Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[WishingonaCoach]

I hate Kiwi suede cleaner! I had the same thing happen! I can't remember if I ever got it to go away. I don't think it had anything to do with you putting it in water directly afterward. I think it might have alcohol in it. Your guess is as good as mine as to what will remove it. Did you try brushing it?

Yes, I brushed it while drying and then after it dried. I guess I will try the vinegar, I believe I read here somewhere that it can be used to clean suede, or was it vachetta? Well I can not make it worse I guess...
I tried the Kiwi before with no problems, but for spot cleaning. This is the first time I put the bag in water afterwards. I will let you know the results. Thanks.

 

[jamielegi]

Hi there!

I'm new to this forum and am just starting to rehab some coach classic bags.

If and when I need to re-dye a bag...are there tried and true dyes I should reach for for the standard classic coach leather colors? Also...anyone ever re-dyed a classic bag with good results? If so, how did you do it?

And for color touch ups, especially on piping, corners etc. what do you all use? Acrylic paint?

 

[BlondieToHell]

Hi there!

I'm new to this forum and am just starting to rehab some coach classic bags.

If and when I need to re-dye a bag...are there tried and true dyes I should reach for for the standard classic coach leather colors? Also...anyone ever re-dyed a classic bag with good results? If so, how did you do it?

And for color touch ups, especially on piping, corners etc. what do you all use? Acrylic paint?

I've redyed a classic black Court bag using black Kiwi leather dye. I haven't decided what type of dye I would use on any of the other colors though.

 

[whateve]

Hi there!

I'm new to this forum and am just starting to rehab some coach classic bags.

If and when I need to re-dye a bag...are there tried and true dyes I should reach for for the standard classic coach leather colors? Also...anyone ever re-dyed a classic bag with good results? If so, how did you do it?

And for color touch ups, especially on piping, corners etc. what do you all use? Acrylic paint?

I try to avoid redyeing at all costs. It is really hard to get the dye to go on evenly and it can change the texture of the bag. Can you post pictures of your bag? Vintage Coach bags have the color dyed all the way through the leather and usually all that is needed a bath and conditioning to restore the color. If you haven't washed them yet, you really need to try this first. Once I bought a red bag that looked really faded and streaky; out of the bath it was like a new bag, even before conditioning. Most bags just need touching up on the edges rather than a complete redye.

I've dipped in RIT fabric dye before if I wanted to refresh or darken a color. It is better than dyeing IMO as it is a little easier to get the color even. It stiffens the leather though, but with tons of conditioning you can get it back to normal. I find most leather dyes are too shiny for Coach classic leather. I've used Fiebings a couple of times but I don't recommend it. On classic leather it went on very streaky. Their suede dye didn't work at all. As soon as I brushed the piece, it looked just like it had before I dyed it. I ended up using RIT instead. I've used Wood 'n' Stuff Leather Refinisher a few times. They make several that are supposed to be close to original Coach colors. It works best for me if I dilute it with leather conditioner and put it on very lightly. If used too heavily, it can feel like plastic and be too shiny. It works well for touch-ups. Usually a sample size bottle is enough for an entire purse.
There are people who use Meltonian and are satisfied with the results. I've never tried. My goal would be to use as little product as possible in order to preserve the natural feel and look of the leather.

 

[BlondieToHell]

I try to avoid redyeing at all costs. It is really hard to get the dye to go on evenly and it can change the texture of the bag. Can you post pictures of your bag? Vintage Coach bags have the color dyed all the way through the leather and usually all that is needed a bath and conditioning to restore the color. If you haven't washed them yet, you really need to try this first. Once I bought a red bag that looked really faded and streaky; out of the bath it was like a new bag, even before conditioning. Most bags just need touching up on the edges rather than a complete redye.

I've dipped in RIT fabric dye before if I wanted to refresh or darken a color. It is better than dyeing IMO as it is a little easier to get the color even. It stiffens the leather though, but with tons of conditioning you can get it back to normal. I find most leather dyes are too shiny for Coach classic leather. I've used Fiebings a couple of times but I don't recommend it. On classic leather it went on very streaky. Their suede dye didn't work at all. As soon as I brushed the piece, it looked just like it had before I dyed it. I ended up using RIT instead. I've used Wood 'n' Stuff Leather Refinisher a few times. They make several that are supposed to be close to original Coach colors. It works best for me if I dilute it with leather conditioner and put it on very lightly. If used too heavily, it can feel like plastic and be too shiny. It works well for touch-ups. Usually a sample size bottle is enough for an entire purse.
There are people who use Meltonian and are satisfied with the results. I've never tried. My goal would be to use as little product as possible in order to preserve the natural feel and look of the leather.

Hey Whateve, I know other dyes (lookin at you Fiebings!) change the shine and texture, but if you ever need to redye a black one, that Kiwi dye works perfectly. I spot dyed my Court bag and it blended so well with Coach's dye that I can't even tell which spots are original and which areas I redyed.

 

[whateve]

Hey Whateve, I know other dyes (lookin at you Fiebings!) change the shine and texture, but if you ever need to redye a black one, that Kiwi dye works perfectly. I spot dyed my Court bag and it blended so well with Coach's dye that I can't even tell which spots are original and which areas I redyed.

That's good to know. Spot dyeing is the way to go. Someone in the rehab club redyed a front flap with Wood 'n' Stuff leather refinisher and she said it blended in well. It was a burgundy bag. I'm afraid to spot dye with actual dye because it is permanent. If I have just a few spots to cover, I'll use acrylic paint, knowing I can wash it off if I don't like the way it looks. It becomes permanent once it dries.

 

[Catbird9]

NYC Dinky rebirthed! What a difference a dunk makes. I thought it might be Putty, but after the dunk, I'm thinking Mocha, a bit faded.
(I love Dinky rehabs.)

