Thanks for your reply Catbird9. I have rehabbed some bags before but those are in fairly good condition (just some dunking and conditioning needed). Not sure what are the spots too..does it look like mold?
Coach Rehab and Rescue Club
- Thread starter greenpixie
- Start date
TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others
That is a really cute Watson (I think). The spots on the strap look depigmented. You could try to camouflaging them by daubing them with brown Edgkote thinned out with a bit of conditioner. I use a makeup sponge. Edgekote certainly would work on the piping.
Hi there - Just came across your posting regarding using Edge Kote on the worn corners... so you're saying you take the Edge Kote, mix it with some conditioner to make a dye-like substance for the faded corners on your bags? Can you provide any more detail?
I'm asking because I have two huge bottles of Fiebing's Edge Kote in black and brown for my sealant repairs, which I will never ever use up. I also have worn corners on several of my black bags and one brown bag that I was going to buy leather dye for, but I don't like having tons of products laying around that I will likely never use up.... I think the smallest dye is 4oz, and like I said, I'm just fixing the corners on the bags
I wouldn't mind buying black dye because I have a ton of black bags, but buying a 4oz brown dye seems a little wasteful, KWIM?
Thanks in advance!
Hi there - Just came across your posting regarding using Edge Kote on the worn corners... so you're saying you take the Edge Kote, mix it with some conditioner to make a dye-like substance for the faded corners on your bags? Can you provide any more detail?
I'm asking because I have two huge bottles of Fiebing's Edge Kote in black and brown for my sealant repairs, which I will never ever use up. I also have worn corners on several of my black bags and one brown bag that I was going to buy leather dye for, but I don't like having tons of products laying around that I will likely never use up.... I think the smallest dye is 4oz, and like I said, I'm just fixing the corners on the bags
I wouldn't mind buying black dye because I have a ton of black bags, but buying a 4oz brown dye seems a little wasteful, KWIM?
Thanks in advance!
You sound like me, not wanting to accumulate lots of products I'll never use.
So yes, what I do is get a little container and mix about 1 part Fiebings to 2 parts conditioner, stir with q-tip, apply to worn/faded area. This has worked on areas of light wear; the color does penetrate. I've never used it on extremely worn edges, but it would be worth trying I think. You can experiment with the proportions depending on the color of your leather.
Attachments
Hi! Someone please help me find the post/info on fixing discoloration in spots? I got a small love red Phoebe that has small patches that are way lighter in color (almost white), at the bottom ends of the shoulder straps. The placements of the discoloration lead me to believe it's from the masking tape that used to be there. I believe someone mentioned using leather conditioner mixed with Sharpie ink, or leather dye? TIA!
I believe the Sharpie trick was for Legacy duffles. It never worked to me. For Madison, which includes Phoebe, I've had marvelous luck with Leather Refinish by Wood 'n' Stuff http://www.wood-n-stuff.com/leatheraid.html mixed with a little Lexol conditioner (or Apple). You can order a 1 oz bottle but you might have to order more than one and mix and get that color. That is, if it is actually the leather that is discolored. If it is the edge coating, then I would take a different approach.
Happy Holidays Coachie Rehabbers!
I decided to post this information here because there isn't a rehab thread on TPF for Hobo International (or Hobo the Original) bags - just in case someone is searching for Hobo brand rehab information.
My niece is a young woman in her 20s and her Christmas gift list included a faux leather lvory and Gold clutch from DSW for $30. The bag was not in stock online or in the store. In the pictures the bag looked cute but rather flimsy. Her mother said that she wanted to use it as a clutch for New Year's Eve. I bought a different gift for her and then decided to look through my neglected piles of bags "waiting to be rehabbed" to see if I had anything suitable to give as an extra gift.
I settled on a pretty and very well-made Hobo International Gala Ruched Clutch 9611 GLD in metallic gold with an antique gold chain strap and kisslock closure. The leather is very soft and it might be lamb nappa but I am not sure. I have lots of evening bags (and very few special occasions!) and I never used it myself.
I found it at the Salvation Army store a few years ago for $3.56 and it still had the Nordstrom labels attached marked $139. It is a nice large clutch with a cute paisley lining and a built in wallet. I checked for it online and I think it was released in 2007.
The bag really didn't need much rehab, it may never have been used; but I thought that I detected a slight "dusty, musty" odor from storage so I decided to give it a bath in warm water and Dawn. It held up great during the washing process but it was very hard to dry out the leather.
I tried all the usual tricks, stuffing with towels, pulling out the lining, turning and suspending the bag from various angles to capture the air flow but the leather, especially around the seams stayed damp even though the lining dried quickly.
I don't know if the heavy metallic finish was trapping the moisture inside and preventing the leather from drying, but if I had to do it over I may have just surfaced cleaned it and skipped the bath. Or I would plan extra time for the drying process.
It took days and Christmas was coming so on Christmas Eve I finally resorted to the hair dryer. I put it on "low" and "cool" and just stuck it inside the bag and let it run, changing the direction of the air flow every now and then.
