Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[Catbird9]

Amazing! Looks practically new. How does it work - does it remove whatever is left of varnish and then polishes the bare surface, or leaves leftover varnish, just cleans it and seals the cracks?

I'm not sure if it removes varnish. I think it just cleans, polishes and adds a thin layer of color. It contains petroleum distillates, so I avoided getting it on the leather (I used blue painter's masking tape around the snap). I'll have to see how it holds up with time and use.

 

[emilu]

My rehab purchase has arrived! It's quite worn but has a nice thick vintage leather so I think any damage is cosmetic.

The color difference from what it probably started out as under the flap and outside is impressive. This bag has seen some wear. Tons of scratches and overall wear. Quite a few pen marks (luckily most on the inside).

Based on what I have gleaned from reading this thread. My plan is to dunk it and then ultimately dye it a darker brown.


I've purchased/have the following
1) leather cpr
2) tarrago penetrating dye in dark brown
Also I was planning to use for another project (look at me getting ahead of myself) but I also picked up fiebings acrylic resolene as well as fiebings deglazer.

Do you think I'll need the deglazer?

So I assume I dunk and wash first. Then apply the dye after its fully dry. Then resolene then cpr. Or maybe I'm totally off. I'm a total newbie so let me know. I once tried an acrylic (surface) coloring but I really didn't like how that turned it so trying a more subtle penetrating color deepening this time.

Thanks for your guidance!

 

[Catbird9]

My rehab purchase has arrived! It's quite worn but has a nice thick vintage leather so I think any damage is cosmetic. View attachment 3300939View attachment 3300940View attachment 3300941View attachment 3300942View attachment 3300943View attachment 3300944

The color difference from what it probably started out as under the flap and outside is impressive. This bag has seen some wear. Tons of scratches and overall wear. Quite a few pen marks (luckily most on the inside).

Based on what I have gleaned from reading this thread. My plan is to dunk it and then ultimately dye it a darker brown.


I've purchased/have the following
1) leather cpr
2) tarrago penetrating dye in dark brown
Also I was planning to use for another project (look at me getting ahead of myself) but I also picked up fiebings acrylic resolene as well as fiebings deglazer.

Do you think I'll need the deglazer?

So I assume I dunk and wash first. Then apply the dye after its fully dry. Then resolene then cpr. Or maybe I'm totally off. I'm a total newbie so let me know. I once tried an acrylic (surface) coloring but I really didn't like how that turned it so trying a more subtle penetrating color deepening this time.

Thanks for your guidance!

Those NYC Convertible Clutches are such lovely bags. If it were mine, I would just dunk and condition. It should respond beautifully.

I'll be interested to see how it turns out!

 

[Zealous]

My rehab purchase has arrived! It's quite worn but has a nice thick vintage leather so I think any damage is cosmetic. View attachment 3300939View attachment 3300940View attachment 3300941View attachment 3300942View attachment 3300943View attachment 3300944

The color difference from what it probably started out as under the flap and outside is impressive. This bag has seen some wear. Tons of scratches and overall wear. Quite a few pen marks (luckily most on the inside).

Based on what I have gleaned from reading this thread. My plan is to dunk it and then ultimately dye it a darker brown.


I've purchased/have the following
1) leather cpr
2) tarrago penetrating dye in dark brown
Also I was planning to use for another project (look at me getting ahead of myself) but I also picked up fiebings acrylic resolene as well as fiebings deglazer.

Do you think I'll need the deglazer?

So I assume I dunk and wash first. Then apply the dye after its fully dry. Then resolene then cpr. Or maybe I'm totally off. I'm a total newbie so let me know. I once tried an acrylic (surface) coloring but I really didn't like how that turned it so trying a more subtle penetrating color deepening this time.

Thanks for your guidance!

