Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

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#13,832
Ebkbay said:
WOW. It worked. Thank you so very much, catbird9. This old dog (I would be gender specific but that appellation has become a rude one) has learned a new trick.
The photo above shows my recent rehabs of the 9790 City bags in red, black, bone and a green and black spectator. I have a couple of others which came to me in pristine condition.
I did not take "before" photos but will do so in the future, now that I know I can post.
I polished the hardware with a thick paste of vinegar and baking soda , rinsed off the paste and then dunked the bag in warm soapy water using Dr Bonner unscented liquid Castile soap which is much easier to rinse off than the Dawn dish detergent I tried initially. During the soak I scrubbed with a soft, short bristled nail brush, referred to as the world's kindest nailbrush by Lee Valley Tools, a local company that also sells on- line. I buy these a dozen at a time for all kinds of uses.
After a rinse and soak in warm clear water, I dry in a bath towel, stuff, rub in CPR when still moist. Buff when dry, give two more CPR massages with buffing in between. Then, waiting another day, smooth on a light coat of BlackRock, buff after a day and repeat.
My biggest surprise was the China made 0500 prefix red bag (all the others are vintage). It had two deep indentations on the front flap ( kitten claws, I think) followed by 2 inch scratches. It also had some mystery spots and cat hair inside the bag! After the soak and scrub, the bag was pristine and free of indents and scratches. The biggest surprise was how thick and luscious the leather is. And to think that I had always thought of the newer China made bags as somehow inferior.
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Great job! They all look luscious, especially the red because I love red! That's good to hear about the China bag. I rehabbed a 1999 China bag that had leather just as nice as US bags. Maybe the China bag recovered so well because the dents were fairly new and the leather was still really supple.

I think some of the China bags are inferior. It's probably later. I think around 2013-2014, I saw some really terrible classic bags at the outlet. That was the same time period, I returned several FOS purchases because the leather was horrible.
 
#13,833
whateve said:
Great job! They all look luscious, especially the red because I love red! That's good to hear about the China bag. I rehabbed a 1999 China bag that had leather just as nice as US bags. Maybe the China bag recovered so well because the dents were fairly new and the leather was still really supple.

I think some of the China bags are inferior. It's probably later. I think around 2013-2014, I saw some really terrible classic bags at the outlet. That was the same time period, I returned several FOS purchases because the leather was horrible.
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I agree. The newer China bags feel stiff and the leather thin. I would not buy one of those.
I meant to thank you, whateve, for mentioning in one of your posts some time ago, that you used an old electric toothbrush for cleaning/polishing brass fittings. It makes the process quite easy. Not a chore at all.
 
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#13,835
One thing I like to do is buy used bags at yard sales and thrift stores and clean them up. Some of them I keep and some of them I resell on eBay. Right now I only have experience with basic cleaning, but after reading this thread I want to try some more serious rehabbing. A problem I often see on bags is loss of color on the corners or piping. A couple methods on here I read about were: (1) applying Meltonian shoe cream and (2) applying acrylic paint mixed with conditioner. I also read that sometimes the Blackrock conditioner can bring the color back. I am wondering which method works the best. My guess is the shoe cream would be better since it is meant for leather and I would be kind of scared to put paint on leather. However, I have tons of acrylic paint at home, so I won't have to buy anything if I want to try that out. Also, is it ok to put shoe cream or paint on a bag you are trying to resell, or should that only be done on a bag that you will keep yourself? Thank you!
 
