Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[emilu]

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!

Do you think.blackrock will even out the color differential? The front of the flap clearly got far more of a beating than the rest of the bag and as its drying (with leather cpr) the shade difference remains pretty obvious. Which is kind of why I was thinking a dye would help.

So far it's been a learning experience. The water was pretty brown after the dunking--barf. Lol. Pen marks still around but that was to be expected and they are primarily on the inside anyhow.

 

[catthecurious]

Before I go I will share other tip regarding applying acrylic paint with the moisturizer. I recommend using a thick cream one, like Leather Therapy not other conditioners that are more like lotion.

Once I got at Goodwill a white Coach crossbody, it had a pen mark that someone tried to clean, rubbed too hard, then used shoe polish trying to cover it, but of course was still evident and a mess. After I cleaned the whole bag I used the white acrylic paint with a lotion moisturizer that I had used before to touch up corners or an edge and it worked. This time it worked to cover the spot, but still was noticeable due to the white leather having faded etc.. I decided to slightly do the whole bag. When dry the bag was stiff, I had to use many coats of Leather Therapy to make it better and the color was not uniform. Live and learn.

Then just now a friend asked if I could help her clean a MK in white leather that had worn out corners, scratches, etc... I did the corners for her the usual way, and she wanted the edges on top too, the straps...., at the end she said to do the whole bag, I didn't want to but she insisted, this time I mixed the white paint with the thick Leather Therapy and wow! The bag turned out like new, soft, even color... my friend loved it.

So cream versus lotion or Coach leather versus MK... I do not know, but I will use the cream from now on all my rehabs.

Are Leather CPR and Leather Therapy similar products? I don't have either but I've ordered Leather CPR. I have Blackrock, Bick5, Obenauf's, and Leather Rescue. I have a bone colored Coach Hobo that I am restoring and I've mixed some bone colored acrylic with the Leather Rescue but it didn't mix well. The Leather Rescue is an oil. It still lightened up the scuffs but they are not invisible. I was going to try again with the Leather CPR when it arrives. Do you think it will work or do I need to get Leather Therapy too?

I've learned the trick with mixing acrylics with leather moisturizer here from someone - or should I just thank the Collective TPF Wisdom for that? - and have always used it with Leather Therapy and it works great. I never used Leather CPR, but my understanding is it works best with daily/seasonal maintanace of well cared for bags, not restoration projects. Leather Therapy is rich, thick and oily. When I aksed other rehabbers opinion, Coach943 told me Obenauf's is similar to Leather Therapy, so if you already have one, Almmac, you might just do well Obenauf's. From what I read on Fiebing's website, the paint they sell for touch-ups is basically acrylic, so the initial TPF idea was right. I've never tried making the acrylic paint and leather moisturizer mixture with too much of the paint in it as I was afraid that'd make the leather look painted over, like those ugly murals we've all seen here when the rehabbers tried to remove from their salvaged bags. But I've already thought that in some cases my concentration was not doing good enough job and next time I have to add more paint.

 

[mrk2014]

Are Leather CPR and Leather Therapy similar products? I don't have either but I've ordered Leather CPR. I have Blackrock, Bick5, Obenauf's, and Leather Rescue. I have a bone colored Coach Hobo that I am restoring and I've mixed some bone colored acrylic with the Leather Rescue but it didn't mix well. The Leather Rescue is an oil. It still lightened up the scuffs but they are not invisible. I was going to try again with the Leather CPR when it arrives. Do you think it will work or do I need to get Leather Therapy too?

Oh! Good choice in ordering Leather CPR, because that's the one I used on the MK bag.

Sorry! I was saying Leather Therapy because it is the one I was using before I started with the CPR one and got them mixed up.
I am not saying that the Leather Therapy won't work, I honestly do not know I never used it mixed with paint, just to moisturize and after I used it all decided to order CPR to try, and I liked it better as moisturizer so that's the only one I use now. I have the lotion one as well, but as I said on the other post it doesn't work as good.

 

[mrk2014]

Second photo....

What a beautiful bag, definitely a collector's dream. Be very careful and I hope you get it restored, good luck!

 

[mrk2014]

Has anyone repaired damage like this? I've never used a filler before but I do have leather cement. Will that work as a filler? I also have matte gel medium. If those products won't work what is the best filler?