Hi! That's a great bag! I agree with Catbird9... I would lean toward dunking, start conditioning with Leather CPR while still damp & finish with Blackrock. Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[catthecurious]

My rehab purchase has arrived! It's quite worn but has a nice thick vintage leather so I think any damage is cosmetic. View attachment 3300939View attachment 3300940View attachment 3300941View attachment 3300942View attachment 3300943View attachment 3300944

The color difference from what it probably started out as under the flap and outside is impressive. This bag has seen some wear. Tons of scratches and overall wear. Quite a few pen marks (luckily most on the inside).

Based on what I have gleaned from reading this thread. My plan is to dunk it and then ultimately dye it a darker brown.


I've purchased/have the following
1) leather cpr
2) tarrago penetrating dye in dark brown
Also I was planning to use for another project (look at me getting ahead of myself) but I also picked up fiebings acrylic resolene as well as fiebings deglazer.

Do you think I'll need the deglazer?

So I assume I dunk and wash first. Then apply the dye after its fully dry. Then resolene then cpr. Or maybe I'm totally off. I'm a total newbie so let me know. I once tried an acrylic (surface) coloring but I really didn't like how that turned it so trying a more subtle penetrating color deepening this time.

Thanks for your guidance!

I'm with Catbird, her plan is much simpler and could result in showing the real beauty of the bag. Besides, if you don't like the result, you can always re-dunk it and go ahead with the initial plan - but, unfortunately, that wouldn't work the other way around. The same clutch, just in black, was my first rehab. Still treasure her as my first baby... Unless, of course, you see her strictly as learning material and are interested in the process more than outcome. Whatever you decide to do, good luck!

 

[catthecurious]

I'm not sure if it removes varnish. I think it just cleans, polishes and adds a thin layer of color. It contains petroleum distillates, so I avoided getting it on the leather (I used blue painter's masking tape around the snap). I'll have to see how it holds up with time and use.

I just read instructions for its use on Joanne's website and was surprised to find out they suggest putting it on with a cloth OR bare hands. So I guess that implies it's not toxic. Go figure, I'd think with the result you get you have to use all sorts of protection for the hands, eyes and nose But I still think it's a good idea to cover that leather.


By the way, if any of you wanted to buy something from Joann's site but didn't want to pay ridiculously high shipping fee, today is a good day for that - shipping is only 1.99 for any size order with the code SHIP73.

 

[Almmac]

I dunked a Dooney Spectator that same two tone with no bleeding *except* the bottom lining piece. Recommend taking out the glued in suede bottom piece (if yours has that) and washing that separately b/c it likely has a cardboard layer sandwiched between so you don't want to soak it and warp it (learned that somewhere in here!) and that bottom piece did bleed dye. I dried it between heavy books to prevent warping. FWIW I also did get some big long wrinkle lines in the outside AWL parts after dunking even though I was careful with stuffing and rotating while drying.

Great to know! Hopefully my next dunking goes better than the wallet did! I will go for 15 mins this time.
I've ruined the cardboard bottom of a Vera Bradley before by washing it. I ended up taking out the damaged cardboard and using it as a pattern. I had a frameless picture frame that had fallen and the glass had broken so I just had the backing lying around. I think the frame backing was particle board. I used that and the purse is now sturdier than before. I've also used plastic (I think a child's placemat or one of those flexible cutting boards) as a replacement bottom. It worked better than the cardboard too. I don't know why purse manufacturers use cardboard to begin with.
That's curious about the wrinkle lines? How long did you leave the purse in the water?
Thanks for the info!

 

[Almmac]

Rub'n Buff worked like a charm:

Wow! Looks like new!

 

[mrk2014]

whateve, the water was lukewarm at best. The paint is still firmly attached to the top and bottom of the tag. It's almost like whatever process was used on the top and bottom missed the sides. Maybe some kind of heat sealing or a top coat? I don't know. I just hope it wasn't the OxyClean! I've been using that for years now with 99% good results. Usually if something goes wrong, it's my fault and I can figure out what happened... Like soaking a white thing with a brightly colored thing in the same bucket with OxyClean (not a good idea). That leads me to the next thing I've been wondering about. Is it safe to bath a 2 tone bag? Navy with British Tan trim for example? I worry that the Navy will bleed onto the tan. I've been looking through the bag restorations and haven't come across a 2 tone purse yet. I just found a bag on the bay last night and bought it but I'm wondering if I should bath it when it arrives. I'm really dying to try this out. I want to do a restoration that doesn't involve dye. I will have to repair the edging on the strap though. I've bought gel medium and I'm thinking about ordering a bottle of the Tandy Edging. It can be mixed with acrylic colors and according to the instructions, only takes 2 coats.

