Fabulous Crocodile Bag or Too Horrid to Wear?

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#17
Louis.V.man said:
What do you mean flatten? the raised pieces, osteoderms, on crocodile hides are solid bone and could not be flattened without completely destroying them (this is why caiman the especially bony variety of crocodilians, is the cheapest and least flexible leather).
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Ahh ok I didn't know that, I thought it was soft and malleable like regular leather and can be pressed or rubbed down.
 
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#25
papertiger said:
This is Hornback croc and is one of the most expensive types of crocodile. Either love it or move it on as a desirable vintage piece
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Dang! You're not joking. I just looked up Hornback croc vintage pieces and they are quite sought after. Again, as I am a boot gal, I see a lot of hornback boots and I always look the other way; I do not care for them at all. But I love alligator belly boots. I seem to feel the same about bags.

This poor bag has been neglected for decades and it shows. The overall shape is poor and flattened from being buried in a drawer for so long. Once I get it conditioned well (it was scary dry yesterday), I will stuff it to see if I can bring the shape back. If anyone has additional suggestions on reshaping the bag, I would love to hear them.

Also, there are areas where the leather has torn away from the braided edges (see photos). Would you suggest that I glue these back down? If so, what kind of glue? Or it is too risky and should I find a cobbler to do this?

She looks soooo much better this morning. Last night, I wiped her down with leather wipes that I use on my car seats. Then, I gave her a healthy dose of Bickmore 4 leather conditioner. Lucchese recommends Bickmore on their boots including croc and alligator; there is no wax and it does not darken leather. It has a beautiful luster. With the pounds of dust gone and the luster restored, it looks more like a fashionable bag and less like a hunting trophy on a lodge wall. Bonus points on that!

The overall shape of the bag is growing on me, but I do not like the top handle at all. If I could figure out a way to add a crossbody strap, I might actually enjoy this bag.
 
#27
katgoldatx said:
Dang! You're not joking. I just looked up Hornback croc vintage pieces and they are quite sought after. Again, as I am a boot gal, I see a lot of hornback boots and I always look the other way; I do not care for them at all. But I love alligator belly boots. I seem to feel the same about bags.

This poor bag has been neglected for decades and it shows. The overall shape is poor and flattened from being buried in a drawer for so long. Once I get it conditioned well (it was scary dry yesterday), I will stuff it to see if I can bring the shape back. If anyone has additional suggestions on reshaping the bag, I would love to hear them.

Also, there are areas where the leather has torn away from the braided edges (see photos). Would you suggest that I glue these back down? If so, what kind of glue? Or it is too risky and should I find a cobbler to do this?

She looks soooo much better this morning. Last night, I wiped her down with leather wipes that I use on my car seats. Then, I gave her a healthy dose of Bickmore 4 leather conditioner. Lucchese recommends Bickmore on their boots including croc and alligator; there is no wax and it does not darken leather. It has a beautiful luster. With the pounds of dust gone and the luster restored, it looks more like a fashionable bag and less like a hunting trophy on a lodge wall. Bonus points on that!

The overall shape of the bag is growing on me, but I do not like the top handle at all. If I could figure out a way to add a crossbody strap, I might actually enjoy this bag.
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You did well!

Normally I would use the tiniest amount of leather glue (any other glue will dry out and make hard and brittle) for bags but it seems to be a lot going on. If there are any specialists in your area please consult them first.

Best of luck!
 
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#28
It looks a lot less scary shined up! :hbeat: Less natural I suppose. It will look fabulous when restored!
The first pictures have me the creeps and made me think of going on nature trails in Texas at an Alligator reserve terrified the whole time that an Alligator would pop out and drag me away haha :giggle:
 
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#29
Denalikins said:
It looks a lot less scary shined up! :hbeat: Less natural I suppose. It will look fabulous when restored!
The first pictures have me the creeps and made me think of going on nature trails in Texas at an Alligator reserve terrified the whole time that an Alligator would pop out and drag me away haha :giggle:
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Yes, me too! I love going to Aransas Pass Wildlife Refuge, but every now and then your blood runs cold. Hahaha! Have you ever seen the Whooping Cranes? They are amazing!

Maybe I will name the bag. I'll think on that.
 
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#30
katgoldatx said:
Yes, me too! I love going to Aransas Pass Wildlife Refuge, but every now and then your blood runs cold. Hahaha! Have you ever seen the Whooping Cranes? They are amazing!

Maybe I will name the bag. I'll think on that.
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Yes, the whooping cranes are beautiful! So elegant. We go to Aransas every spring break. Sadly the past few years we’ve seen less wildlife and a lot of the small ponds have dried up.
 
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