Is it worth trying to rehab? It looks really really green in some areas, I'm a bit hesitant and thinking of just passing on it. It's $30 which is on the high end of what I'm willing to pay for a bag that needs work.
Coach Rehab and Rescue Club
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Is it worth trying to rehab? It looks really really green in some areas, I'm a bit hesitant and thinking of just passing on it. It's $30 which is on the high end of what I'm willing to pay for a bag that needs work.
I don't know. I've given up on Dooneys. I find them much harder to rehab. The harder leather doesn't respond as well.
Aw shucks. I thought since it's a glove leather bag, not all weather leather, it'll probably be similar to coach leather.
I have a Dooney AWL bucket bag that has vertigris on the strap which is not AWL. Maybe I'll give that a try and see how successful I am. Do you dab on the vinegar or soak it? Or some other method?
I've never tried to rehab a glove tanned Dooney bag, so it might be easier. The AWL leather bags are the ones I had trouble with. Scratches don't disappear with conditioning, even on the straps. When I have a Coach strap, I usually put the brass ends to soak in vinegar and it doesn't hurt the leather if some of that is soaking too. I think soaking probably would be necessary. I've used vinegar on Coach vachetta. It doesn't darken it like water would. You might need to soak the entire strap to keep the color even.
Did I say that? When I first started reading this I thought to myself. "that's not coming off". I would mess around with vinegar and then maybe dunk, but I'm not sure it will get it off.
Oh wait, are you talking about that satchel I just dunked? There were like, chunks of verdigris if you know what I mean. The chunks came off, the leather might still be a little stained but it's a darker leather and with conditioner it blended in.
That's a pretty bag, I guess just think about how much you're willing to spend and how much it will bother you if you can't get it off
I just won a Gigi tote, and I am so excited! It comes with some red wine stains, however. Any advice?
Pretty! So I've dunked some legacy bags, including a Mandy, a satchel and a Gigi. I would probably dunk it. I don't think it will completely remove the stain, but I think it might lighten a little and help it blend in when you condition it. Is there any on the lining? I can only see one picture.
You have to be careful because they're heavy when they're wet and if the sealant is starting to go it will make it worse. Look back a few pages at my satchel, which is the same color. It was no biggie and it came out beautiful. Do your best to let it dry evenly, maybe rotate it.
The sealant on both my Gigi and Mandy is pretty much shot and I have decided there isn't really a good way to fix it. Once you get over it it doesn't look bad. I think there is just no way sealant is going to hold with this heavy leather, they should have stitched some piping instead of trying to glue it together.
If you don't want to mess with dunking I would just shake it out, wipe it lightly with a slightly damp cloth, and condition with black rocks and or obenaufs.
Ok thank you! I'm not super worried about it, the red wine is mostly on the back of the bag and the bottom. The liner looks pretty good! Not perfect but has typical use stains. I'll wash that too.
PS I am a sucker for Legacy items in whisky! Your recent rehab looks great!
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I think the other legacy dunks are in the old thread, but I don't think they'll tell you more than the most recent one. The biggest trick is to let them dry as evenly as possible, rotate the towels till it holds it shape and rotate it often.
I'm a sucker for whiskey too. I did not need that satchel!
This was the post I saw! Of course this Dooney is in much worse condition but if I could get all the spots to lighten so it's not so noticeable, I would be OK with it
Right now I consider the price too high for a bag that needs work and can possibly be unfixable. I'm just indecisive because I have never seen this bag before and I'm afraid I won't find another one any time soon in my price range
the struggles of bargain hunting!I've heard that most vintage Coach unlined leather bags are safe to dunk. And darker colors are easier to work with than light. A lot of people find their rehab projects from thrift stores or ebay!
Go for an unlined bag that has a creed, made between the late 80s and the early 2000s. Bags made too early will be more difficult to rehab, so you might want to steer clear of NYC creeds on your first try. Sometimes bags will be in such bad shape that nothing will save them so you have to be careful not to get a lost cause, although those will be the cheapest. Lost causes are bags with bad ink stains or when the leather has hardened to a point that it won't recover. It's probably best to get a simpler design, like a basic bag, since bags with more hardware or dowels are more difficult. If you just want to experiment, bags that are missing straps will be cheaper.
Thanks you. Okay u will hunt for bags from those years to try for the first time. I am eyeing a few more expensive vintage which might need rehab. That's why I thought I should try with cheaper bag first. Thanks again!