Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[Sonoma]

Hello Everyone

I'm starting to get the hang of rehabbing Sonoma bags - and am really enjoying the process and the support from this forum.

I have no experience with nubuc though; I know some of you have had success rehabbing it and others haven't. Do you think this bag would be hard to rehab? Among other issues the strap looks abused to me.

Opinions appreciated - I'm in love with this Elderberry color, and it's hard for me to be objective .

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Coach-Sonom...A-/121818589323?&_trksid=p2056016.m2518.l4276

TIA!

 

[whateve]

Hello Everyone

I'm starting to get the hang of rehabbing Sonoma bags - and am really enjoying the process and the support from this forum.

I have no experience with nubuc though; I know some of you have had success rehabbing it and others haven't. Do you think this bag would be hard to rehab? Among other issues the strap looks abused to me.

Opinions appreciated - I'm in love with this Elderberry color, and it's hard for me to be objective .

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Coach-Sonom...A-/121818589323?&_trksid=p2056016.m2518.l4276

TIA!

The strap looks shredded. I know of no way to fix that. I guess I'd shave it and then treat the edge with something, maybe fabric paint?) but it would be impossible to duplicate the texture.

I've tried rehabbing a few nubuc bags as well as some suede bags. I've learned to not buy either of these leathers unless they are in fantastic shape. I don't have good results with them. Often my rehabbing efforts make them worse. Stains almost never disappear. Brushing or lightly sanding the surface helps a tiny bit, but never can make it look new. I bought an elderberry Sonoma once and ended up returning it. It wasn't apparent in the the pictures but something must have spilled on it because parts of it were a lighter color.

 

[Sonoma]

The strap looks shredded. I know of no way to fix that. I guess I'd shave it and then treat the edge with something, maybe fabric paint?) but it would be impossible to duplicate the texture.

I've tried rehabbing a few nubuc bags as well as some suede bags. I've learned to not buy either of these leathers unless they are in fantastic shape. I don't have good results with them. Often my rehabbing efforts make them worse. Stains almost never disappear. Brushing or lightly sanding the surface helps a tiny bit, but never can make it look new. I bought an elderberry Sonoma once and ended up returning it. It wasn't apparent in the the pictures but something must have spilled on it because parts of it were a lighter color.

Thank you for talking me down whateve.

I think the vintage elderberry nubuc is so pretty, and I know I would carry that tote style a lot.
But the stains and damage would always bug me, especially if I couldn't improve it somehow.
Am thinking a nubuc bag may be too delicate & unforgiving for me.....

This one was tempting at $10 as a project, but not now as the price rises.

Anyway, I appreciate your feedback!

 

[whateve]

Thank you for talking me down whateve.

I think the vintage elderberry nubuc is so pretty, and I know I would carry that tote style a lot.
But the stains and damage would always bug me, especially if I couldn't improve it somehow.
Am thinking a nubuc bag may be too delicate & unforgiving for me.....

This one was tempting at $10 as a project, but not now as the price rises.

Anyway, I appreciate your feedback!

I don't think nubuc is too delicate. It is supposed to be durable. As long as you get one in good condition, it should hold up. Mine haven't gotten worse since I got them. I think that a lot of people don't take care of their bags and when they spill something on them, they don't try to clean it off immediately so it becomes a permanent stain. I don't know how a strap could get shredded like that.

 

[Sonoma]

I don't think nubuc is too delicate. It is supposed to be durable. As long as you get one in good condition, it should hold up. Mine haven't gotten worse since I got them. I think that a lot of people don't take care of their bags and when they spill something on them, they don't try to clean it off immediately so it becomes a permanent stain. I don't know how a strap could get shredded like that.

That's encouraging whateve, thanks.
Think I'll put elderberry nubuc - but in GUC - back on my Coach wish list.

 

[walkwsmile]

That's encouraging whateve, thanks.
Think I'll put elderberry nubuc - but in GUC - back on my Coach wish list.

I have had some amazing luck with suede. It just took some elbow grease and all the tricks I could find on this thread but I have an amazing hot pink tote, a light blue one and a lavender one. I am looking for a berry one, but it seems that everyone else is too because I keep getting out bid.

 

[avalavender]

Hello everyone! My first time posting in here. I'm not planning to do any heavy duty rehabbing any time soon because I'm new to this. Even though I've seen pictures of people dunking their bags in this forum, the idea still scares me. I'll work my courage up one of these days.

I'm just wondering though, since I saw this on ebay while searching for Duffle Sacs:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Authentic-V...29ff71e&pid=100005&rk=4&rkt=6&sd=262025327590

Is it possible to rescue a bag that looks like this? Or would you need to know more details about it before you can even decide? Like what kind of stains/markings those are.

I've been asking so much questions around the Coach forum hope you all don't mind. One day, I hope to learn enough to contribute with actual information haha.

 

[Catbird9]

Hello everyone! My first time posting in here. I'm not planning to do any heavy duty rehabbing any time soon because I'm new to this. Even though I've seen pictures of people dunking their bags in this forum, the idea still scares me. I'll work my courage up one of these days.

