Hi all! Another product question for the group… while perusing past advice in the thread today (much to the detriment of my to-do list), I stumbled on this product pictured below, in the Leather Touch Up Dye website. Many talented rehabbers here have praised other products in the LTUD lineup. Pricey (depending on how much it takes)… but ink being the bane of so many rescues, wondering if anyone has tried this Leather Ink Remover?
Coach Rehab and Rescue Club
- Thread starter greenpixie
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So gorgeous. That strap is beautiful and perfect with it!
ETA: Sorry, connieinseattle I missed including your post in this reply!
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I've been collecting straps for those occasional bags that don't have one.
Hi all. I really need your advice. I seem to have run into trouble with the Legacy Rambler I had gotten authenticated here in the forum. Based on the seller's photos I didn't suspect anything was amiss and bought it, hoping to give it to my mother for Christmas. When it arrived it looked a bit dry, but I was always planning to dunk it to give it back some shape. This is when it all started. First I think I just gave it a wipe with a wet towel which revealed that it was staining when wet. I then decided to first give it the saddle soap treatment (yellow Fiebing's) that would give it some initial moisture, conditioning and would also let me assess how extensive the staining was. At that point it felt like it was the whole bag. I dunked it with some really gentle dish soap and gave it a brush and the first water I had in the container didn't turn opaque, but it turned quite dark. The two consecutive refills gradually less so. So I thought I had gotten it under control and that it was perhaps just some thing that had remained on the bag's surface and finally started to come off. Wrong. It had been drying for a while when I wanted to assess the situation. As soon as it got wet/saddle soap on it again, it started staining again, intensively. So I decided to first avoid any harsh chemicals and decided to see how far I would get with the saddle soap, since whatever was on the bag also came off when using it. I was able to make out that the main problem areas of the bag are the flap and the back side of the bag, the strap as well, but less so. The sides, bottom and front of the bag under the flap seem to be mostly unaffected. What I would do was that I would wet my horsehair brush, get some saddle soap on there and then brush the leather as one does, then wipe off the lather which showed how stained it was. I did that many times, until I saw that the leather was becoming lighter on the flap, but uniformly, not as in more worn patches etc. It started feeling like I was doing more harm than good and not knowing if there would even be getting it (what is that even?) all off I decided to stop and let it dry completely. I initially gave it a coat of Uniters Leather Protection Cream (silicone free, of course) and while that didn't really hide the discoloration I hoped it would offer the initially conditioning and would also make it less likely to stain. It was staining less, but still....it didn't do anything for the discoloration. So I got the Safir Medaille d'Or Renovateur (colourless), specifically the one that is mink oil based, in hopes it would darken the leather as promised. The bag now has a coat of it on and even two in those problem areas, buffed in. But the thing is that, when I applied it, it immediately started staining again. I am hoping that if I let it sit and absorb and dry, it will be sealed somehow. It really did the trick and you really have to look for any discoloration, BUT if it still stains anytime it gets wet I still have a big problem to solve.
So now I'm left with a bunch of questions. Has this at all ever been an issue with vintage unlined Coach bags? Even ones that haven't been dyed with who knows what? In case this has been dyed/painted (with who knows what) what should I do now? Is this a losing battle or is there something I can still try? Should I just keep adding more layers of Safir Renovateur or is there another type of product that can seal in whatever is going on with the dye?
I know this is long as hell, but thank you for getting through it and I appreciate any and all thoughts.
PS: One mistake I made was not take photos of all the stages, but here are some photos of the bag post Saphir attached.
So now I'm left with a bunch of questions. Has this at all ever been an issue with vintage unlined Coach bags? Even ones that haven't been dyed with who knows what? In case this has been dyed/painted (with who knows what) what should I do now? Is this a losing battle or is there something I can still try? Should I just keep adding more layers of Safir Renovateur or is there another type of product that can seal in whatever is going on with the dye?
I know this is long as hell, but thank you for getting through it and I appreciate any and all thoughts.
PS: One mistake I made was not take photos of all the stages, but here are some photos of the bag post Saphir attached.
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hello! have you tried check a small area with acetone to see if it's painted/shoe polished? from my personal experience, anytime a vintage Coach bag doesn't respond well to cleaning and conditioning it's usually indicative that it could be painted or polished. For me it has always happened to navy and black bags. I'll be wondering why the "dry" looking areas are not bouncing back like how I see in videos of vintage Coach restorations.. only to find out that it's got layers of shoe polish on because the previous seller figured that's the best way to even out the discolourations. Personally I'd test a small area with acetone to see (if painted/shoe polished, the colour will lift and be very dark on the cotton pad), leather dye will be less opaque and look closer to your last pic with the cotton pad.
Thanks. I thought I'd give it a try and tested out on a patch, but this immediately confirmed that it had been painted. Sadly, the whole bag. Even the parts that didn't seem to stain initially like the inside pockets. Everything but the backside of the leather, like the underside of the flap etc. It was quite gruesome. This certainly wasn't the bag I thought I had bought and I wasn't really prepared for how bad it would be. But given I had a whole 500ml bottle of pure acetone at hand I just got to work. Whatever it is has already penetrated the skin so I doubt I would get 100% of it off so when it had mostly stopped staining I got to washing it. And given that the leather had soaked up so much acetone it helped flush the dye out some more as well. It's now drying again and I wonder where to go from here. Probably Safir again, once it's dry. Hopefully this will help restore the color because it wasn't looking great by the time I was done. I took the second photo some time before I actually stopped.
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Oh no, sorry to hear that.. I know exactly how that feels
likely it was already in that condition hence the paint. While it's halfway drying you can start applying leather CPR/ bick 4 to restore some moisture first.. let the bag rest and then reassess. Acetone is strong so give the leather some time to recover first. I think in terms of color restoration the others here are more experienced and can offer better advice.
I've currently gone in with Saphir Renovateur (with mink oil) which it seems to be responding to really well. But I am considering the black saddle soap if I need something extra. I know the black one stains when applied, but how does it behave long term? Is there any chance of it staining when it gets damp in the rain etc? I'm just a bit nervous using anything with added colorants after having gone through all that to get it to stop staining.
I'm unclear on what you mean by "staining." Do you mean dye coming off on your clothes while you're carrying the bag?
Yes, exactly. I just want to make sure that once it's been worked into the leather and has dried it won't start staining clothes should the bag get wet (or just in general), as it will be getting both rain and snow on it. I've searched this forum for any info on experience with black Fiebing's past application, but it seems that most are pretty cautious using it to begin with. Someone asked about it some time ago as well, but I don't see that the question received any replies on here.
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While I know it's hard, leave the bag alone for at least a week and reassess as another poster commented. My suggestion would be to avoid all conditioners that contain wax because newly applied conditioners with wax can hinder absorption of conditioners on top of it until it has fully "cured" and nourished the leather. Waxes provide a barrier against water and overall protection which is great when the bag is carry ready. Saphir Renovateur, Blackrock and Renapur are heavy with waxes, albeit ideal waxes for leather but after all that bag has been through, it's going to need time to heal.
Saphir Nappa Balm is very nourishing without any wax. If you're going to spend anymore money on conditioners, I'd suggest looking into that one. Avoid any colorants for the time being, it's just too much for the leather right now.
I saw that this is a Christmas gift for your mom and you want it to be perfect but let bag rest for at least a week. Easier said than done, believe I know as I have putzed around with a difficult rehab to detriment. You've put a lot of time and effort into this and I am positive your mom will greatly appreciate everything!
Ok
I hope you can restore this bag to good condition. It is a fabulous bag and the most elegant one I own.