That finally did the trick and the bag dried completely and the leather remained supple throughout the process. Next I treated the leather surface with Lexol conditioner and I left the antique hardware alone. It was a very easy rehab except for the slow drying issue.
I didn't have a Hobo International dust bag for storage but I had previously picked up a white flannel Prada dust bag for $2 at Savers that was just the right size (sadly I never found anything Prada to put in it!) so I washed it and used it for the Hobo clutch.
I gave it to my niece last night and she was really pleased. She gave me a big smile and told me that it was beautiful and that she "really needs a pretty evening bag clutch!" Her mother said "that bag just screams New Year's Eve!"
So for a total of $6 and very little effort my niece got a much prettier and nicer bag (IMO) than the faux leather item she asked for, and this long-neglected and under-appreciated bag will finally get an opportunity to shine! Here are some after pics.
Happy New Years!
I decided to post this information here because there isn't a rehab thread on TPF for Hobo International (or Hobo the Original) bags - just in case someone is searching for Hobo brand rehab information.
My niece is a young woman in her 20s and her Christmas gift list included a faux leather lvory and Gold clutch from DSW for $30. The bag was not in stock online or in the store. In the pictures the bag looked cute but rather flimsy. Her mother said that she wanted to use it as a clutch for New Year's Eve. I bought a different gift for her and then decided to look through my neglected piles of bags "waiting to be rehabbed" to see if I had anything suitable to give as an extra gift.
I settled on a pretty and very well-made Hobo International Gala Ruched Clutch 9611 GLD in metallic gold with an antique gold chain strap and kisslock closure. The leather is very soft and it might be lamb nappa but I am not sure. I have lots of evening bags (and very few special occasions!) and I never used it myself.
I found it at the Salvation Army store a few years ago for $3.56 and it still had the Nordstrom labels attached marked $139. It is a nice large clutch with a cute paisley lining and a built in wallet. I checked for it online and I think it was released in 2007.
The bag really didn't need much rehab, it may never have been used; but I thought that I detected a slight "dusty, musty" odor from storage so I decided to give it a bath in warm water and Dawn. It held up great during the washing process but it was very hard to dry out the leather.
I tried all the usual tricks, stuffing with towels, pulling out the lining, turning and suspending the bag from various angles to capture the air flow but the leather, especially around the seams stayed damp even though the lining dried quickly.
I don't know if the heavy metallic finish was trapping the moisture inside and preventing the leather from drying, but if I had to do it over I may have just surfaced cleaned it and skipped the bath. Or I would plan extra time for the drying process.
It took days and Christmas was coming so on Christmas Eve I finally resorted to the hair dryer. I put it on "low" and "cool" and just stuck it inside the bag and let it run, changing the direction of the air flow every now and then.
That finally did the trick and the bag dried completely and the leather remained supple throughout the process. Next I treated the leather surface with Lexol conditioner and I left the antique hardware alone. It was a very easy rehab except for the slow drying issue.
I didn't have a Hobo International dust bag for storage but I had previously picked up a white flannel Prada dust bag for $2 at Savers that was just the right size (sadly I never found anything Prada to put in it!) so I washed it and used it for the Hobo clutch.
I gave it to my niece last night and she was really pleased. She gave me a big smile and told me that it was beautiful and that she "really needs a pretty evening bag clutch!" Her mother said "that bag just screams New Year's Eve!"
So for a total of $6 and very little effort my niece got a much prettier and nicer bag (IMO) than the faux leather item she asked for, and this long-neglected and under-appreciated bag will finally get an opportunity to shine! Here are some after pics.
Happy New Years!
Attachments
Last edited:
You sound like me, not wanting to accumulate lots of products I'll never use.
So yes, what I do is get a little container and mix about 1 part Fiebings to 2 parts conditioner, stir with q-tip, apply to worn/faded area. This has worked on areas of light wear; the color does penetrate. I've never used it on extremely worn edges, but it would be worth trying I think. You can experiment with the proportions depending on the color of your leather.
Thanks so much! I have taken this week off of work, so I'm going to take the time to FINALLY get to work on my one rehab project bag (Taylor zip, british tan) and the 2 black bags with neglected/faded corners.The edges aren't extremely worn, but there are a few spots that definitely need color
I'm hoping to post again here with good results!!
Hi guys, hope you don't mind me reposting this question, but has anyone had problems with the dye rubbing off of navy blue vintage coach bags? I ordered a couple off eBay that had a big problem with it, but wonder if the seller used something on them, since I've never had that issue with black or mahogany. Any help would be great!! Happy holidays!
Thanks so much! I have taken this week off of work, so I'm going to take the time to FINALLY get to work on my one rehab project bag (Taylor zip, british tan) and the 2 black bags with neglected/faded corners.The edges aren't extremely worn, but there are a few spots that definitely need color
I'm hoping to post again here with good results!!
Looking for forward to seeing them!
If someone used shoe polish on the bag then it will rub off on you. If a navy bag hasn't been treated with shoe polish you shouldn't have any rubbing problems.
Has anyone used hydrogen peroxide with dish soap when soaking a bag for about 30-45 minutes? I'm thinking about trying it...