Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[katev]

You can see before pics of the Tomato Red Sonoma Small Full Flap 4929 at the link below, and here are some after pics. I've also posted some pages from the 1997 Early Fall and Holiday Catalogs. I think that it's a really nice bag!

Before Pics:

https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/authenticate-this-coach-see-first-post-for-format.889527/post-35152301

After Pics:

 

[katev]

I would never have thought to remove the FS from the creed!

Using the rubbing alcohol did lighten the red color of the creed patch a little, but I like it much better without that ugly FS mark! If I were keeping the bag for myself I probably wouldn't care, but since it was a gift I wanted to make it look better.

 

[katev]

White Bag restoration - ideas gratefully accepted

Hi all, this is my first post and my first Coach bag. I live in the South West of Western Australia and while I know the Coach Brand, it is not the classic iconic brand here like it is in the US. Vintage Coach is not something we come across in thrift shops etc

I bought it purposely because it was white leather as a project to see if I could improve it, not because its brand. That said, since ordering on eBay, I have found myself down the Coach rabbit hole and it has been a deep dive. I think/hope this is an authentic bag. The label is C043-9637.

Rookie mistake, I didn't take my own BEFORE photos. Inside the bag was one large ink stain and several more pen marks. I have dunked the bag and it was dirty. I managed to remove most of the ink staining from the interior, but I think the outside looks a worse now. It may have had surface touch ups previously and they have washed away. I would love to hear from anyone who has successfully restored a light bag or any hints of tips you think may be worth trying.

Thanks, Denise

White bags that have had heavy use are notoriously difficult to rehab. Years ago I rehabbed a White Legacy Zip 9966 and it didn't come out well. I finally resorted to painting it with light coats of acryllic paint. It looked better, but I learned my lesson and I am now more cautious about embarking on light-colored rehab projects.

White Legacy Zip 9966 Before:
https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/coach-rehab-and-rescue-club.624452/post-22428391

White Legacy Zip 9966 After:
https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/coach-rehab-and-rescue-club.624452/post-22428419

 

[DL Harper]

I found a vintage Coach at the bin store today! Score!! Maybe cost me $2.00. It's a New York City basic bag. No strap. Added unfortunate item...a hardened steel padlock on the side with no key. Where there's a rehab will, there's a way. I went and bought bolt cutters!

View attachment 6103908View attachment 6103906View attachment 6103907View attachment 6103909View attachment 6103910

What was the owner thinking?? And what in the world would have been the purpose of a lock like that??

 

[whateve]

You can see before pics of the Tomato Red Sonoma Small Full Flap 4929 at the link below, and here are some after pics. I've also posted some pages from the 1997 Early Fall and Holiday Catalogs. I think that it's a really nice bag!

Before Pics:

https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/authenticate-this-coach-see-first-post-for-format.889527/post-35152301

After Pics:

I think this is the perfect red!

 

[ConnieinSeattle]

What was the owner thinking?? And what in the world would have been the purpose of a lock like that??

I just figured it was a very unattractive bag charm.

 

[maevari]

Disaster bag update:
I did wait for a week to let the bag rest after all I put it through. But I tried out the (Fiebing's) black saddle soap in the mean time and thought I'd share my experience. I first tested it on a piece of yellow leather to be able to see what it does (on the photo I took it has already dried) and how much it absorbs or dyes the leather. I left one section empty and the other ones are after one (middle) and two (right) applications respectively.
The leather itself is thinner than that of the bags, but the feel and porosity of it seems similar. I also made sure I cleaned the surface until it no longer stained the towel. So while it does have some effect I just feel the payoff is not impressive. There is essentially no visible difference between 1 and 2 applications. I also tested it on another bag that I had stripped the polish off with acetone, but on that bag the particular leather is less porous and it absorbed absolutely none of the pigment. Given how damaged the leather of the flap is on the main disaster bag I had hoped that it would retain more of it, but after 2 or 3 applications it really wasn't able to lock much of it in and I am basically back to square one. For reference the leather on the first photo is a light yellow and if the right side looks darker it's mostly because of the shadow/lighting. Daylight is in low supply here.
My overall conclusion is that it will help camouflage minor scratches, but pretty much all conditioners do about as decent of a job at hiding them. So while I'm not saying it's completely useless I just don't see the kind of benefit that would be worth the effort and mess tbh.

The second photo is where I'm at now with the bag. This is how it looks in natural light and with no flash. It just looks that bad. So I think my only option from here is dye. I've deducted that Fiebing's Pro is my best bet, but I'd appreciate some advice on how to prep and finish. Should I use a deglazer or is it enough to wipe the surfaces I plan to dye with acetone? And do you use some kind of a finishing product after dying or is it enough to condition?
Any advice is much appreciates as always.

