Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others

#12,871
I am bummed. I just got this awesome old old old kisslock bag from ebay and thought I could deal with the zipper being broken.. I was actually just going to remove it altogether. But the seller didn't mention the kisslock is completely broken at the hinge too and doesn't shut right. I think I'm going to return it. Am I being to rash? It would be really hard to replace it, right?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Coa...e-Black-Mexican-Striped-lining-/252749252046?
 
#12,872
Belicious said:
I am bummed. I just got this awesome old old old kisslock bag from ebay and thought I could deal with the zipper being broken.. I was actually just going to remove it altogether. But the seller didn't mention the kisslock is completely broken at the hinge too and doesn't shut right. I think I'm going to return it. Am I being to rash? It would be really hard to replace it, right?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Coa...e-Black-Mexican-Striped-lining-/252749252046?
Click to expand...
Lying by omission pisses me off to no end. I'd return if they accept. I think you can still open a SNAD if the seller refuses.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sonoma and bellebellebelle19
#12,873
Belicious said:
I am bummed. I just got this awesome old old old kisslock bag from ebay and thought I could deal with the zipper being broken.. I was actually just going to remove it altogether. But the seller didn't mention the kisslock is completely broken at the hinge too and doesn't shut right. I think I'm going to return it. Am I being to rash? It would be really hard to replace it, right?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Coa...e-Black-Mexican-Striped-lining-/252749252046?
Click to expand...

I would return it. The damaged kisslock wasn't mentioned in the description and it's not shown in the pictures.
 
#12,874
Yeah I'm with you guys. I'm really annoyed it wasn't mentioned. I'm returning. Description should've been "major hardware failure, serious rehab job" and the price about $20 or so less because of it.

houseof999 said:
Lying by omission pisses me off to no end. I'd return if they accept. I think you can still open a SNAD if the seller refuses.
Click to expand...

Catbird9 said:
I would return it. The damaged kisslock wasn't mentioned in the description and it's not shown in the pictures.
Click to expand...
I hate ebay sometimes... but then I love it when I get something that is better than the description!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ravvie99 and Catbird9
#12,875
Belicious said:
I am bummed. I just got this awesome old old old kisslock bag from ebay and thought I could deal with the zipper being broken.. I was actually just going to remove it altogether. But the seller didn't mention the kisslock is completely broken at the hinge too and doesn't shut right. I think I'm going to return it. Am I being to rash? It would be really hard to replace it, right?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Coa...e-Black-Mexican-Striped-lining-/252749252046?
Click to expand...

Questions that helped me in similar situations: Would this bag make me feel sad every time I looked at it if it can't be fixed? Even if I could fix it, would I still feel disappointment/irritation about being deceived? Is the joy and excitement of this bag now gone? I think you know what you want to do [emoji846]
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sonoma, Catbird9 and cousinbull
#12,877
Ravvie99 said:
Questions that helped me in similar situations: Would this bag make me feel sad every time I looked at it if it can't be fixed? Even if I could fix it, would I still feel disappointment/irritation about being deceived? Is the joy and excitement of this bag now gone? I think you know what you want to do [emoji846]
Click to expand...

Yeah that's a good point. It has taken all the joy out of the purchase. I let the seller know I want to return it. I will shortly open a case against them on ebay. I was giving them a chance to respond first. No word yet.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ravvie99
#12,878
Julia Whiteker said:
Looks great! I looked up saphir and they have a ton of colors. Have you tried any others besides black on this bag? Have you mixed? I would like to try something like this on some light colored bags. :smile:
Click to expand...

Ravvie99 said:
Oh, nice! I'm interested in what you think about how the Saphir performs v. Blackrocks (and same question for mixing conditioner and Saphir colorant v. acrylic paint!). Any thoughts? I've been thinking about trying these but need an excuse, ahem, reason [emoji39]
Click to expand...

I'm so new to rehabbing I honestly can't give any opinions on products besides the ones I've used which to date are just the Saphir black colorant, Saphir conditioner and Blackrocks.
I went to my local cobbler, who said she restores a lot of Coaches, told her what I was trying to do (cover up scuff marks-like those that would happen if the bag rubbed against brick or concrete-not just scratches) and she steered me to the Saphir products. She told me that she would stick to the same product line if I want to mix dyes and conditioners together. I took a small Tupperware container, squirted in a glob of conditioner with 2 drops of colorant, stirred them together then applied with a soft rag. Worked like a charm. After the bag dried, I rubbed in small amounts of Blackrocks with my fingers, let dry for a while, buffed with a horsehair brush, let dry thoroughly then buffed again with a soft rag. I must stress the bags I've done so far have been in pretty good shape just mostly scratched and dried out.
I also rehabbed a black Bleeker and wasn't happy with a small spot after the final step of applying the Blackrocks, so I mixed a small amount of Blackrocks with a drop of colorant and rubbed this mixture over the whole bag. It worked out great! I'll post a picture of this bag later today.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LadyEdwards, Shawna O, coach943 and 3 others
#12,882
cousinbull said:
Has anyone ever used RIT liquid dye for leather?
Click to expand...
Yes, I have. Several times. I've soaked them and also used it as a paint. It works for refreshing or brightening the color. It doesn't cover completely so you can't use it to change a color dramatically. It is like painting with watercolors. It is drying so the leather needs a lot moisturizing afterwards. I don't use boiling hot water, just warm, and I don't add salt.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LadyEdwards
#12,883
So, my mother found an old all-leather Coach bag in her closet and gave it to me. I don't know anything about bags, but the label says that it's made of "completely natural glove tanned cowhide" and the serial no. is 0169-041. It was actually in pretty great shape! Except that someone a couple decades ago had scribbled on it with a ball-point pen in several places. The internet told me I could get the ink off with rubbing alcohol and a Q-tip, so I did that.

