used a Red sharpie mixed with Leather Therapy to blend.

Again this is for me, not resale. So I live with the patina on the red purse and actually like it.
The last picture is some of the products I used to achieve the results you see. I want to thank all on this forum that have gone before me for all the information and help. Without this Forum and the guidance it provides these results would not be possible.

The corners are fantastic! Great job. I think I'll have to try this angelus product! Enjoy your beautiful bags.

 

[DL Harper]

As promised my first dunk & rehab Black Court Bag and Red multifunction purse. I don't have any before pics except the ebay thumbnail as I did this for me and did not think I would post it to the Forum. Both were dunked in Dawn dish soap and I did not do the repairs until the bags were dry. The blue circled areas are where I used the Angelus.

I first stabilized the repair areas with flexible glue (using toothpicks as applicators) when the bags were dry, I lightly sanded the area with 1500 grit sand paper to feather the edges (to give the Angelus something to stick to). Using a toothpick I applied the filler( it's cream colored you will definitely see it) in thin coats sanding between coats until I was satisfied. I used black dye applied with a cheap childs paint brush to the area of the repair to cover the Angelus filler. (it's paintable I just prefer dye to paint). The Red I used a Red sharpie mixed with Leather Therapy to blend.

Again this is for me, not resale. So I live with the patina on the red purse and actually like it.
The last picture is some of the products I used to achieve the results you see. I want to thank all on this forum that have gone before me for all the information and help. Without this Forum and the guidance it provides these results would not be possible.

Very nice! And the red - who knew!?!? It's one of those colors that I find is very finicky to improve.

 

[bluemotion]

Happy Friday!

I'd like to share a couple of non-Coach rehabs I completed since I became a member here. This is the first and I'll post the second later in the day, after tackling my to-dos.

This is my girl, Roots' Small Grace in cognac Horween leather, that I shared in November. As you can see, she had some dings and surface blemishes. The corner stain of unknown origin was dark and slightly changed the leather's texture and finish; the image here is after I wiped at it gently with the scrubby side of a dry sponge and managed to get most of it off. Vacuumed interior.

Normally I handle bags with bare hands pre-dunk, but this bag was seriously grimy and because of certain sensory issues I have, I had to put on gloves because this was grossing me out. Gross me out - so 16 years old, yet it conveys well in ways adult versions don't.

I thoroughly inspected the bag and found several areas where glue was used and it had migrated and balled up, or transformed into stringy goop of the non-Paltrow variety, that was like mucilage in texture. Ewwwww! Toothpick took care of the muck and into the wash she went!

Warm wash in Dawn with light scrub using old toothbrush for 15ish, followed by cool rinse for 15ish. Drained, towel dried, stuffed, reshaped, hit with a light coat of CRP while damp and let her do her thing. A couple more coats of CPR, then Chamberlain's balm which this leather really loved. Buff, buff. A few loose threads were fed back through and hidden, then secured with a dot of Aleen's. The hardware has an antique brass finish and here I was lazy and simply wiped at it with a dryer sheet. I need to go back and give it some TLC.

Super happy with the way Grace revived and refreshed to her former glory. This. Leather. Feels. So. Amazing! And the colour....

The wavy along the zip didn't disappear with the bath so I may tackle that with a hot spoon + CPR one day. The leather was unfaded where the stain was and the stain itself faded significantly, leaving behind a faint ghost that because of its location, can only be seen if the bag is upside down. These two issues are no big deal since she's for me and I'm so happy to have a bag from this collection in my personal collection.

Thanks so much to everyone's generosity with tools and techniques in this thread - I learned so much from you and couldn't have done it without you!

Thank you for reading and have a great weekend!

 

[vw65vert]

Very nice! And the red - who knew!?!? It's one of those colors that I find is very finicky to improve.

Thank you. And red...........the color that runs in a water bath like the devil himself is chasing it.

 

[vw65vert]

Happy Friday!

I'd like to share a couple of non-Coach rehabs I completed since I became a member here. This is the first and I'll post the second later in the day, after tackling my to-dos.

This is my girl, Roots' Small Grace in cognac Horween leather, that I shared in November. As you can see, she had some dings and surface blemishes. The corner stain of unknown origin was dark and slightly changed the leather's texture and finish; the image here is after I wiped at it gently with the scrubby side of a dry sponge and managed to get most of it off. Vacuumed interior.

Normally I handle bags with bare hands pre-dunk, but this bag was seriously grimy and because of certain sensory issues I have, I had to put on gloves because this was grossing me out. Gross me out - so 16 years old, yet it conveys well in ways adult versions don't.

I thoroughly inspected the bag and found several areas where glue was used and it had migrated and balled up, or transformed into stringy goop of the non-Paltrow variety, that was like mucilage in texture. Ewwwww! Toothpick took care of the muck and into the wash she went!

Warm wash in Dawn with light scrub using old toothbrush for 15ish, followed by cool rinse for 15ish. Drained, towel dried, stuffed, reshaped, hit with a light coat of CRP while damp and let her do her thing. A couple more coats of CPR, then Chamberlain's balm which this leather really loved. Buff, buff. A few loose threads were fed back through and hidden, then secured with a dot of Aleen's. The hardware has an antique brass finish and here I was lazy and simply wiped at it with a dryer sheet. I need to go back and give it some TLC.

Super happy with the way Grace revived and refreshed to her former glory. This. Leather. Feels. So. Amazing! And the colour....

The wavy along the zip didn't disappear with the bath so I may tackle that with a hot spoon + CPR one day. The leather was unfaded where the stain was and the stain itself faded significantly, leaving behind a faint ghost that because of its location, can only be seen if the bag is upside down. These two issues are no big deal since she's for me and I'm so happy to have a bag from this collection in my personal collection.

Thanks so much to everyone's generosity with tools and techniques in this thread - I learned so much from you and couldn't have done it without you!

Thank you for reading and have a great weekend!



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Beautiful job. Roots did a collaboration with Pendleton using Horween leather a while back (2015) that I would die for. Horween leather is gorgeous stuff. You brought it back to it's previous glory. Superb work.