Oh gosh! You are brave! I wouldn't touch that, literally... I am too chicken when it comes to big projects like that or using dye.

Let us know how it comes out.

 

[Almmac]

I've learned the trick with mixing acrylics with leather moisturizer here from someone - or should I just thank the Collective TPF Wisdom for that? - and have always used it with Leather Therapy and it works great. I never used Leather CPR, but my understanding is it works best with daily/seasonal maintanace of well cared for bags, not restoration projects. Leather Therapy is rich, thick and oily. When I aksed other rehabbers opinion, Coach943 told me Obenauf's is similar to Leather Therapy, so if you already have one, Almmac, you might just do well Obenauf's. From what I read on Fiebing's website, the paint they sell for touch-ups is basically acrylic, so the initial TPF idea was right. I've never tried making the acrylic paint and leather moisturizer mixture with too much of the paint in it as I was afraid that'd make the leather look painted over, like those ugly murals we've all seen here when the rehabbers tried to remove from their salvaged bags. But I've already thought that in some cases my concentration was not doing good enough job and next time I have to add more paint.

I can't imagine that mixing Obenauf's with acrylic would work because the Obenauf's I have is the consistency of chapstick or lip balm. I would have to melt it down to mix it and then it would just be a waxy oil. I guess it's worth a try but Obenauf's doesn't have a lotion-like consistency. Maybe we are talking about 2 different Obenauf's products. The Leather CPR came in today and it is similar to the Bick5. I may just bite the bullet and order ANOTHER leather care product. My husband probably thinks I'm crazy at this point anyway with all my purses and cases of products. LOL

 

[mrk2014]

I've learned the trick with mixing acrylics with leather moisturizer here from someone - or should I just thank the Collective TPF Wisdom for that? - and have always used it with Leather Therapy and it works great. I never used Leather CPR, but my understanding is it works best with daily/seasonal maintanace of well cared for bags, not restoration projects. Leather Therapy is rich, thick and oily. When I aksed other rehabbers opinion, Coach943 told me Obenauf's is similar to Leather Therapy, so if you already have one, Almmac, you might just do well Obenauf's. From what I read on Fiebing's website, the paint they sell for touch-ups is basically acrylic, so the initial TPF idea was right. I've never tried making the acrylic paint and leather moisturizer mixture with too much of the paint in it as I was afraid that'd make the leather look painted over, like those ugly murals we've all seen here when the rehabbers tried to remove from their salvaged bags. But I've already thought that in some cases my concentration was not doing good enough job and next time I have to add more paint.

I never thought of using paint with Obenauf's. Even after softening up between my fingers and sometimes I leave a bit on the sunlight... it is too hard to apply, then you need a lot of buffing, mine is the black round container, if there is another one not as thick mixing with paint might work, not mine.

I agree that too much paint with the moisturizers looks like paint, that was happening when using the lotion, now with the CPR cream is totally different. I imagine it all depends on the leather, condition and color, rehabbing is a lot of trial and error.

Through time and looking at the results obtained by the ladies on this thread, I have accumulated a lot of supplies (not as many as some of you here, ), that now I use in the order from "minimal" to "last chance" LOL. So I start my way from the bottom product and add a different one only if needed.

 

[whateve]

What kind of vinegar would you use? I have a (non Coach) vachetta bag that needs some cleaning and babywipes don't work.

white vinegar and a magic eraser.

 

[Almmac]

Do you think.blackrock will even out the color differential? The front of the flap clearly got far more of a beating than the rest of the bag and as its drying (with leather cpr) the shade difference remains pretty obvious. Which is kind of why I was thinking a dye would help.

So far it's been a learning experience. The water was pretty brown after the dunking--barf. Lol. Pen marks still around but that was to be expected and they are primarily on the inside anyhow.

Hi. Blackrock will darken it up more than the Leather CPR. The effect may be temporary and you may need to apply it more than once. I've read posts where someone conditioned a purse several times before the leather was back to where it should be. I've personally only used Blackrock for conditioning and covering scuffs. Blackrock is a lot more heavy than the Leather CPR. You should see more drastic results. As far as the color being faded on the flap and not as much on the other areas, I know that Blackrock will cover scuffs that are considerably lighter and blend them in to the other areas. It may work the same way with fading. I've not tried to blend a large faded area yet. I'm sure there is someone on here that has done it before. Sometimes you just have to take the leap and see what happens. Regardless if it completely camouflages the fading or not, the purse could use the moisturizing. As the leather becomes healthier on the inside, you will see the effects on the outside. Hope that helps.

