Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[Mogambo66]

I'm hoping someone here can help me out. I found this bag for a steal on ebay ($45 + shipping). It's definitely used, but after some leather CPR and Obenauf's I think it still looks great! The problem is that the metal end caps on the handles look really worn and scratched. Also, one of the metal dowels must have fallen out and someone replaced it with a wooden one which is longer than the opening. I was just wondering if you think Coach would be able to replace these parts if I send the bag in for repair? Or is there any other fix that you would suggest? Can the brass be re-plated somehow? If so, where would I take it? Thanks in advance for any help you can give me!

 

[whateve]

I'm hoping someone here can help me out. I found this bag for a steal on ebay ($45 + shipping). It's definitely used, but after some leather CPR and Obenauf's I think it still looks great! The problem is that the metal end caps on the handles look really worn and scratched. Also, one of the metal dowels must have fallen out and someone replaced it with a wooden one which is longer than the opening. I was just wondering if you think Coach would be able to replace these parts if I send the bag in for repair? Or is there any other fix that you would suggest? Can the brass be re-plated somehow? If so, where would I take it? Thanks in advance for any help you can give me!

Gorgeous bag! I love that strap!
Coach's new repair policy doesn't cover anything over a year old, so I think that option is out. You could cut off the excess on the wooden dowel. If you have a good leather repair shop in your town, you should see what they suggest. They often have extra metal parts. I don't know of anywhere you can get brass replated. It seems to me it would be very expensive and I think they have to remove them from the bag to do it.

 

[whateve]

And while I'm posting photos, here's the pink suede wristlet I worked on. You can see that one side is now kind of faded and cloudy looking compared to the other and it is still pretty dirty looking (although considerable less so than before the bath). I'm thinking this might be a candidate for a "color conversion". Maybe deep purple will hide the dirt...

I have two faded suede items that I'm going to try RIT dye on. I used Fiebings suede dye on a bag and it didn't work. It looked great after I painted it on, but as soon as I brushed the suede, the color disappeared. I tried two coats and it happened both times. You have to brush it because the dye leaves it stiff. RIT works better in my opinion. I don't know if it is enough to cover up stains.

 

[whateve]

My suede rehab isn't working all that well. I got the lining pretty clean. The bottom edge of the inside pocket (when you pull it out) feels stiff and I can't decide if they used some kind of stiffening or it is stiff from whatever stained it (ew!). It is sewed across the bottom of the pocket. I can't find that on any of my other bags.

I tried working on the exterior. It seems like everything I try makes the stains more noticeable rather than less! Any suggestions? I decided that dunking would be a bad idea because it has these patches that are just tacked on and I think they would curl.

 

[Mogambo66]

Gorgeous bag! I love that strap!
Coach's new repair policy doesn't cover anything over a year old, so I think that option is out. You could cut off the excess on the wooden dowel. If you have a good leather repair shop in your town, you should see what they suggest. They often have extra metal parts. I don't know of anywhere you can get brass replated. It seems to me it would be very expensive and I think they have to remove them from the bag to do it.

Thanks for the reply Whateve! I was thinking that I could just cut off the ends of the wooden dowel and use a gold paint pen on the edges. I doubt it would be noticeable to anyone but me, but I'm also kind of afraid that the wooden piece will slide out or break from the weight of the bag when it's full. I will probably take your advice and try to find a shoe or leather repair shop and see what they suggest.

By the way, I finally found the TD fob I have been searching for for so long!

 

[whateve]

Thanks for the reply Whateve! I was thinking that I could just cut off the ends of the wooden dowel and use a gold paint pen on the edges. I doubt it would be noticeable to anyone but me, but I'm also kind of afraid that the wooden piece will slide out or break from the weight of the bag when it's full. I will probably take your advice and try to find a shoe or leather repair shop and see what they suggest.

By the way, I finally found the TD fob I have been searching for for so long!

Congratulations! Did you get it on ebay? Did you get a bargain?

