Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[whateve]

I had the bag for sale on ebay, and the nastiness was sent to me by way of private messages in the guise of "questions" about what I had done to the bag and commenting rudely on a brief video I shared of my process. (Now that I've revealed my secrets they can go buy their own hasp bag for $20 and so happy they don't have to buy mine.) The answer there is easy, you can block buyers. Which I did. A lot. Some of them were so really incredibly negative energy and venomous. One person contacted me just to tell me that they were discussing me there in a negative way, and she thought I'd want to know! No, I don't. So, I don't explore that group. People here share ideas and appear basically sane. And positive energy. Which I like!

One time someone bought my item on ebay (without paying) just so she could leave negative feedback!

 

[ConnieinSeattle]

Finished up the rehab on a black sidepack bag. I think it's beauteous! I'm still shopping around for one of the larger sidepacks.

 

[cw99999]

Finished up the rehab on a black sidepack bag. I think it's beauteous! I'm still shopping around for one of the larger sidepacks.

Gorgeous!!!!

 

[chngu40]

Hi there! Is there anyway to restore polished pebble leather? I noticed the shine wearing off already after 2 days of use.. I've already tried leather's conditioner, although not the coach brand
Thank you!

 

[whateve]

Hi there! Is there anyway to restore polished pebble leather? I noticed the shine wearing off already after 2 days of use.. I've already tried leather's conditioner, although not the coach brand
Thank you!
View attachment 6057891

You could try Blackrock Leather n Rich for a temporary shine. For something permanent, you would need something like a varnish. What bag is it? Is it vintage?

 

[chngu40]

You could try Blackrock Leather n Rich for a temporary shine. For something permanent, you would need something like a varnish. What bag is it? Is it vintage?

Definitely should have mentioned my bag (sorry!). It's the Willow Work Tote 38. Do you know if coach repair can fix this?

 

[Lake Effect]

I can't believe Deb says 20-30% of bags are lost to dunking, unless she is dunking newer, lined bags. I've never lost a bag to dunking and I've only known of a few that have been lost on the forum. And it depends on how to define lost. Some people have ruined bags by dunking because there was a large amount of ink that spread to the exterior. They aren't exactly lost, just not necessarily improved. The only truly lost bags were those that were a lost cause already - the leather had rotted so much that putting them in water caused them to disintegrate. I've only heard of that once or twice. I've seen a few bags listed for sale that look like they would disintegrate too, but it's pretty obvious.

If you only dunk unlined vintage classic bags, you shouldn't have a problem. These bags are almost always improved by dunking, as long as you do it correctly and use plenty of conditioner promptly. You can also dunk some lined bags, like Sonomas, with success.

You are never going to find 100% agreement on the Internet.

To lose 20 to 30% of bags to dunking seems high, but I am basing that on what I have dunked, which has to be easily 4 dozen, over the last 8 years. And at least a dozen went through multiple dunks. Also the bags I have dunked are from the 80’s, 90’s and some 00’s. I would be less inclined to dunk a bag with cracked leather or leather that was really gone. Or a lot, not all bags, prior the late 70’s.
Yes, what was the context for lost?
I try to choose bags, and I seem to have a bit of success here, that are quite worn, but have really improved with a combination of different products, my special sauce following the hydration of a dunk. I always go back to the amazing (baseball) gloved tanned leather that inspired Miles Cahn, if iirc, of Coach history. And this is because too, I watched my brothers leave baseballs gloves outside that got soaked in a storm, put in a garage for the winter and then the ritual of my dad and them “oiling” them every spring.
This thread is chock full of success stories of all kinds as well as outcomes that were not satisfying. My concern is for newbies that may come here, or lurk that have unrealistic expectations for issues related to a bag. This may be unpopular but I don’t think all issues can be improved with only general cleaning and conditioning and hydrating vintage Coach bags may cause spots to emerge. And yes, I have seen sentiment on thr net to not use any type of dye, pigment, paint to improve a bag. I am pretty much live and let live regarding what people want to do for bags here or not.
Thank you to the good people here of this thread!

