Yes, I think a dunk and conditioning will help. If depends on how worn out the leather is but it doesn't look that bad to me. Sometimes the top protective layer of the leather gets destroyed and then the conditioner will make it darker in those areas.
Coach Rehab and Rescue Club
- Thread starter greenpixie
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Hi there. Against my better judgement, I bought a questionable vintage bag. Now I am wondering if I should return it. It has some ink stains inside that I wasn't aware of (it was listed as gently used but ink stain was not spelled out). I can probably live with it since I put things in pouches. But the inside pocket is not red like the rest of the inside. Do you think it is white mold or dust? Also do most vintage bags carry an old bag smell? I am weary of cigarette smell but DD said it smells like trains/public transportation. Thanks in advance for your help.
Edit to say: Now I am thinking it may have a slight cigarette smell. After skimming this thread, it looks like I have to dunk it, use vinegar or buy stuff from Ace, and air out for a week or two. Even then, there is no guarantee about getting rid of the smell. Yikes! Not sure if it's worth my effort
Edit to say: Now I am thinking it may have a slight cigarette smell. After skimming this thread, it looks like I have to dunk it, use vinegar or buy stuff from Ace, and air out for a week or two. Even then, there is no guarantee about getting rid of the smell. Yikes! Not sure if it's worth my effort
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I'm not seeing the ink. Is it globs of ink or just fine lines? If it is globs, I would return it because dunking can make ink spread, maybe even to the outside of the bag. By the way, did you get it authenticated? The inside pocket looks fine. That is pretty normal for a vintage bag. They shaved the leather to make it thinner and it removed some of the color.
No, not all vintage bags have an old bag smell. Most have a leather smell. The only bags I've had that have an old smell are those from the 60s. This looks more like a 90s bag. Is it a Willis? Keep in mind that smoke smells often get worse with dunking and it takes quite a bit of time for the smell to dissipate.
Thanks Whateve. Sorry I didn't take a pic of the ink spots (not lines, definite roundish globs). I did not know that globs would spread so very appreciate of your advice. Yep, this is one you already looked at for me. The bag looks fine on the outside but between the ink and the faint smell, think I am going to return. I think it would actually bother me enough. I wasn't going to buy it but made a bad decision at the last minute 
. Thank you for all your help.
. Thank you for all your help. 
UPDATE: The Case of the Canting Canterbury:
Before:
After:
Bottom before and after:
Before:
After:
Bottom before and after:
Hello all, please excuse me as this isn't a Coach bag. Also, I must admit I haven't searched the entire forum but I have been searching for a couple of hours and thought I might as well post now. I was just hoping to get an opinion on if these corners seem repairable by DIY? No need to go in detail - I can search further if anyone thinks this rehab is possible/worthwhile, I'm just not sure if it is!
Sorry for the low quality photo - I haven't bought yet and this is the best the eBay seller has provided! Thanks in advance to anyone who has an opinion!
Sorry for the low quality photo - I haven't bought yet and this is the best the eBay seller has provided! Thanks in advance to anyone who has an opinion!
It depends on how "good" of a repair you want. To do it the right way, you would need to replace the worn leather, which is beyond the abilities of most of us. However, I've been able to repair piping by using fabric puff paint, or a combination of leather cement and acrylic paint. This one isn't perfect but I've gotten better at it.
I'm only experienced with refurbishing Coach and Dooney & Bourke leather bags, so with that in mind:
It's looks pretty do-able to me. The questions you might want to ask yourself are, am I skillful at crafts? am I willing to learn and experiment? how much do I want to spend on materials and supplies to do the repairs? and would I be satisfied with the result, even if less-than-perfect?
The worn top corner in the photo looks very minor and could be touched up with matching edge coat. The bottom corner is a little more complicated, but still workable. There are two corners on the other side of the bag that aren't shown. They may be fine, or they may be worse than the two shown here.
If you love the bag and the price is fair given the condition, then I'd say go for it.
I just got my 2nd surprise shoe polish bag in a month and need some straight talk about how painful a process removing it is going to be. I know it's gonna be bad, but are we talking hours? Multiple sessions of multiple hours? Might it never all come off?
Of course both bags are black. One of them is a huge Carrier, gulp!
I have industrial strength acetone at the ready...
Of course both bags are black. One of them is a huge Carrier, gulp!
I have industrial strength acetone at the ready...
Thank you both for your thoughtful input! Whateve, your rehab looks great and I'd be happy with an outcome like that! I love DIY, and have ruined/rescued many different things over the years. After reading this thread with everyone's amazing jobs, I want to get into more bag rehab once I'm out of school and have more time/funds.
But this particular bag costs $150 with at least 2 worn corners and a ripped strap, and $150 is the most I want to be spending on my student budget, including repair supplies.
Perhaps I will wait for the price to go down, or maybe money will magically appear for me ;P Thanks again - your opinions have been really helpful in allowing me to decide what to do next!!