 

[JaNan16]

I'm hoping someone here can help me out. I found this bag for a steal on ebay ($45 + shipping). It's definitely used, but after some leather CPR and Obenauf's I think it still looks great! The problem is that the metal end caps on the handles look really worn and scratched. Also, one of the metal dowels must have fallen out and someone replaced it with a wooden one which is longer than the opening. I was just wondering if you think Coach would be able to replace these parts if I send the bag in for repair? Or is there any other fix that you would suggest? Can the brass be re-plated somehow? If so, where would I take it? Thanks in advance for any help you can give me!

They sell metal rods at Home Depot and they will cut them to length for you. Just a couple of dollars.

I'm still thinking about the brass.

Do you have a Dremmel tool? If the scratches aren't to deep maybe you could polish it out. It will be messy so you will have to protect your bag (beautiful by the way). The metal polish stuff is thick and comes in a little jar and may take several steps.

 

[frenchieRU]

They sell metal rods at Home Depot and they will cut them to length for you. Just a couple of dollars.

I'm still thinking about the brass.

Do you have a Dremmel tool? If the scratches aren't to deep maybe you could polish it out. It will be messy so you will have to protect your bag (beautiful by the way). The metal polish stuff is thick and comes in a little jar and may take several steps.

Agreed. I was working on the brass d-rings on a basic bag yesterday and there was so much tarnish on it I had to use brasso first, but the second step is going to be some super fine steel wool. If there's not much tarnish on there (like with the end caps) I like to use just steel wool.

 

[Mogambo66]

Congratulations! Did you get it on ebay? Did you get a bargain?

Yes, I did purchase it on ebay. I can't really say it was a bargain, but I think both the seller and I were happy. It was someone who I had purchased from before, and she knew I was looking for it. She listed it for me at about double the retail price (her prices are pretty high in general!), but waited until my ebay bucks were deposited into my account. I had accumulated quite a few from all the other fobs I've purchased. I think it cost me about $33 out of pocket after the ebay bucks, so I was happy with that

 

[Mogambo66]

They sell metal rods at Home Depot and they will cut them to length for you. Just a couple of dollars.

I'm still thinking about the brass.

Do you have a Dremmel tool? If the scratches aren't to deep maybe you could polish it out. It will be messy so you will have to protect your bag (beautiful by the way). The metal polish stuff is thick and comes in a little jar and may take several steps.

Agreed. I was working on the brass d-rings on a basic bag yesterday and there was so much tarnish on it I had to use brasso first, but the second step is going to be some super fine steel wool. If there's not much tarnish on there (like with the end caps) I like to use just steel wool.

Those are great ideas! I will check Home Depot for the metal rods. I don't have a lot of tools handy, and don't have a Dremmel tool. I'm not exactly sure if these can be polished though. The end caps don't look like they are solid brass like the rings might be. They look more like they are just coated or plated, and that underneath I would just find a dull metal...if that makes sense.

 

[whateve]

Yes, I did purchase it on ebay. I can't really say it was a bargain, but I think both the seller and I were happy. It was someone who I had purchased from before, and she knew I was looking for it. She listed it for me at about double the retail price (her prices are pretty high in general!), but waited until my ebay bucks were deposited into my account. I had accumulated quite a few from all the other fobs I've purchased. I think it cost me about $33 out of pocket after the ebay bucks, so I was happy with that

That's wonderful! But isn't it great you didn't find it sooner? You would never have found all those unique fobs, of which I'm jealous, by the way!

It makes me feel like the money I spent on mine was an investment and I can make a profit if I ever need to sell it.

Those are great ideas! I will check Home Depot for the metal rods. I don't have a lot of tools handy, and don't have a Dremmel tool. I'm not exactly sure if these can be polished though. The end caps don't look like they are solid brass like the rings might be. They look more like they are just coated or plated, and that underneath I would just find a dull metal...if that makes sense.

If you polish the brass, it is likely they will get worse. They are only plated. Polishing will remove first the finish that protects the brass from tarnishing, then secondly the brass itself.

 

[Mogambo66]

That's wonderful! But isn't it great you didn't find it sooner? You would never have found all those unique fobs, of which I'm jealous, by the way!

It makes me feel like the money I spent on mine was an investment and I can make a profit if I ever need to sell it.