First, thank you everyone for your advice. This forum has been really educational.

I've noticed verdigris on coach bags before but until reading through this forum I didn't know that was the word for it. I have a question about verdigris: is it harmful to the bag if verdigris remains on it? For example, under the zipper. Is it necessary to remove it?

Do you mean transferred onto the leather? And staining it? Maybe show a pic?

 

[ConnieinSeattle]

Another rehab in process. Mahogany Wendie Zip. Chat GPT and I collaborated on a poem in honor of Wendie.

Who's peekin' out from inside my closet
Shining in leather, flawless and fine
Who's reaching out to hold all my treasures
Everyone knows it’s Wendie

Who's trippin' down the streets of the city
Swingin' her style, lookin' so sleek
Who's reachin' out with solid brass gleaming
Everyone loves their Wendie

And Wendie has leather smooth
That shines with a timeless groove.
And Wendie has suede inside
She’s built to last (she's built to last)
She’s built to last (she's built to last)

Who's peekin' out from under my arm, now
Keeping my things secure and so warm
Who's holdin' tight to all of my secrets
Everyone knows it’s Wendie!

 

[Belicious]

Another rehab in process. Mahogany Wendie Zip. Chat GPT and I collaborated on a poem in honor of Wendie.

Who's peekin' out from inside my closet
Shining in leather, flawless and fine
Who's reaching out to hold all my treasures
Everyone knows it’s Wendie

Who's trippin' down the streets of the city
Swingin' her style, lookin' so sleek
Who's reachin' out with solid brass gleaming
Everyone loves their Wendie

And Wendie has leather smooth
That shines with a timeless groove.
And Wendie has suede inside
She’s built to last (she's built to last)
She’s built to last (she's built to last)

Who's peekin' out from under my arm, now
Keeping my things secure and so warm
Who's holdin' tight to all of my secrets
Everyone knows it’s Wendie!

Fabulous! Suddenly I want a Wendie too!

 

[Belicious]

Finished up the rehab on a black sidepack bag. I think it's beauteous! I'm still shopping around for one of the larger sidepacks.

I have this one's exact twin! Plus I do have a large one in red. The larger size is definitely more useful for me but the color is a little harder for me to coordinate to use it much. I should pull it out for Fall.

 

[whateve]

Another rehab in process. Mahogany Wendie Zip. Chat GPT and I collaborated on a poem in honor of Wendie.

Who's peekin' out from inside my closet
Shining in leather, flawless and fine
Who's reaching out to hold all my treasures
Everyone knows it’s Wendie

Who's trippin' down the streets of the city
Swingin' her style, lookin' so sleek
Who's reachin' out with solid brass gleaming
Everyone loves their Wendie

And Wendie has leather smooth
That shines with a timeless groove.
And Wendie has suede inside
She’s built to last (she's built to last)
She’s built to last (she's built to last)

Who's peekin' out from under my arm, now
Keeping my things secure and so warm
Who's holdin' tight to all of my secrets
Everyone knows it’s Wendie!

I hope you don't have to pay royalties on this song!

 

[whateve]

Definitely should have mentioned my bag (sorry!). It's the Willow Work Tote 38. Do you know if coach repair can fix this?

I don't know what they would do other than apply conditioners, which you could do yourself. If they couldn't fix it, they might give you a coupon for a new bag.

 

[ConnieinSeattle]

Now I've had the song in my head all day.

 

[Lake Effect]

The Wendie is tiny! You know it’s small in pics when you look at it compared to its hantag. Then when I saw it in a consignment shop I was still surprised.

 

[houseof999]

The Wendie is tiny! You know it’s small in pics when you look at it compared to its hantag. Then when I saw it in a consignment shop I was still surprised.

Wendie is super cute! It's perfect for grabbing just the essentials with room to spare. Here's mine!