 

[whateve]

I can't imagine that mixing Obenauf's with acrylic would work because the Obenauf's I have is the consistency of chapstick or lip balm. I would have to melt it down to mix it and then it would just be a waxy oil. I guess it's worth a try but Obenauf's doesn't have a lotion-like consistency. Maybe we are talking about 2 different Obenauf's products. The Leather CPR came in today and it is similar to the Bick5. I may just bite the bullet and order ANOTHER leather care product. My husband probably thinks I'm crazy at this point anyway with all my purses and cases of products. LOL

I love CPR. It is my basic conditioner I use for all rehabs. I find it to be thicker than Bicks. I don't think you can mix paint with Obenaufs; she probably meant Obenaufs oil.
I would only order another leather product if the ones I had weren't working. I've tried Leather Therapy and I don't see why people like it. At this point, I'm trying to use up all the half empty bottles I have, no matter what the brand.

I never thought of using paint with Obenauf's. Even after softening up between my fingers and sometimes I leave a bit on the sunlight... it is too hard to apply, then you need a lot of buffing, mine is the black round container, if there is another one not as thick mixing with paint might work, not mine.

I agree that too much paint with the moisturizers looks like paint, that was happening when using the lotion, now with the CPR cream is totally different. I imagine it all depends on the leather, condition and color, rehabbing is a lot of trial and error.

Through time and looking at the results obtained by the ladies on this thread, I have accumulated a lot of supplies (not as many as some of you here, ), that now I use in the order from "minimal" to "last chance" LOL. So I start my way from the bottom product and add a different one only if needed.

I usually mix paint with Lexol as it is a thinner conditioner, making it easier to spread. I guess it would work with CPR. A lot depends on the purse. I've had excellent results with pebbled leather. Glove tanned is trickier. For that, I only do the corners. Anything else would be noticeable.

 

[Almmac]

I never thought of using paint with Obenauf's. Even after softening up between my fingers and sometimes I leave a bit on the sunlight... it is too hard to apply, then you need a lot of buffing, mine is the black round container, if there is another one not as thick mixing with paint might work, not mine.

I agree that too much paint with the moisturizers looks like paint, that was happening when using the lotion, now with the CPR cream is totally different. I imagine it all depends on the leather, condition and color, rehabbing is a lot of trial and error.

Through time and looking at the results obtained by the ladies on this thread, I have accumulated a lot of supplies (not as many as some of you here, ), that now I use in the order from "minimal" to "last chance" LOL. So I start my way from the bottom product and add a different one only if needed.

Yes! This post saved me from ordering another product. I will try the Leather CPR mixed with acrylic and see how it holds up. THANK YOU!!!

 

[coach943]

I've learned the trick with mixing acrylics with leather moisturizer here from someone - or should I just thank the Collective TPF Wisdom for that? - and have always used it with Leather Therapy and it works great. I never used Leather CPR, but my understanding is it works best with daily/seasonal maintanace of well cared for bags, not restoration projects. Leather Therapy is rich, thick and oily. When I aksed other rehabbers opinion, Coach943 told me Obenauf's is similar to Leather Therapy, so if you already have one, Almmac, you might just do well Obenauf's. From what I read on Fiebing's website, the paint they sell for touch-ups is basically acrylic, so the initial TPF idea was right. I've never tried making the acrylic paint and leather moisturizer mixture with too much of the paint in it as I was afraid that'd make the leather look painted over, like those ugly murals we've all seen here when the rehabbers tried to remove from their salvaged bags. But I've already thought that in some cases my concentration was not doing good enough job and next time I have to add more paint.