I have dunked a couple Sheridans, green, navy and taupe with the tan straps, etc... I never had a problem with colors bleeding.

Let us know how the Tandy Edging works, being able to mix it with acrylic colors would make it a great choice for the light colored bags

 

[mrk2014]

Did any of you ladies ever had a problem with yellowish water residue left on lightly colored fabric bags after they've been washed (hand washed or machine washed, doesn't matter), thoroughly rinsed and air dried? I always have this problem, on all kinds of fabric - satin, jacquard or cotton. I suspect it's something in my local water which is totally safe for drinking and using otherwise, but probably has some excessive amount of iron or some other element. Re-washing doesn't help, it's either leaves more stains when the fabric dries off, or removes the initial stains, but leaves new ones in different places. I even tried to partially dry it with hair drier, that didn't help much, either. Any theories and suggestions are appreciated!

I never had that problem and I do not recall anyone mentioning before (from the posts I have read, not all of course, LOL). It has to be something in your water. Depending on how big and how often you dunk your bags, may be getting big containers of drinking water from your local grocery stores would be worth it.

 

[Almmac]

Thank you!




Sweet bag! I recently dunked a blue Dooney AWL Large Equestrian and was happy with the result.

http://forum.purseblog.com/showpost.php?p=29709565&postcount=10470

I don't think you'll have any problems with yours. If it were mine I'd go easy on it, 15 minutes, lukewarm water, not much soap, use a nail brush to scrub the inside, the outside looks fine. Rinse well. Shape with towels (don't overstuff) to dry.

I think the neutral Edge Kote would work fine for the strap.

Oh wow! My bag looks like a smaller version of yours! They are almost identical! Well I feel much more confident about dunking it and I will take your advice about the soak time and edge coating. I've ordered the Tandy Neutral and I even found an edging tool on the bay. It was from the same seller I bought the Tandy from so it was just $3. I don't know if it will be better than the toothpick but it's worth a try. I found another tool that costs more but unfortunately Ebay doesn't have product reviews so I couldn't decide which one would be best.
Thank you for sharing your wealth of information and experience!

 

[mrk2014]

Thanks for this! I've been eyeing that product, wondering if it might make badly tarnished or scratched brass plated hardware look better than just lightly polishing it with other stuff. Think I'll try it now!

This product only adds a bit of color, I would use it as the last step in the process, after using everything else. I used the Brasso first, then very slightly sanded it, etc...

Rub'n Buff worked like a charm:

Yes, just like new. I am glad it helped you.

Amazing! Looks practically new. How does it work - does it remove whatever is left of varnish and then polishes the bare surface, or leaves leftover varnish, just cleans it and seals the cracks?

As I said above, it won't clean and it won't remove anything, it's only like a wax for metals, you apply and you rub it for shine, the tiny particles get in the cracks so they look better, the light scratches will be covered much better than old brass, that started to peel, etc... I kinda remember reading here as well, that it will rub off depending on how much you use your purse, but you always can repeat the process, it is a tiny tube but lasts like forever, as you only need a pinch of it.

Thanks for the info! For those of us who don't faithfully follow this thread and physically can't go through two 700+ message links, posts like yours are priceless. Do you think the same shade will be good for a simple scratched-up brass turnlock on a vintage bag, not lacquered one? Also, I assume the leather around the lock has to be protected to avoid contact, right?

You are welcome! Definitely yes, protect the leather around it. And all results won't be the same, like my pictures the turnlock part didn't end up as good as the strap part.... It worked to improve the appearance, so great!

