Dooney rehab thread

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#467
redstarr513 said:
I inherited this bag from my mom. It was her every day work bag. There were several ink stains on the interior and one on the outside. The piping around the zipper is worn and so were the handles.

Much of the brass was tarnished. All of the leather was dry to the touch.

Figuring I had nothing to lose and wanting to experiment:

I dunked a bag in warm water, used hand soap from the dollar tree ("lucky" the ones with the fish in the clear bottle) with a toothbrush and dish brush. Then I let it dry overnight in the shower with a big hunk of styrofoam inside to keep the shape. I let the handles hang from the shower caddy. In the morning while everything was still damp, I applied a liberal amount of aquaphor all over, by applying little dots and then rubbing it in very well in small sections, covering the whole bag. I let it sit and dry in the morning sun.

I'm pleased with the results. So was mom, she was blown away by how the bag was refreshed.

Why Aquaphor? it's cheap, I have plenty, and don't mind doing a warm water wipe and reapplication later. I don't think the aquaphor rejuvenation will last forever but it's miles ahead of where it was yesterday.

The photos make the saturated parts look darker, in real life it's not noticeable.
Click to expand...
I'm glad your bag turned out well. Enjoy your new (old) treasure.

From what I have read, original Dooney AWL is created by shrinking the pores of the leather. Using oils of any kind can alter the texture by relaxing the pebbling. I'm glad your
handbag didn't suffer an adverse effects.
Newer pebbled leathers which are created by embossing the pebbling may react differently.

Some rehab experienced ladies use brass cleaner on a Qtip to gently clean brass hardware
on vintage Dooney bags. Just be careful not to get any on the leather.
 
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#468
lavenderjunkie said:
I'm glad your bag turned out well. Enjoy your new (old) treasure.

From what I have read, original Dooney AWL is created by shrinking the pores of the leather. Using oils of any kind can alter the texture by relaxing the pebbling. I'm glad your
handbag didn't suffer an adverse effects.
Newer pebbled leathers which are created by embossing the pebbling may react differently.

Some rehab experienced ladies use brass cleaner on a Qtip to gently clean brass hardware
on vintage Dooney bags. Just be careful not to get any on the leather.
Click to expand...
Yes, I read this thread before attempting the rejuvenation.

I don't care whether the leather is water-resistant at this point. The bag is over 30 years old and will be used for occasional carry. I am OK with losing the all weather properties in exchange for good looks.
 
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Reactions: Fancyfree and Lilybarb
#469
redstarr513 said:
Yes, I read this thread before attempting the rejuvenation.

I don't care whether the leather is water-resistant at this point. The bag is over 30 years old and will be used for occasional carry. I am OK with losing the all weather properties in exchange for good looks.
Click to expand...
I'm really glad you were successful in your rehab. You saved an old handbag from
the discard bin. And you get to enjoy using it.
 
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