 

[jamielegi]

I try to avoid redyeing at all costs. It is really hard to get the dye to go on evenly and it can change the texture of the bag. Can you post pictures of your bag? Vintage Coach bags have the color dyed all the way through the leather and usually all that is needed a bath and conditioning to restore the color. If you haven't washed them yet, you really need to try this first. Once I bought a red bag that looked really faded and streaky; out of the bath it was like a new bag, even before conditioning. Most bags just need touching up on the edges rather than a complete redye.

I've dipped in RIT fabric dye before if I wanted to refresh or darken a color. It is better than dyeing IMO as it is a little easier to get the color even. It stiffens the leather though, but with tons of conditioning you can get it back to normal. I find most leather dyes are too shiny for Coach classic leather. I've used Fiebings a couple of times but I don't recommend it. On classic leather it went on very streaky. Their suede dye didn't work at all. As soon as I brushed the piece, it looked just like it had before I dyed it. I ended up using RIT instead. I've used Wood 'n' Stuff Leather Refinisher a few times. They make several that are supposed to be close to original Coach colors. It works best for me if I dilute it with leather conditioner and put it on very lightly. If used too heavily, it can feel like plastic and be too shiny. It works well for touch-ups. Usually a sample size bottle is enough for an entire purse.
There are people who use Meltonian and are satisfied with the results. I've never tried. My goal would be to use as little product as possible in order to preserve the natural feel and look of the leather.

I don't have specific bags that need a re-dye to show photos of. I was just curious that if it came down to it, and I needed to re-dye a bag, if there were tricks of the trade. All this info is super helpful. Thanks

 

[jamielegi]

That's good to know. Spot dyeing is the way to go. Someone in the rehab club redyed a front flap with Wood 'n' Stuff leather refinisher and she said it blended in well. It was a burgundy bag. I'm afraid to spot dye with actual dye because it is permanent. If I have just a few spots to cover, I'll use acrylic paint, knowing I can wash it off if I don't like the way it looks. It becomes permanent once it dries.

I'm assuming the spot dyeing would be after the conditioning? Or would it need to be sealed in somehow? Would this end up being permanent...as in it won't rub off on clothes etc.?

 

[BlondieToHell]

I'm assuming the spot dyeing would be after the conditioning? Or would it need to be sealed in somehow? Would this end up being permanent...as in it won't rub off on clothes etc.?

The Kiwi dye is permanent dye, doesn't need to be sealed, and hasn't rubbed off onto my clothes at all. It soaked into the leather and dried really fast. Just be sure to use their dye and not their shoe polish if you go this route. The others I've used (like Fiebings) did have to be sealed and would change the feeling of the leather.

Edit: I spot dyed that one after conditioning for no particular reason. I wanted to see if conditioning would help with the fading and since it didn't give me the effect I wanted, I went ahead and dyed.

 

[Asscher Cut]

Can a nylon coach weekender bag be thrown into the washer or will it ruin the handles? I need to clean the stains out of the interior mostly

 

[coach943]

I don't have specific bags that need a re-dye to show photos of. I was just curious that if it came down to it, and I needed to re-dye a bag, if there were tricks of the trade. All this info is super helpful. Thanks

I re-dyed a bag once. Like others have responded, it is not something you want to do unless absolutely necessary. (I'd never recommend it for a rare or special bag.) I had great success re-dying an old stewardess that still looked terrible after a bath and some reconditioning.

I used Fiebings leather dye. I used deglazer on the bag to strip the leather before I dyed it, and I didn't really have any issues with streaking. (The leather was already weird in some spots when I started, and the dye absorbed a little different in those spots, but I don't think there would be any way around it. The bag was in pretty sad shape to begin with.) It was super messy, so use gloves. I had to go over it twice to get full coverage as I made the bag much darker that it was before. I sealed it with acrylic resolene. It did change the feel of the leather, but I don't really mind it. The stewardess is very structured, so it doesn't bother me. I think I would mind the change of texture much more if was an unstructured bag. I did a blog post about it at the time with some pictures. http://imwithleathercoach.blogspot.com/2013/06/stewardess-to-dye-for.html

If you search through the thread, there was someone not too terribly long ago who posted detailed steps about re-dying a bag.

 

[coach943]

Hey Whateve, I know other dyes (lookin at you Fiebings!) change the shine and texture, but if you ever need to redye a black one, that Kiwi dye works perfectly. I spot dyed my Court bag and it blended so well with Coach's dye that I can't even tell which spots are original and which areas I redyed.

I've also had success spot dying. I blended some Fiebings leather dye with Lexol conditioner and did it on a non-Coach briefcase that had seriously faded. It turned out great. I will definitely check out the Kiwi leather dye. It looks like a much better option than Fiebings.

 

[BlondieToHell]

I've also had success spot dying. I blended some Fiebings leather dye with Lexol conditioner and did it on a non-Coach briefcase that had seriously faded. It turned out great. I will definitely check out the Kiwi leather dye. It looks like a much better option than Fiebings.

With the Fiebings mixed with Lexol, did you have to seal it? I'd like to be able to get the color choices that Fiebings offers, but with the same matte and non-bleeding results as the black Kiwi dye.

 

[Ravvie99]

NYC Dinky rebirthed! What a difference a dunk makes. I thought it might be Putty, but after the dunk, I'm thinking Mocha, a bit faded.
(I love Dinky rehabs.) View attachment 3430974 View attachment 3430975 View attachment 3430976

Wow this looks great and I love the tassel, too! I like the almost two-tone effect, similar to what you got with your Pouch, if memory serves.
I have its twin in the 'too hard' pile (shoe polish? deck sealer!?) but your color transformation reveal is inspiring me to strip it...