 

[ConnieinSeattle]

Disaster bag update:
I did wait for a week to let the bag rest after all I put it through. But I tried out the (Fiebing's) black saddle soap in the mean time and thought I'd share my experience. I first tested it on a piece of yellow leather to be able to see what it does (on the photo I took it has already dried) and how much it absorbs or dyes the leather. I left one section empty and the other ones are after one (middle) and two (right) applications respectively.
The leather itself is thinner than that of the bags, but the feel and porosity of it seems similar. I also made sure I cleaned the surface until it no longer stained the towel. So while it does have some effect I just feel the payoff is not impressive. There is essentially no visible difference between 1 and 2 applications. I also tested it on another bag that I had stripped the polish off with acetone, but on that bag the particular leather is less porous and it absorbed absolutely none of the pigment. Given how damaged the leather of the flap is on the main disaster bag I had hoped that it would retain more of it, but after 2 or 3 applications it really wasn't able to lock much of it in and I am basically back to square one. For reference the leather on the first photo is a light yellow and if the right side looks darker it's mostly because of the shadow/lighting. Daylight is in low supply here.
My overall conclusion is that it will help camouflage minor scratches, but pretty much all conditioners do about as decent of a job at hiding them. So while I'm not saying it's completely useless I just don't see the kind of benefit that would be worth the effort and mess tbh.

The second photo is where I'm at now with the bag. This is how it looks in natural light and with no flash. It just looks that bad. So I think my only option from here is dye. I've deducted that Fiebing's Pro is my best bet, but I'd appreciate some advice on how to prep and finish. Should I use a deglazer or is it enough to wipe the surfaces I plan to dye with acetone? And do you use some kind of a finishing product after dying or is it enough to condition?
Any advice is much appreciates as always.

I think your disaster bag will become a gem! I've never used Feibings, so perhaps others can comment/help. But I did find this page which describes their recommended process and products: https://fiebing.com/product/pro-dye/ Personally, I go for simple. VERY simple. And I love the results, even if a little shiny. I use Kiwi black leather dye in the sponge top bottle for dying. No deglazing, no sealing, I just go for it. One of my favorite rehabs with re-dyeing, a Madison Satchel, with before/after pics: https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/coach-rehab-and-rescue-club.833400/post-35606893

 

[maevari]

I think your disaster bag will become a gem! I've never used Feibings, so perhaps others can comment/help. But I did find this page which describes their recommended process and products: https://fiebing.com/product/pro-dye/ Personally, I go for simple. VERY simple. And I love the results, even if a little shiny. I use Kiwi black leather dye in the sponge top bottle for dying. No deglazing, no sealing, I just go for it. One of my favorite rehabs with re-dyeing, a Madison Satchel, with before/after pics: https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/coach-rehab-and-rescue-club.833400/post-35606893

Thanks! I am quite hopeful still. The rest of the bag is in surprisingly good condition, even now. This is a part of the reason why I wasn't quite prepared for it to be this distressed on the flap. While I get that in theory the original finish should be semi-matte then I think there's a good amount of variation depending on the particular part of a hide a bag was constructed of. I personally don't mind a slight sheen.

I'm also wondering about the dyeing process more broadly. I'm not familiar with Kiwi dye, I've not seen it in EU stores and considered Fiebing's as they also have different shades. I've started working on my green bags and both of them will need color correction, one of them possibly a complete dye job. And Fiebing's has enough dye colors for me to mix together what I need. I'm somehow not too fond of the idea of painting a vintage bag with acrylic paint. Maybe it's just me being weird about it.

I've been searching but I haven't really been able to dig up rehabs of green bags with a comparable amount of damage to mine. The few I have seen have went ham with acrylic paint and that has really put me off.

 

[squeakyrose]

I think your disaster bag will become a gem! I've never used Feibings, so perhaps others can comment/help. But I did find this page which describes their recommended process and products: https://fiebing.com/product/pro-dye/ Personally, I go for simple. VERY simple. And I love the results, even if a little shiny. I use Kiwi black leather dye in the sponge top bottle for dying. No deglazing, no sealing, I just go for it. One of my favorite rehabs with re-dyeing, a Madison Satchel, with before/after pics: https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/coach-rehab-and-rescue-club.833400/post-35606893

I love the Large Madison, I’m on the lookout right now for a unrestored one in one of the browns. This result is fantastic — you dyed the whole bag using your Kiwi leather dye?

