Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

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#13,801
Ebkbay said:
If I thought more rounds of acetone would do the trick, I would keep going. I hate to lose a fight with this bag! Thank goodness this wasn't my first rehab attempt. As soon as I learn how to post photos from my iPad, I'll show my more successful efforts.
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Please do ! I enjoy seeing how wonderfully these bags respond to cleaning and conditioning . And other amazing things people have done with restoring color etc. In fact I will commit to ordering Saphir dye/conditioner today that some one brought up a few months ago for fading on black bags.
 
#13,803
houseof999 said:
No these are actually in my closet on the floor under my clothes and I don't have navy. But like I said I don't need it! I have two Baxters, 3 of these, 3 Madison Sutton satchels and Gramercy that I'm still using currently. I definitely don't need to add one more. I will wait till my pile gets smaller and then see if there's room for one more after I clear the rehabs out.
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I could go for a Baxter, sigh . .
 
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#13,804
katev said:
Maybe this could be your first attempt at dying a bag? Why don't you put it aside for awhile and you can decide what to do later.

I have given up on rehabs a few times, sometimes I go back to them but sometimes I don't - and I occasionally regret all the time and effort I invested in them if it is unlikely I will ever be happy with the results.

I now try to focus on bags that I think have a pretty good chance of success, but unfortunately there are some early enthusiastic impulse buys in my rehab pile!
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Thank you Katev. I'll follow your sage counsel and put the bag away for a while. But first I'll see what I can do about the worn-through corner. After reading all of the rehab thread, including the old one, I have a good idea of how to do it. Even if the bag becomes a donor after a while, it will have been good for experimenting and learning (I hope) new skills.
 
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#13,805
monleal said:
I need help! I am running a purse auction for my Frenchie rescue. Today I received a black patent leather Kristen. The donor attempted to clean the interior prior to shipping. It was shipped without being fully dried. Mildew and mold is my problem coming from every seam interior and exterior. I dunked the bag and scrubbed the interior lining. It has come clean, but I am concerned about the smell. This online auction starts next Friday. Is there any way to get that smell out over the next few days. The purse is in good condition and only missing the long strap. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. :confused1:
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Hi - I am pretty much a lurker here,but have been rehabbing a few bags with guidance from all of you.

I recently had a musty, not exactly mildewed, bag interior and used Concrobium Mold Control Spray - you can get it at most big home/hardware stores. They carry it at home depot, Lowes etc. - and it got rid of the musty smell. It is completely non toxic, (also not smelly itself) made mostly of baking soda, and doesn't leave staining in my experience. I used it dabbing with a round cotton pad on an unlined vintage coach - I think it will likely work even better on a fabric lining as I was worried about the leather and didn't get it soaked. Vinegar is also excellent as it actually does kill mold. You can also let it sit with baking soda in it for a long time and then vacuum that out. Vinegar, sunlight and baking soda are more effective than bleach with mold and mildew as they actually kill it.
 
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#13,806
Ebkbay said:
If I thought more rounds of acetone would do the trick, I would keep going. I hate to lose a fight with this bag! Thank goodness this wasn't my first rehab attempt. As soon as I learn how to post photos from my iPad, I'll show my more successful efforts.
Click to expand...

I had a thought about the acetone bag. I know you're pretty much done with it for now, but I started to wonder if maybe the problem was some kind of dye/resolene treatment that was applied to the bag, rather than shoe polish. Or in addition to shoe polish? Anyway, I'm sorry it didn't work out, but as you said, it was a good learning experience. Please do post photos of your projects when you get a chance.

(To post photos from your iPad, write your post and then under the Reply box at the bottom of the thread, click "Upload a File." Click Photo Library, then Camera Roll, then select the photo(s) you want to upload. Click Done. You can choose Thumbnail or Full Image size (if you don't choose, it will default to Full Image). )
 
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#13,807
Ladies, just wanted to share a great rehab experience from the Coach store with you.

I purchased my Coach Bonnie Cashin Tote in 2013 or 2014 for $112 CAN. I apologize that I cannot remember if I got it from one of my two local consignment shops or eBay (clearly, too many bag purchases, sales and returns over the years) but I distinctly remember the price because it was odd. I loved it so much I started using it during the school year to haul my lunch and iPad and folders. But over time the glazing was disintegrating and it looked terrible.

I didn't want to carry it anymore, and we were getting new laptops for work so I carried my laptop in the Bonnie Tote to the Coach boutique to size a new work Tote. My SA saw my Bonnie Tote and said, "Don't ever sell this bag!" and starting pointing out my Tote to the other SAs! And here I was going to just relegate the bag to the car trunk to haul random stuff! She said Coach could reglaze the handles, and might possibly replace the handles but she wasn't sure. We'd have to wait and see. The cost would be $75 CAN so I went into this process knowing that at least the glazing would be done and anything else would be a bonus. The wait would be 6-8 weeks. The cost was worth it to me because it's the perfect sized Tote for work.

I picked up my bag last night.