I can't imagine that mixing Obenauf's with acrylic would work because the Obenauf's I have is the consistency of chapstick or lip balm. I would have to melt it down to mix it and then it would just be a waxy oil. I guess it's worth a try but Obenauf's doesn't have a lotion-like consistency. Maybe we are talking about 2 different Obenauf's products. The Leather CPR came in today and it is similar to the Bick5. I may just bite the bullet and order ANOTHER leather care product. My husband probably thinks I'm crazy at this point anyway with all my purses and cases of products. LOL

I never thought of using paint with Obenauf's. Even after softening up between my fingers and sometimes I leave a bit on the sunlight... it is too hard to apply, then you need a lot of buffing, mine is the black round container, if there is another one not as thick mixing with paint might work, not mine.

I agree that too much paint with the moisturizers looks like paint, that was happening when using the lotion, now with the CPR cream is totally different. I imagine it all depends on the leather, condition and color, rehabbing is a lot of trial and error.

Through time and looking at the results obtained by the ladies on this thread, I have accumulated a lot of supplies (not as many as some of you here, ), that now I use in the order from "minimal" to "last chance" LOL. So I start my way from the bottom product and add a different one only if needed.

I have a couple thoughts after reading these posts, especially as there seems to be some confusion after one of my previous posts:

(1) Obenauf's leather oil and Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP are two different very products. (I recommend going to obenaufs.com to review them.) The oil is more like Leather Therapy or Montana Pitch Blend Oil. Obenauf's LP is like a wax. I'd never advocate mixing acrylic paint with either of them. I don't think it would turn out well at all.

(2) Leather CPR works well for rehabbing. Lots of people like it. I've used it with success.

(3) I've never seen anyone here advocate mixing acrylic paint with leather conditioner to put on an entire bag. Usually it is used for touching up edges or something similar. I think using paint on an entire bag would ruin it. I like to use a thin conditioner, like Lexol, when mixing another product for touch-ups as I find it works better.

 

[Ludmilla]

white vinegar and a magic eraser.

Thank you! I will try this. [emoji4]

 

[catthecurious]

I have a couple thoughts after reading these posts, especially as there seems to be some confusion after one of my previous posts:

(1) Obenauf's leather oil and Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP are two different very products. (I recommend going to obenaufs.com to review them.) The oil is more like Leather Therapy or Montana Pitch Blend Oil. Obenauf's LP is like a wax. I'd never advocate mixing acrylic paint with either of them. I don't think it would turn out well at all.

(2) Leather CPR works well for rehabbing. Lots of people like it. I've used it with success.

(3) I've never seen anyone here advocate mixing acrylic paint with leather conditioner to put on an entire bag. Usually it is used for touching up edges or something similar. I think using paint on an entire bag would ruin it. I like to use a thin conditioner, like Lexol, when mixing another product for touch-ups as I find it works better.

Thank you for explaining the difference between Obenauf's LP and Oil while I wasn't around, Coach943! I thought since most people here use the oil, not LP for rehabbing, there's no need to clarify. My bad. I also have the LP and I remember you were the one who told me about the difference between these two products.

 

[mrk2014]

I have a couple thoughts after reading these posts, especially as there seems to be some confusion after one of my previous posts:

(1) Obenauf's leather oil and Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP are two different very products. (I recommend going to obenaufs.com to review them.) The oil is more like Leather Therapy or Montana Pitch Blend Oil. Obenauf's LP is like a wax. I'd never advocate mixing acrylic paint with either of them. I don't think it would turn out well at all.

(2) Leather CPR works well for rehabbing. Lots of people like it. I've used it with success.

(3) I've never seen anyone here advocate mixing acrylic paint with leather conditioner to put on an entire bag. Usually it is used for touching up edges or something similar. I think using paint on an entire bag would ruin it. I like to use a thin conditioner, like Lexol, when mixing another product for touch-ups as I find it works better.

Thanks for clarifying that was not the wax/paste Obenauf's, I didn't know about the oil one, I never used oils so I had no idea.

I also do NOT recall anyone here suggesting the use of acrylic paint all over a bag, I AM NOT saying to do it. In my case was a lost cause Coach bag, that ended up a mess, then against my advice my friend wanted her old MK to be done, and surprisingly it worked (I asked her to send me a picture to show you ladies), and here it is the back of the bag that had the most stains and the edges of the middle straps and also the corners were brown, no finish left. The color was uniform and the leather very soft and even softer in some areas. The handles also improved. Again.. it could be the type of leather or a fluke that it worked, LOL

I am going to do the straps on a Coach Madeline using Leather Refinish, that I believe it is the right way to go