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#13,837
Erilynn25 said:
One thing I like to do is buy used bags at yard sales and thrift stores and clean them up. Some of them I keep and some of them I resell on eBay. Right now I only have experience with basic cleaning, but after reading this thread I want to try some more serious rehabbing. A problem I often see on bags is loss of color on the corners or piping. A couple methods on here I read about were: (1) applying Meltonian shoe cream and (2) applying acrylic paint mixed with conditioner. I also read that sometimes the Blackrock conditioner can bring the color back. I am wondering which method works the best. My guess is the shoe cream would be better since it is meant for leather and I would be kind of scared to put paint on leather. However, I have tons of acrylic paint at home, so I won't have to buy anything if I want to try that out. Also, is it ok to put shoe cream or paint on a bag you are trying to resell, or should that only be done on a bag that you will keep yourself? Thank you!
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I don't like the idea of shoe cream as these are bags, not shoes, and shoe cream might be too close to shoe polish. However, I've never used Meltonian so I can't say what it is really like. I like to use acrylic paint because it is cheap, I can find a good match, and if I don't like the results, I can easily remove it. I only use very small amounts of paint, and only on the corners, and only on some bags. There is also Wood n Stuff leather refinisher, which is made specifically for leather and can be mixed with conditioner just like acrylic paint.

I believe that if you use anything other than conditioner on bags when you sell, it should be disclosed.
 
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#13,838
whateve said:
I don't like the idea of shoe cream as these are bags, not shoes, and shoe cream might be too close to shoe polish. However, I've never used Meltonian so I can't say what it is really like. I like to use acrylic paint because it is cheap, I can find a good match, and if I don't like the results, I can easily remove it. I only use very small amounts of paint, and only on the corners, and only on some bags. There is also Wood n Stuff leather refinisher, which is made specifically for leather and can be mixed with conditioner just like acrylic paint.

I believe that if you use anything other than conditioner on bags when you sell, it should be disclosed.
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When you mix the paint and leather conditioner is it a 50-50 mixture? Do you have any problems with the paint flaking or peeling off? Do you add a final coat of conditioner when you are done painting? Thanks for your help!
 
#13,839
Erilynn25 said:
When you mix the paint and leather conditioner is it a 50-50 mixture? Do you have any problems with the paint flaking or peeling off? Do you add a final coat of conditioner when you are done painting? Thanks for your help!
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No, it isn't a 50/50 mixture. It's a dot of paint with lots of conditioner. The paint is about 10 percent probably. It doesn't flake or peel. You can't see it. If you use too much paint, the texture and sheen won't be right. You can condition afterwards but you should wait a few days for the paint to become permanent, otherwise, you'll wipe it off. I only use this for corners and edges. If I need to refresh the color on an entire purse, I'll do something different, possibly using leather refinisher mixed with conditioner.
 
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#13,841
Happyapplemm said:
Help pls. :sad:. I am starting my first project. After putting the bag into soapy water, I noticed the color was very uneven and suspected some shoe polish on it. Not sure what I need to do? Thanks a lot
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I don't have a lot of experience with shoe polish. Does the water bead up on it? Is color coming off into the water? If it is shoe polish, you'll have to scrub the bag with acetone and then bathe it again.
 
#13,843
Hello everyone. I am brand new to the club and have a BIG problem. I used obenaufs leTher oil on my old carrier bag and it worked great! The leather feels like new and the fading of the mahogany color disappeared. I thought great! Then... I used it on my British Tan stewardess bag and what a disaster! The color darkened. I will try to post the pictures. The strap is original color. Please oh please tell this idiot novice,me, what to do.
 

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#13,845
StrayPoidog said:
Hello everyone. I am brand new to the club and have a BIG problem. I used obenaufs leTher oil on my old carrier bag and it worked great! The leather feels like new and the fading of the mahogany color disappeared. I thought great! Then... I used it on my British Tan stewardess bag and what a disaster! The color darkened. I will try to post the pictures. The strap is original color. Please oh please tell this idiot novice,me, what to do.
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It will lighten, just wait a week or so and you will love how it looks. You should also do the strap so they match. The color will be a bit deeper than it was but it will look better after a bit I promise! I often use this on light, older bags and it always looks horrible at first as it goes on unevenly, you get streaks and blotches. Then they just disappear after a few days and the overall color is more even and richer.
 
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