Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

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#43,996
Hoku44 said:
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!
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Thank you, I really appreciate your input. As hard as it is to do nothing, I think you're right. For now it first has to dry completely and absorb the Renovateur I've applied so far. Before that I won't really even know the true condition it is in at this stage and what it will take to camouflage the damage. I will keep my eyes peeled for the Saphir Nappa in the mean time, but will most likely come back with photographic evidence of the situation as it develops.
I'm sure my mom can appreciate it even as is, but I also want to give this bag the new life it deserves.
 
#43,997
Tilis said:
Ok :smile: I hope you can restore this bag to good condition. It is a fabulous bag and the most elegant one I own.
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I really hope I can. This is really not the journey I imagined I'd be taking on when I got it. The 9965 and 9061 are really what made me fall in love with vintage Coach. I really hate the idea of a single one of those wonderful bags not having its full potential realized.
 
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#43,998
Please advise. The situation with the Legacy Rambler prompted me to do the acetone test on the other two black bags I have. I've not yet rehabed either of those, just gone over them with saddle soap.

The one on the left is definitely some dying agent. I'm not sure if the bag stained while giving it the saddle soap treatment, but it is suspiciously shiny to begin with. Unfortunately this test shows that whatever it is contains dye and isn't just transparent wax or polish.

Now, the one on the right in comparison has me slightly hopeful? I really had to rub the the q-tip on the spot to get this kind of transfer. I double checked with a swab that was dipped in regular water and it doesn't stain. Is this perhaps just the way the original treatment of the hide is reacting to the acetone and not anything applied later?
 

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#43,999
maevari said:
Please advise. The situation with the Legacy Rambler prompted me to do the acetone test on the other two black bags I have. I've not yet rehabed either of those, just gone over them with saddle soap.

The one on the left is definitely some dying agent. I'm not sure if the bag stained while giving it the saddle soap treatment, but it is suspiciously shiny to begin with. Unfortunately this test shows that whatever it is contains dye and isn't just transparent wax or polish.

Now, the one on the right in comparison has me slightly hopeful? I really had to rub the the q-tip on the spot to get this kind of transfer. I double checked with a swab that was dipped in regular water and it doesn't stain. Is this perhaps just the way the original treatment of the hide is reacting to the acetone and not anything applied later?
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You are going to get a little color on any bags with acetone so I would bet the one on the right doesn't have any additional dye or polish.
 
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#44,001
Coming to the group for advice…. I’ve been working with ‘The Saddle-Colored Bag That Keeps On Giving’ for over a week now. Gift for my SIL and I refuse to give up! It’s been a learning exercise and I’ll share highlights when I’m happy with before and afters.

But meantime, quick question — what are current thoughts on best product to darken lighter leather to help deemphasize oily stains? It’s 2000 Costa Rica saddle (lovely and smooth but not thicker 80s saddle). I’ve used a months supply of CPR…A coat of LT made the stains darker but not the rest…. It’s too early for BR. I’m thinking maybe Obenauf oil?

Appreciate all comers!
 
#44,003
squeakyrose said:
Coming to the group for advice…. I’ve been working with ‘The Saddle-Colored Bag That Keeps On Giving’ for over a week now. Gift for my SIL and I refuse to give up! It’s been a learning exercise and I’ll share highlights when I’m happy with before and afters.

But meantime, quick question — what are current thoughts on best product to darken lighter leather to help deemphasize oily stains? It’s 2000 Costa Rica saddle (lovely and smooth but not thicker 80s saddle). I’ve used a months supply of CPR…A coat of LT made the stains darker but not the rest…. It’s too early for BR. I’m thinking maybe Obenauf oil?

Appreciate all comers!
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for darkening I use leather honey.
 
#44,004
squeakyrose said:
Seriously Connie, where do you find all these great rescues??
ETA: Love clip technique, thanks for sharing!
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My fun is scrolling vintage purse for sale listings... Sometimes I search keywords like "distressed," "for repair," "for salvage," "needs TLC." Mostly I'm searching for low price, that's where you find most of these seen harsh times bags.
 
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#44,007
Thanks to @Narnanz and other fellow rehabbers for sharing advice about restoring this Chadwick Satchel (9928, USA 1993). Thanks also to @Hyacinth and @BeenBurned for authenticating the bag.

This is the first time that I’ve used Black Saddle Soap for a rehab and it really made a big difference!

As @Narnanz advised, the Black Saddle Soap is very messy and you have to use it sparingly, but I am very pleased with the results!

The bag originally belonged to the recently deceased sister of my friend and she asked me “to try and fix it up a little” so that she could it wear it in memory of her sister.

I was happy to help her but the bag was a challenge. It had been treated with shoe polish or paint. The polish was hard to remove and the bag looked dull and faded after giving it the standard rehab treatment, but the black saddle soap was a game changer!

There are Before pictures of the black Chadwick 9928 at the link below:

And here are After pictures of the black Chadwick. I gave the bag to my friend this morning and she was thrilled!
 

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#44,008
katev said:
Thanks to @Narnanz and other fellow rehabbers for sharing advice about restoring this Chadwick Satchel (9928, USA 1993). Thanks also to @Hyacinth and @BeenBurned for authenticating the bag.

This is the first time that I’ve used Black Saddle Soap for a rehab and it really made a big difference!

As @Narnanz advised, the Black Saddle Soap is very messy and you have to use it sparingly, but I am very pleased with the results!

The bag originally belonged to the recently deceased sister of my friend and she asked me “to try and fix it up a little” so that she could it wear it in memory of her sister.

I was happy to help her but the bag was a challenge. It had been treated with shoe polish or paint. The polish was hard to remove and the bag looked dull and faded after giving it the standard rehab treatment, but the black saddle soap was a game changer!

There are Before pictures of the black Chadwick 9928 at the link below:

And here are After pictures of the black Chadwick. I gave the bag to my friend this morning and she was thrilled!
Click to expand...
I'm so glad the Black saddle soap worked well.
She looks like a new bag.
 
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#44,010
Michelle1x said:
Hi all, can I ask you guys how you get your hardware - rivets etc - so shiny?
This is a picture from a 9085 feed sac listing (not mine). The hardware is so clean and shiny. Whenever I try to rehab these bags, the little button hardware is rusty and faded. The rivets and zipper hardware are too small for me to access with metal polish and if I do put any in there, I can't get it out of the edges of the hardware. What am I doing wrong.
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I use Wenol paste to polish brass hardware, but I find Cape Cop Polishing Gloves and Cape Cod Polishing Cloths very helpful when I'm trying to polish difficult areas like zipper threads. They also work well when I just want to give the hardware a "quick shine"!

www.capecodpolish.com

Browse All Products

Welcome to the Official Site of Cape Cod Polish Company, Inc. Cape Cod Metal Polishing Cloths clean, polish, and protect all types of fine metals.
www.capecodpolish.com www.capecodpolish.com
 
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