I'm just wondering though, since I saw this on ebay while searching for Duffle Sacs:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Authentic-V...29ff71e&pid=100005&rk=4&rkt=6&sd=262025327590

Is it possible to rescue a bag that looks like this? Or would you need to know more details about it before you can even decide? Like what kind of stains/markings those are.

I've been asking so much questions around the Coach forum hope you all don't mind. One day, I hope to learn enough to contribute with actual information haha.

I'm still new at this too, but here are my thoughts.

The bag is light colored so it's more challenging to rehab. Some of the stains could be oil or grease. It could be dunked, scrubbed and conditioned, but in my opinion the bag would still look distressed (which is a look some people like).

I wouldn't pay more than about $20 for a first rehab bag. Better to start with something easier (and less expensive) for your first project.

 

[whateve]

Hello everyone! My first time posting in here. I'm not planning to do any heavy duty rehabbing any time soon because I'm new to this. Even though I've seen pictures of people dunking their bags in this forum, the idea still scares me. I'll work my courage up one of these days.

I'm just wondering though, since I saw this on ebay while searching for Duffle Sacs:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Authentic-V...29ff71e&pid=100005&rk=4&rkt=6&sd=262025327590

Is it possible to rescue a bag that looks like this? Or would you need to know more details about it before you can even decide? Like what kind of stains/markings those are.

I've been asking so much questions around the Coach forum hope you all don't mind. One day, I hope to learn enough to contribute with actual information haha.

When you see a lot of little spots like that, chances are it is mold. It most likely has damaged the leather permanently.

 

[Sonoma]

I have had some amazing luck with suede. It just took some elbow grease and all the tricks I could find on this thread but I have an amazing hot pink tote, a light blue one and a lavender one. I am looking for a berry one, but it seems that everyone else is too because I keep getting out bid.

That's good to know, will help me work up my nerve to try a suede bag. I'm still looking for elderberry too - of the three styles I found that I liked, one was a fake, the other two were in too bad shape for me to rehab.

So the search continues. Good luck with yours!

 

[Bucketbagger]

No one have any ideas how to attack this problem? I have searched the thread, and I see lots of advice about dark spots but not light ones. Thanks.

Question: So my brown Patty has 2 spots where the color has worn away -- not totally, the leather is just lighter. (I'm bummed because it happened recently aka I damaged my own bag. With a chair. Don't ask.) Any thoughts on how to fix that? Shoe cream maybe? Thanks in advance for any ideas.

 

[avalavender]

I'm still new at this too, but here are my thoughts.

The bag is light colored so it's more challenging to rehab. Some of the stains could be oil or grease. It could be dunked, scrubbed and conditioned, but in my opinion the bag would still look distressed (which is a look some people like).

I wouldn't pay more than about $20 for a first rehab bag. Better to start with something easier (and less expensive) for your first project.

Thanks for the advice! I will look for an inexpensive bag to rehab.

And are there reasons light colored bags are more challenging to rehab? Is it because stains and spots are more noticeable if you can't get it out completely? Or does it have to do with how Coach dyes their bag?

 

[avalavender]

When you see a lot of little spots like that, chances are it is mold. It most likely has damaged the leather permanently.

Ooooh. I didn't even think that the bag might be moldy-- is that a common thing to have to watch out for when storing leather bags? Most of my mom's older bags are okay and all she does is keep them in dust bags.

 

[whateve]

Thanks for the advice! I will look for an inexpensive bag to rehab.

And are there reasons light colored bags are more challenging to rehab? Is it because stains and spots are more noticeable if you can't get it out completely? Or does it have to do with how Coach dyes their bag?

Light colors show more dirt. Plus the darker leather underneath the dye sometimes starts to show through. Black can be full of stains but you can't see them.

Ooooh. I didn't even think that the bag might be moldy-- is that a common thing to have to watch out for when storing leather bags? Most of my mom's older bags are okay and all she does is keep them in dust bags.

I live in the desert so it isn't common for me to see mold. I had a bag mold once when I washed it during a heat wave and then we had a power failure. It was so hot we had to go stay in a hotel. When we got back the next day, the house was steamy and my bag was covered with mold. It might have been moldy before the bath and I hadn't noticed, The steamy conditions really gave it a chance to flourish.

I think in most cases, bags only mold when people store them in an environment that isn't temperature controlled, like a garage or storage locker.

 

[whateve]

No one have any ideas how to attack this problem? I have searched the thread, and I see lots of advice about dark spots but not light ones. Thanks.

I don't think it is that bad. Have you already used Blackrocks? That usually makes things like that less noticeable. Most of the time, we aren't striving for perfection. Some patina is okay. It would be difficult to dye just those two spots, and if you end up covering the entire bag with some kind of colorant the texture of the leather will be compromised.

You could try the paint trick: Mix a little matching paint with a lot of conditioner and then blend it in. It usually works well for worn edges; not so much for random spots, but it might help a little.