My rehab purchase has arrived! It's quite worn but has a nice thick vintage leather so I think any damage is cosmetic. View attachment 3300939View attachment 3300940View attachment 3300941View attachment 3300942View attachment 3300943View attachment 3300944

The color difference from what it probably started out as under the flap and outside is impressive. This bag has seen some wear. Tons of scratches and overall wear. Quite a few pen marks (luckily most on the inside).

Based on what I have gleaned from reading this thread. My plan is to dunk it and then ultimately dye it a darker brown.


I've purchased/have the following
1) leather cpr
2) tarrago penetrating dye in dark brown
Also I was planning to use for another project (look at me getting ahead of myself) but I also picked up fiebings acrylic resolene as well as fiebings deglazer.

Do you think I'll need the deglazer?

So I assume I dunk and wash first. Then apply the dye after its fully dry. Then resolene then cpr. Or maybe I'm totally off. I'm a total newbie so let me know. I once tried an acrylic (surface) coloring but I really didn't like how that turned it so trying a more subtle penetrating color deepening this time.

Thanks for your guidance!

This is quite a project! I have not dared to dye anything yet, not brave enough, LOL

Good luck!

 

[emilu]

Those NYC Convertible Clutches are such lovely bags. If it were mine, I would just dunk and condition. It should respond beautifully.

I'll be interested to see how it turns out!

Hi! That's a great bag! I agree with Catbird9... I would lean toward dunking, start conditioning with Leather CPR while still damp & finish with Blackrock. Good luck with whatever you decide!

I'm with Catbird, her plan is much simpler and could result in showing the real beauty of the bag. Besides, if you don't like the result, you can always re-dunk it and go ahead with the initial plan - but, unfortunately, that wouldn't work the other way around. The same clutch, just in black, was my first rehab. Still treasure her as my first baby... Unless, of course, you see her strictly as learning material and are interested in the process more than outcome. Whatever you decide to do, good luck!

Thanks for the good advice. Hadn't thought of it that way.

I'll try dunking. Then cpr and seeing how I feel. Nice to know I can always redunk and dye if just conditioning doesn't get it to where I want it.

 

[catthecurious]

I never had that problem and I do not recall anyone mentioning before (from the posts I have read, not all of course, LOL). It has to be something in your water. Depending on how big and how often you dunk your bags, may be getting big containers of drinking water from your local grocery stores would be worth it.

That's what I thought, and I had already started thinking in that direction (using gallons of drinking water at least for the final rinse. Or maybe filtered tap water from my Pur wil do?). It's not like it's a routine procedure for me (dunking fabric bags), but if I buy them used, I always try to do that as when even almost new, they show signs of use, more or less. Since I don't spend any money on Coach fabric cleaner, I'll consider buying water for rinsing similar sort of investment

 

[Almmac]

My rehab purchase has arrived! It's quite worn but has a nice thick vintage leather so I think any damage is cosmetic. View attachment 3300939View attachment 3300940View attachment 3300941View attachment 3300942View attachment 3300943View attachment 3300944

The color difference from what it probably started out as under the flap and outside is impressive. This bag has seen some wear. Tons of scratches and overall wear. Quite a few pen marks (luckily most on the inside).

Based on what I have gleaned from reading this thread. My plan is to dunk it and then ultimately dye it a darker brown.


I've purchased/have the following
1) leather cpr
2) tarrago penetrating dye in dark brown
Also I was planning to use for another project (look at me getting ahead of myself) but I also picked up fiebings acrylic resolene as well as fiebings deglazer.

Do you think I'll need the deglazer?

So I assume I dunk and wash first. Then apply the dye after its fully dry. Then resolene then cpr. Or maybe I'm totally off. I'm a total newbie so let me know. I once tried an acrylic (surface) coloring but I really didn't like how that turned it so trying a more subtle penetrating color deepening this time.

Thanks for your guidance!

Looks like a fun project! I am interested in seeing what the leather does after being dunked and conditioned. The purse looks really dry so I bet using BlackRock would be a good thing. It will darken it up a bit. Keep us up-to-date on how it goes!