If you polish the brass, it is likely they will get worse. They are only plated. Polishing will remove first the finish that protects the brass from tarnishing, then secondly the brass itself.

You could definitely make a profit on it if you sell it Whateve! When I posted on a few Facebook pages that I was looking for it, several other people commented that they would love to find one too. I only saw one listed online (on Facebook...and I missed it) in the year it took me to track this one down. I basically checked ebay, Bonanza, Tradesy and Poshmark daily. Isn't it strange how the prices for fobs have gone up so much, but older bags have mostly just continued to decrease in value? I'm not complaining really, because I've managed to find some incredible bags for incredible prices by waiting patiently! However, it makes the fobs seem like a pretty good investment...plus they don't take up nearly as much space in my closet! There must be a lot of fob collectors out there, and they seem to be willing to pay some crazy prices sometimes (myself included). I guess it helps that the newer fobs are very boring compared to most of the older styles.

That's what I suspected about the brass...thank you for the warning I don't want to make it worse than it is already. I will most likely just live with the scratches or try protecting what is left of the finish with clear nail polish or something. Maybe I'll try touching them up first with some metallic paint if I can find one that matches well enough. Thanks again for your advice! You are always so helpful to everyone!

:urock:

 

[whateve]

You could definitely make a profit on it if you sell it Whateve! When I posted on a few Facebook pages that I was looking for it, several other people commented that they would love to find one too. I only saw one listed online (on Facebook...and I missed it) in the year it took me to track this one down. I basically checked ebay, Bonanza, Tradesy and Poshmark daily. Isn't it strange how the prices for fobs have gone up so much, but older bags have mostly just continued to decrease in value? I'm not complaining really, because I've managed to find some incredible bags for incredible prices by waiting patiently! However, it makes the fobs seem like a pretty good investment...plus they don't take up nearly as much space in my closet! There must be a lot of fob collectors out there, and they seem to be willing to pay some crazy prices sometimes (myself included). I guess it helps that the newer fobs are very boring compared to most of the older styles.

That's what I suspected about the brass...thank you for the warning I don't want to make it worse than it is already. I will most likely just live with the scratches or try protecting what is left of the finish with clear nail polish or something. Maybe I'll try touching them up first with some metallic paint if I can find one that matches well enough. Thanks again for your advice! You are always so helpful to everyone!

:urock:

Aw, thanks for the compliment!

I've thought about putting clear nail polish on brass. Let me know how it works out, especially if you find a metallic paint that works.

I bet you could make a fortune selling all those unique fobs you found, if you could stand to part with them! Could you post some pictures of them in the reference library or the fob clubhouse so I can drool some more?

I've found some bargains on bags but too many of them I bought at the height of their popularity! If I could just learn to be patient!

 

[Mogambo66]

Aw, thanks for the compliment!

I've thought about putting clear nail polish on brass. Let me know how it works out, especially if you find a metallic paint that works.

I bet you could make a fortune selling all those unique fobs you found, if you could stand to part with them! Could you post some pictures of them in the reference library or the fob clubhouse so I can drool some more?

I've found some bargains on bags but too many of them I bought at the height of their popularity! If I could just learn to be patient!

I'm sure someday I will sell them, but for now I'm just enjoying them. Hopefully when I decide to let them go they will still be worth something! As much as I've spent on fobs, they may end up being my retirement fund I will go ahead and post them over in one of the fob threads, even though I'm not much of a photographer.

 

[Galaxygrrl]

I'm hoping someone here can help me out. I found this bag for a steal on ebay ($45 + shipping). It's definitely used, but after some leather CPR and Obenauf's I think it still looks great! The problem is that the metal end caps on the handles look really worn and scratched. Also, one of the metal dowels must have fallen out and someone replaced it with a wooden one which is longer than the opening. I was just wondering if you think Coach would be able to replace these parts if I send the bag in for repair? Or is there any other fix that you would suggest? Can the brass be re-plated somehow? If so, where would I take it? Thanks in advance for any help you can give me!

That bag looks amazing. I would see if you can take the caps off and have them refinished.. Look at this place. http://www.metalmagicrefinishing.com/

Sure there is on near you. My guess is it will be 20 to 40 bucks.