A photo from November 2016:
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Before views of the handle straps in April 2017 before I took it into the Coach store.
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My Bonnie Tote with her brand new leather handles!
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Close-ups of the new handles. You can see the old leather is much smoother and softer than today's replacement handles and the pink is not quite the same. But that's ok because I now have a functional Tote! And the glazing is so nice and even.
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I looked inside my bag under the pockets to check out the stitching.
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Thanks again to @whateve for the original authentication. My Tote is from 2008 so I'm looking forward to getting a few more years of use from her.
 
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#13,810
Hi everyone! I was helping one of my grand aunts move her things out of storage and I found this Willis bag lying sadly in a box of her old purses. She said I could take anything I wanted to naturally this was coming home with me. I have been reading up on this thread, which helped me get some of my older bags back in shape ( I wish I was a better owner) so I looked into the rehabs on the Willis. I did the soak (45mins in warm soapy water, scrubbed the base inside and in the pockets and resealed in new warm water bath for 20 more mins). It looks much cleaner.

IMG_1496540094.404922.jpg

I wish I had done a Before pic but I was really excited about it. Hehe This is about 15 hrs after the soak it's drying nicely. My issue is....

It still smells like my grand aunts house. Now I love her to pieces but it smells like Salonpas and Bengay. Its less strong now, but how do I get it out completely? Will it go away when it's completely dry?

Another question, have any of you guys used Chamberlains leather milk? My mom has some on hand, but I have another day or so of drying, and Amazon Prime, i can probably order whatever you guys recommend and have it get to me before the bag dries? You guys are so awesome.
 
#13,811
Chiichan said:
Hi everyone! I was helping one of my grand aunts move her things out of storage and I found this Willis bag lying sadly in a box of her old purses. She said I could take anything I wanted to naturally this was coming home with me. I have been reading up on this thread, which helped me get some of my older bags back in shape ( I wish I was a better owner) so I looked into the rehabs on the Willis. I did the soak (45mins in warm soapy water, scrubbed the base inside and in the pockets and resealed in new warm water bath for 20 more mins). It looks much cleaner.

View attachment 3719342

I wish I had done a Before pic but I was really excited about it. Hehe This is about 15 hrs after the soak it's drying nicely. My issue is....

It still smells like my grand aunts house. Now I love her to pieces but it smells like Salonpas and Bengay. Its less strong now, but how do I get it out completely? Will it go away when it's completely dry?

Another question, have any of you guys used Chamberlains leather milk? My mom has some on hand, but I have another day or so of drying, and Amazon Prime, i can probably order whatever you guys recommend and have it get to me before the bag dries? You guys are so awesome.
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I've never used Chamberlains but it has great reviews on Amazon, even at least one for a Coach purse, so it is probably fine to use. It is important to start conditioning before the leather is completely dry. You'll probably need some other products as well. I like to finish all rehabs with Blackrock Leather n Rich. Getting odors out is difficult. You could try vinegar or alcohol, but alcohol will dry out the leather, and it might have be redunked. The odor will probably fade eventually. I usually put my stinky purses outdoors for weeks at a time. It helps some, but perfumey smells are the hardest to remove. According to Amazon, Chamberlains has a wonderful almond scent so that might help.
 
#13,812
whateve said:
I've never used Chamberlains but it has great reviews on Amazon, even at least one for a Coach purse, so it is probably fine to use. It is important to start conditioning before the leather is completely dry. You'll probably need some other products as well. I like to finish all rehabs with Blackrock Leather n Rich. Getting odors out is difficult. You could try vinegar or alcohol, but alcohol will dry out the leather, and it might have be redunked. The odor will probably fade eventually. I usually put my stinky purses outdoors for weeks at a time. It helps some, but perfumey smells are the hardest to remove. According to Amazon, Chamberlains has a wonderful almond scent so that might help.
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Is the Blackrock you use in a jar? Like a balm?

Do you hang the bags where they get sun or shade only?
 
#13,814
Hi, I am new to this board. Recently I bought several vintage bags and want to do rehab. I also bought the conditioners mentioned in the board. My question is which conditioner darken the color the least. Apple? Thanks a lot for the help
 
#13,815
Happyapplemm said:
Hi, I am new to this board. Recently I bought several vintage bags and want to do rehab. I also bought the conditioners mentioned in the board. My question is which conditioner darken the color the least. Apple? Thanks a lot for the help
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Welcome! Most of the conditioners mentioned here will not darken the leather (lexol, apple, leather CPR, and leather therapy oil) but they will help to restore the bag's true color if it has gotten dry and faded. Blackrock's will cover scuffs and scratches and it may appear to darken it a little but it's more like "bringing out the true color".

See the pic at the link below that shows a side-by-side comparison of the effect of blackrocks on the piping of Ledobe's amethyst Bridget bag. It didn't really darken the bag, it restored the color and covered the worn, faded piping. But the bag will dry out and fade again with time so it may be necessary to periodically treat it with conditioner and blackrocks to maintain the true color.

https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/coach-rehab-and-rescue-club.624452/page-371#post-22705588

I believe that Obenauf's may darken leather a little but I haven't used it much so others can tell you more about it.
 
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