Coach Rehab and Rescue Club
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I just got a black/pink Tea Rose Rogue and a Rogue Satchel (the butterscotch one) from the sale and I've never owned such an expensive bag before so I was wondering if there is something I should be using on the bags to protect them before I start carrying them? I am having trouble searching the forum which is why I am asking. Thank you!
I've finally finished the rehab of my bargain British Tan Willis 9927 and I am really pleased with the results! I have posted about this bag a few times already looking for advice and really appreciated all of the tips that I received.
This rehab was more about missing parts than anything else. I found the bag at Goodwill for $7. It was made in 2013 and it had had a rough time during its short life. The bag was pretty clean but it had a few stray ink marks on the front and it was missing the hangtag, and one of the large D rings in the dowel rod, and the strap.
I knew that the strap was the biggest loss and would be the hardest to match/replace. I almost left the bag behind or considered buying it as a "donor bag" for parts, but I just couldn't walk away from a British Tan Willis at a cheap price without trying to save it. I have rehabbed other Willis bags, including 2 black, 1 mahogany, and 1 navy - but never a BT Willis and that is my favorite classic coach color - and often the most difficult to rehab!
Here is a drill-down picture of how the bag is supposed to look and also the Before pics of my bag when I bought her at Goodwill. I will post the after pictures next.
This rehab was more about missing parts than anything else. I found the bag at Goodwill for $7. It was made in 2013 and it had had a rough time during its short life. The bag was pretty clean but it had a few stray ink marks on the front and it was missing the hangtag, and one of the large D rings in the dowel rod, and the strap.
I knew that the strap was the biggest loss and would be the hardest to match/replace. I almost left the bag behind or considered buying it as a "donor bag" for parts, but I just couldn't walk away from a British Tan Willis at a cheap price without trying to save it. I have rehabbed other Willis bags, including 2 black, 1 mahogany, and 1 navy - but never a BT Willis and that is my favorite classic coach color - and often the most difficult to rehab!
Here is a drill-down picture of how the bag is supposed to look and also the Before pics of my bag when I bought her at Goodwill. I will post the after pictures next.
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This rehab was more about replacing parts than anything else. After Hyacinth kindly authenticated the bag I went to work trying to find the items I needed.
I took a drill-down pic of a BT Willis and showed it to an SA at the outlet and she gave me a hangtag and ball chain for free that are just like the ones in the DD pic. I then went online searching for the missing large D-ring. Silver Coach on ebay sells them but you have to buy 2 of them for $15 plus shipping, but I found that you can buy a single D-ring from Buckleguy.com for $1.76 plus shipping. I ordered a few other items from Buckleguy at the same time so my net cost for the D-ring was about $2.75. It was a perfect match to the other D rings and very easy to install, all you need is a small, flat-edge screwdriver.
All the while I was on the lookout for a replacement strap. I either wanted to buy a strap by itself or find a beat-up donor bag with strap that I could salvage. I also asked at the Coach boutique store, the outlet, and called Coach.com. Coach used to sell replacement straps for classic bags and I would have considered paying full price for an authentic new strap, but they all said the same thing - Coach doesn make/sell replacement straps any longer.
I struck out on eBay and other online sales sites. I also kept checking the local thrift stores but no luck. I finally bought a 1/2 inch width, non-adjustable BT strap on eBay (like a Station Bag strap) although I would have preferred the 5/8 inch, adjustable strap that originally came with the bag. The strap I got is a little bit darker but a pretty good match on the color and it is an authentic Coach strap with the brass trigger snap hardware that is commonly used for Willis bags.
I paid $26 including shipping for the strap but it came with an older BT hangtag (with the unfinished back), the ball chain, and 2 small D rings like you see on City Bags, so I got some more donor parts and I figured that it was a pretty good deal.
My total investment in this bag is about $36 plus my labor and rehab supplies, but I am still on the look-out for a better strap and will grab it if I find one in the future.
I actually already had a BT strap just like the one I bought online that came on a donor Companion Bag that I bought at the flea market for $1, but the color was quite a bit darker (British Tan shades vary so much with time and wear) so I decided to get the eBay strap instead.
After I had all the parts the rehab was quite straight-forward. I used alcohol to remove the ink marks and I got lucky, the ink came out without damaging the color of the bag - that doesn't always happen! Then I vacuumed out the bag and gave it a bath with Dawn and warm water and stuffed it with towels to reshape and dry it. Then I treated it with Leather Therapy Oil, Apple Conditioner, and Black Rocks. Finally, I used Wenol to polish up hardware and here she is - I am so glad that I was able to save this beautiful bag!
I took a drill-down pic of a BT Willis and showed it to an SA at the outlet and she gave me a hangtag and ball chain for free that are just like the ones in the DD pic. I then went online searching for the missing large D-ring. Silver Coach on ebay sells them but you have to buy 2 of them for $15 plus shipping, but I found that you can buy a single D-ring from Buckleguy.com for $1.76 plus shipping. I ordered a few other items from Buckleguy at the same time so my net cost for the D-ring was about $2.75. It was a perfect match to the other D rings and very easy to install, all you need is a small, flat-edge screwdriver.
All the while I was on the lookout for a replacement strap. I either wanted to buy a strap by itself or find a beat-up donor bag with strap that I could salvage. I also asked at the Coach boutique store, the outlet, and called Coach.com. Coach used to sell replacement straps for classic bags and I would have considered paying full price for an authentic new strap, but they all said the same thing - Coach doesn make/sell replacement straps any longer.
I struck out on eBay and other online sales sites. I also kept checking the local thrift stores but no luck. I finally bought a 1/2 inch width, non-adjustable BT strap on eBay (like a Station Bag strap) although I would have preferred the 5/8 inch, adjustable strap that originally came with the bag. The strap I got is a little bit darker but a pretty good match on the color and it is an authentic Coach strap with the brass trigger snap hardware that is commonly used for Willis bags.
I paid $26 including shipping for the strap but it came with an older BT hangtag (with the unfinished back), the ball chain, and 2 small D rings like you see on City Bags, so I got some more donor parts and I figured that it was a pretty good deal.
My total investment in this bag is about $36 plus my labor and rehab supplies, but I am still on the look-out for a better strap and will grab it if I find one in the future.
I actually already had a BT strap just like the one I bought online that came on a donor Companion Bag that I bought at the flea market for $1, but the color was quite a bit darker (British Tan shades vary so much with time and wear) so I decided to get the eBay strap instead.
After I had all the parts the rehab was quite straight-forward. I used alcohol to remove the ink marks and I got lucky, the ink came out without damaging the color of the bag - that doesn't always happen! Then I vacuumed out the bag and gave it a bath with Dawn and warm water and stuffed it with towels to reshape and dry it. Then I treated it with Leather Therapy Oil, Apple Conditioner, and Black Rocks. Finally, I used Wenol to polish up hardware and here she is - I am so glad that I was able to save this beautiful bag!
Attachments
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What a lucky bag to have been found by you. You brought her back to life.
I used 70% rubbing alcohol from the first-aide aisle of the drug store. I dipped an un-colored toothpick in the alcohol and gently traced the ink marks with the alcohol, then quickly wiped the area with water and a damp soft cloth. I did that a few times and the ink came out. You can see before and after pics of some of the ink marks at the link below.
I have a jar of the British Tan leather restorer and conditioner and I was prepared to touch up the bag if necessary, but I got lucky (this time!) the ink came out without removing any color from the bag.
https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/coach-rehab-and-rescue-club.833400/page-895#post-31292857
Thanks for sharing, Katev. Lots of good advice there.