I just finished a somewhat odd rehab of a NYC Classic Shoulder Bag. The initial listing made the bag seem like a pretty simple dunk and condition situation. It looked dry and a little misshapen (especially the strap), but I figured none of the things I'd need to do would be a big deal, and for the price, it seemed like a steal.
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I still think it was a good deal, but there was a lot more going on than I initially thought, plus I'm still a little confused about something that happened.
So when I opened the package containing the bag, I immediately noticed it was a whole lot drier than I thought from the listing photos. Additionally, it felt really weird - like unlike any of the bags I've rehabbed in the past. It felt a little like it had been glazed at some point - so much so that it felt a little crispy. Very strange.
Anyway, I couldn't see any major stains or anything besides a small ink spot on the bottom, so I dealt with the spot and then prepared to dunk.
This is where things got a little weird. As it was soaking, a lot - and I mean a lot - of dye started coming out of the bag. And it just continued to pretty much pour off the bag. No matter how much I swapped out the water it was just a sea of rust colored water. When I finally finished with the dunk and let it dry out, I discovered why there was apparently so much dye - so many stains! Like enough that I'm not sure how they ever got covered up because the bag seemed lighter colored initially, which doesn't really make sense to me.
In any case, I conditioned with Leather CPR (so many times), leather balmed just the edges as they were starting to crack, and buffed like crazy. The stains are definitely not going anywhere, but the leather itself looks a whole lot healthier, the strap is no longer on its last legs, and nothing feels crispy any longer so I suppose it's a win.
Anyone else experienced a crispy leather treatment? Was this a glaze? A dye? A polish? I'm still a little confused and wonder if I should have approached it differently.
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I did find a replacement strap. Had four ripped corners and an ink stain. It was navy. I dyed it black to cover the stain. The strap got attention, but could not be repaired. Found this strap on a thrift store bag. Did dunk, leather CPR, filler, dye, more leather CPR, polished the brass, and blackrock.
