Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[Lake Effect]

Okay people, this is actually happening ! Starting the dunk! NYC burg open Market Tote.
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Yay!

I feel the bag is starting to tell me its secrets. I will give it an app of LT R&C soon and put some thin towels in the inside pockets that run the length of the bag. Pardon the evening lighting. I like what the bubble wrap is doing.
@moreau_md I saw your posts in AT and thought you might want to watch!

 

[ConnieinSeattle]

I figure we should share our horror stories as well as our successes. I got this beautiful Grace Bag With Quilting And Rivets awhile ago. It had a smell--don't remember what kind. I did my used coffee grounds/sock thing. Well, I pulled it out today and it was molded--the sock, I mean. And where the sock had touched the exterior of the bag, it was moldy. I apparently put slightly damp coffee grounds in there rather than completely dry coffee grounds, and left the bag for a few months in a plastic bag. Oops. Anyway, it just had a dunk and lots of vinegar scrubbing. On the plus side, I don't notice any smell now.

 

[Joanna E]

While we're sharing products, here's what i'm playing with. Inflatable air pillows to use to stuff/reshape the purses, while drying. Here's a dixon mini and a scooter. We'll see if the little balloons hold their air. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQX8KMS4?th=1

Definitely going to take a look at those pillows! Saw someone online use 90-degree elbow foam pipe insulators to help with shaping corners. Gotta remember to check those out when next at the hardware store.

 

[ConnieinSeattle]

Definitely going to take a look at those pillows! Saw someone online use 90-degree elbow foam pipe insulators to help with shaping corners. Gotta remember to check those out when next at the hardware store.

Here's 8 of them for $10 on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Frienda-Insulation-Protection-Preservation-Outdoor/dp/B0CJ5BFZMF?th=1 As the old expression goes: let your fingers do the walking! I just ordered a set to play with.

 

[Lake Effect]

Definitely going to take a look at those pillows! Saw someone online use 90-degree elbow foam pipe insulators to help with shaping corners. Gotta remember to check those out when next at the hardware store.

You just reminded me I have a pool noodle that I cut down for a project and I still have a fairly long piece. That might work too.
I the contributions here!

 

[Aurora-B]

You just reminded me I have a pool noodle that I cut down for a project and I still have a fairly long piece. That might work too.
I the contributions here!

Pool noodles also work great in boots! 😀

 

[ConnieinSeattle]

Dixon Mini is done. Supercute little bag.

 

[ConnieinSeattle]

Scooter is done.

 

[Joanna E]

Scooter is done.

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Both bags look amazing! 🤩

 

[ConnieinSeattle]

Both bags look amazing! 🤩

Thanks! These were easy rehabs. Most elaborate thing I did was touch up the Dixon Mini's bottom corners with leather dye. I have a shelf of mini-ish bags awaiting work...so it feels good to get a couple of them done.

 

[onomatotia]

Hello! Not sure if this is the right place but I’m coming up empty on searching for an answer. I have a Coach Sonoma 4927 Soft Bucket bag from 1996. I’ve been looking for one in Saddle for a few years and a friend (recently also bit by the vintage Coach bug) happened across it while thrifting on vacation. The bag is in really good shape, especially for that color. I’m so excited to finally be able to mark it off my wishlist…BUT, while I was cleaning/conditioning the strap, I noticed that it makes this kind of crinkly/creaking noise when stretched or scrunched around. Obviously there isn’t a lot of stretch because of the seams and construction of the strap, just enough though for me to notice this noise as I was adjusting the slide buckle. It reminds me a little of seams being overstretched in a waistband. There is no flaking, separation, missing stitches, funky smells, or discoloration. The strap feels supple and strong - and seems completely normal aside from the weird noise. I’m at a loss. I have the same bag in Navy and it doesn’t have this issue. Maybe some internal material used to back the natural grain leather is compromised? Curious to have some more experienced Coach lovers weigh in. I haven’t done anything beyond a vacuum, wipe down with a damp cloth, Leather CPR, and some Renapur on the piping around the bottom to help with some rub marks. Who knows what happened before it came to live with me though!

 

[Lake Effect]

Scooter is done.

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You have done a run of black bags recently that, unknown to you, are a great motivator to me! They look fabulous and are great reminder that often black bags can be an enjoyable rehab, LOL with fewer surprises. I have an Oliver, Janice, Abbie and a Perry Ellis flap style (that could be a Coach cousin) all in black in my rehab pile that I will likely get moving over the long weekend!
I meant to send you a link but forgot! I hope you saw the auction for a crumpled black Ranch …
And my burg open Marketing Tote is coming along nicely. I got a nice surprise with the hardware. Will update soon.

 

[ConnieinSeattle]

I hope you saw the auction for a crumpled black Ranch …

I didn't! Oh, well. I DO have enough bags. Looking forward to your updates, and pictures! I just started a couple mahogany bags. One is a small sidepack, one is a compact pouch.

Edited to add, I'm really becoming attached to my $11 bag rehab project. I dunked! I cleaned the inner fabric by the zippers with specialty upholstery cleaner--looks much better. I put leather dye on the bottom corners--looks much better. I did one go-round of leather CPR and the leather is starting to glow. I "soaped" the zipper. So far, so good. Sharing a photo. This bag is so ginormous it won't even fit on the bathroom counter where I like to work on purses:

 

[ConnieinSeattle]

Playing with the little foam L's. I like them. I put them in the corners of this damp compact pouch, and then pushed them tight into the corners with the air pillows. And then stuffed the rest of the bag with air pillows.

 

[katev]

This was an easy rehab but I wanted to share it because I haven't had much experience with rehabbing signature bags or MFF bags. But I felt that this was a pretty, summery bag and I’ve always loved kisslock bags, so I went for it; and I was very pleased with the results!

The bag is the Laura Carryall F14940 that was made in 2008. The color is Fuchsia with Nickel Hardware.

The bag was in really good condition and it is a generous size, but there were some signs of wear. It was soiled in a few areas including the bottom corners, sides, and some areas of the light-pink lining.

I tried surface-cleaning but it didn’t help much so I dunked it in Dawn and scrubbed it with a soft brush; then I stuffed it with towels to shaped it, and it dried quickly.

Then I just applied Leather CPR to the straps and trim and I sprayed it with Apple Garde to protect it from water and stains. Finally, I gently buffed the hardware to make it shine. The bag looked so nice that I decided to give it to my friend for her birthday, and she loves it! Here name is Laura and she loves the color pink, so it was a great choice for her!

The first 4 pics below are before the rehab, and the last picture is after rehab, but it’s a rather dark photo you can’t really see how bright and clean it is now!