Hi everyone. I've recently acquired a British tan Willis I'd like to dunk, this is my first rehab bag with a wooden dowel. Do I need to remove the dowel first, or can I just throw the whole thing in?
Coach Rehab and Rescue Club
- Thread starter greenpixie
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I'm assuming you tried it and didn't like the look of the Refnisher? Or does it do something weird to the leather? Eek. I haven't done it but I was thinking about it.
I've used refinisher several times on newer bags. It is good for small touch-ups and works better on edges or pebbled leather. You could probably use it on your handles and it would work fine if you match the color. I just don't like to alter vintage bags, especially the rarer Bonnie Cashin ones. It seems wrong.
What Whatev said....that's why you have to be very careful; I usually only do it to even an edge out.
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Color matching sounds like a nightmare.. yeah I am not going to even try! LOL! I already feel bad enough for sanding it!
The handles felt like cracked callous feet.. very rough to the touch!You could use leather cement to fill in the cracks and that would probably give you a smoother finish. It should dry clear.Color matching sounds like a nightmare.. yeah I am not going to even try! LOL! I already feel bad enough for sanding it!
Has anyone had success with reshaping just part of a bag? I'm having a problem with just a small area near the bottom of a bucket sling bag. I've already dunked and have been conditioning. I thought I could get over it. I don't want to have wasted all the conditioner I've used already. Maybe I could just reshape with a spritzer in a steamy bathroom? Or can I quickly dunk just the corner? It's black. 
I don't think you can redunk just a portion without getting a water line. I would stuff it to the shape I wanted and then use heat to set it. You can use a hair dryer or wrap your bag in a towel and use a steam iron.
I picked up this very very sad looking girl at Goodwill the other day. Never one to shy away from a challenge, that's me! LOL. Don't look if you don't have a strong stomach:
Here she is after a bath and just one coat of CPR. Obviously needs some more work on the dark and splotchy areas. Do you think it would be okay to try very fine sandpaper or steel wool on the darker areas?
I think I might be okay to leave the back alone, but I want to do something about the dark spots on the front flap. Any ideas?
Here she is after a bath and just one coat of CPR. Obviously needs some more work on the dark and splotchy areas. Do you think it would be okay to try very fine sandpaper or steel wool on the darker areas?
I think I might be okay to leave the back alone, but I want to do something about the dark spots on the front flap. Any ideas?
What an amazing find! and she looks great after her bath and one coat of CPR. I don't think I would be brave enough to sand especially on that special bag! Wonder if Blackrocks will help even things out. I have had bags with spots that i thought would bother me but over time they blended in and I didn't notice them anymore.
Great find! I hope to find one someday!
It's beautiful! Don't use sandpaper or steel wool. Someone rehabbed one of these and used Leather Refinisher on just the flap. I think it was the same color too. You might do a search in the thread for posts by Ledobe that include the word "courier", or it might be in the previous rehab thread. Personally I like the look of your bag just the way it is.
I rehabbed the grossest bag the other day. It had gum stuck inside the pocket. I didn't realize it was gum and the warm water of the bath just made it worse. I was seriously retching from the grossness. I was very close to just throwing it out.