@maevari, I agree, I also think Disaster Bag will turn out great! 😊

 

[whateve]

Disaster bag update:
I did wait for a week to let the bag rest after all I put it through. But I tried out the (Fiebing's) black saddle soap in the mean time and thought I'd share my experience. I first tested it on a piece of yellow leather to be able to see what it does (on the photo I took it has already dried) and how much it absorbs or dyes the leather. I left one section empty and the other ones are after one (middle) and two (right) applications respectively.
The leather itself is thinner than that of the bags, but the feel and porosity of it seems similar. I also made sure I cleaned the surface until it no longer stained the towel. So while it does have some effect I just feel the payoff is not impressive. There is essentially no visible difference between 1 and 2 applications. I also tested it on another bag that I had stripped the polish off with acetone, but on that bag the particular leather is less porous and it absorbed absolutely none of the pigment. Given how damaged the leather of the flap is on the main disaster bag I had hoped that it would retain more of it, but after 2 or 3 applications it really wasn't able to lock much of it in and I am basically back to square one. For reference the leather on the first photo is a light yellow and if the right side looks darker it's mostly because of the shadow/lighting. Daylight is in low supply here.
My overall conclusion is that it will help camouflage minor scratches, but pretty much all conditioners do about as decent of a job at hiding them. So while I'm not saying it's completely useless I just don't see the kind of benefit that would be worth the effort and mess tbh.

The second photo is where I'm at now with the bag. This is how it looks in natural light and with no flash. It just looks that bad. So I think my only option from here is dye. I've deducted that Fiebing's Pro is my best bet, but I'd appreciate some advice on how to prep and finish. Should I use a deglazer or is it enough to wipe the surfaces I plan to dye with acetone? And do you use some kind of a finishing product after dying or is it enough to condition?
Any advice is much appreciates as always.

I've never used Fiebings Pro. I don't think that is available in California. I tried the Fiebings that is legal in California many years ago and hated it. I don't think you need a separate deglazer. Most leather dyes tend to be a bit too shiny to look natural. Angelus makes a duller you can add to their leather paint to get the right sheen. I loved this stuff: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KIEA0IY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 but I don't know if you can still get it. It had the perfect sheen. In my opinion, it's best to use something that is thin and watery even if you have to put on multiple coats to get full coverage. It's the best way to keep the leather looking natural.

 

[ConnieinSeattle]

I love the Large Madison, I’m on the lookout right now for a unrestored one in one of the browns. This result is fantastic — you dyed the whole bag using your Kiwi leather dye?

@maevari, I agree, I also think Disaster Bag will turn out great! 😊

Squeaky, look at this! https://www.ebay.com/itm/267100160103

 

[ConnieinSeattle]

I love the Large Madison, ... you dyed the whole bag using your Kiwi leather dye?

Not really. Just the main scuffed-out-of-their-mind panels.

 

[butterbear]

Disaster bag update:
I did wait for a week to let the bag rest after all I put it through. But I tried out the (Fiebing's) black saddle soap in the mean time and thought I'd share my experience. I first tested it on a piece of yellow leather to be able to see what it does (on the photo I took it has already dried) and how much it absorbs or dyes the leather. I left one section empty and the other ones are after one (middle) and two (right) applications respectively.
The leather itself is thinner than that of the bags, but the feel and porosity of it seems similar. I also made sure I cleaned the surface until it no longer stained the towel. So while it does have some effect I just feel the payoff is not impressive. There is essentially no visible difference between 1 and 2 applications. I also tested it on another bag that I had stripped the polish off with acetone, but on that bag the particular leather is less porous and it absorbed absolutely none of the pigment. Given how damaged the leather of the flap is on the main disaster bag I had hoped that it would retain more of it, but after 2 or 3 applications it really wasn't able to lock much of it in and I am basically back to square one. For reference the leather on the first photo is a light yellow and if the right side looks darker it's mostly because of the shadow/lighting. Daylight is in low supply here.
My overall conclusion is that it will help camouflage minor scratches, but pretty much all conditioners do about as decent of a job at hiding them. So while I'm not saying it's completely useless I just don't see the kind of benefit that would be worth the effort and mess tbh.

The second photo is where I'm at now with the bag. This is how it looks in natural light and with no flash. It just looks that bad. So I think my only option from here is dye. I've deducted that Fiebing's Pro is my best bet, but I'd appreciate some advice on how to prep and finish. Should I use a deglazer or is it enough to wipe the surfaces I plan to dye with acetone? And do you use some kind of a finishing product after dying or is it enough to condition?
Any advice is much appreciates as always.

all the best with your restoration! can't wait to see the outcome, vintage coach leather is so resilient I think it will turn out amazing.

 

[squeakyrose]

Squeaky, look at this! https://www.ebay.com/itm/267100160103

Thank you!!! ☺️