Well, the ink came off, but so did some of the color, and I may have been a little-overzealous with the scrubbing, because I definitely damaged the surface finish of the leather as well. Now there were lighter-colored splotches of scuffed, roughened leather where the ink scribbles used to be. I tried to buff them out with saddle soap and a microfiber, but no dice. This is also when I realized how much I had damaged the leather surface, because the splotches soaked up the soap/water very quickly and turned much darker than the surrounding leather -- this effect took a few days to fade away, after which I was left with lighter-colored rough splotches again.

I probably should have stopped at this point, but I've had great results using Urad to smooth out scuffs on my polo kneepads, so I tried it. As I really should have expected, the Urad did nothing but dye the rough splotches darker, since those areas are so much more absorbent than the undamaged leather. My next instinct is to try using fine grit sandpaper and then my dremel with a felt wheel and saddle soap to slick the damaged leather back down, and then start over with the saddle soap/conditioner/Urad process, but I'm starting to doubt my instincts, so..

TLDR: Please, for the love of god, help me before I 'help' myself anymore.

IMG_2544.JPG
 
#12,884
Llamrai said:
So, my mother found an old all-leather Coach bag in her closet and gave it to me. I don't know anything about bags, but the label says that it's made of "completely natural glove tanned cowhide" and the serial no. is 0169-041. It was actually in pretty great shape! Except that someone a couple decades ago had scribbled on it with a ball-point pen in several places. The internet told me I could get the ink off with rubbing alcohol and a Q-tip, so I did that.

Well, the ink came off, but so did some of the color, and I may have been a little-overzealous with the scrubbing, because I definitely damaged the surface finish of the leather as well. Now there were lighter-colored splotches of scuffed, roughened leather where the ink scribbles used to be. I tried to buff them out with saddle soap and a microfiber, but no dice. This is also when I realized how much I had damaged the leather surface, because the splotches soaked up the soap/water very quickly and turned much darker than the surrounding leather -- this effect took a few days to fade away, after which I was left with lighter-colored rough splotches again.

I probably should have stopped at this point, but I've had great results using Urad to smooth out scuffs on my polo kneepads, so I tried it. As I really should have expected, the Urad did nothing but dye the rough splotches darker, since those areas are so much more absorbent than the undamaged leather. My next instinct is to try using fine grit sandpaper and then my dremel with a felt wheel and saddle soap to slick the damaged leather back down, and then start over with the saddle soap/conditioner/Urad process, but I'm starting to doubt my instincts, so..

TLDR: Please, for the love of god, help me before I 'help' myself anymore.

View attachment 3602752
Click to expand...
This sounds like my first rehab! Don't always trust what you read on the Internet. We would have told you have ink is mostly permanent and you usually have to cover it with colorant. Anything that removes ink also removes color. Anything abrasive destroys the surface of the leather and there is no coming back from that.

There are two things you can try. Condition the bag with a good conditioner. It will absorb more in the abraded spots and those will remain dark. The point is to get the leather healthy before you do anything else. (1) Get a conditioner with wax in it like Blackrock Leather n Rich, and apply that all over the bag, then buff. You might want to do more than one coat. The Blackrocks will make the rough spots feel smooth again. However, it is only temporary and will wear off if you don't do anything else. Once the bag is looking healthy, you have to apply color to the dark spots. There are many ways to do this. The two things I've used are craft acrylic paint and Wood N Stuff Leather Refinisher. If you use craft paint you must mix it with conditioner and apply it sparingly as it has a different texture than leather. The Leather Refinisher can be used straight and blended to the edges of the dark spots to match the rest of the bag.
(2) Use Leather Refinisher first on the dark spots blending it into the rest of the bag. The Leather Refinisher will help restore the texture of the leather. However, it is made of acrylic (plastic) so it isn't the healthiest thing for the leather.

ETA: Before you do anything, you should give this bag a bath to wash off all the chemicals. We call it a dunk. Fill a sink with warm soapy water and let the bag soak for 15 - 20 minutes. Lightly rub to make sure the bag gets clean. Rinse thoroughly! Pat dry with a towel. Then let dry, lightly stuffing with towels to help it keeps it shape. Start conditioning when the bag is nearly dry. I use Leather CPR. Several members use Leather Therapy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LolaCalifornia, LadyEdwards, Sonoma and 1 other person
#12,885
Hi whateve! I really wish I would have come here first. Live and learn, I guess. Thanks so much for the advice and the product recs! Most of my leather care products are intended for saddles and such, and I'm finding they don't always work as I expect them to on things like shoes, purses, and jackets. I'm actually really excited to try the dunk method; I didn't know you could get leather wet like that without destroying it, and the purse definitely needs some re-shaping given that it's been squashed flat at the bottom of a closet since the 90's. I'm guessing I should go really heavy with the Leather CPR afterwards? Just give it everything it will absorb? What about neatsfoot oil? Or will that break down the leather too much? It's already pretty soft.

Thanks again for your help! :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top