I left the activated charcoal in the bag about week. You just need to be careful about getting the charcoal in the bag because it is black and very dusty. The bag I did this with was a 1920s beaded bag with a whitle lambskin interior. There is just a very, very faint musty scent left in the bag now. Hope this helps someone.
Hermes Vintage Bag Nightmares & Hermes Leather Care
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I left the activated charcoal in the bag about week. You just need to be careful about getting the charcoal in the bag because it is black and very dusty. The bag I did this with was a 1920s beaded bag with a whitle lambskin interior. There is just a very, very faint musty scent left in the bag now. Hope this helps someone.
Hi Docride...
There was a black gel on the edge of my new purchase clemence ebane kelly, and i tried to remove it with a small tiny bit of clean water on cotton, the gel is remove, but now my clemance looks "flat" ... i tried to dry it with another clean cotton... but i think there is a "mark" on the place... and the pattern on the skin is still not as vivid as before.
Can i put some shine oil on it? Cuz now it look a bit dull....
please help me.. cuz i just got the bag TODAY!!!
thanks a lot for your kind reply!!
There was a black gel on the edge of my new purchase clemence ebane kelly, and i tried to remove it with a small tiny bit of clean water on cotton, the gel is remove, but now my clemance looks "flat" ... i tried to dry it with another clean cotton... but i think there is a "mark" on the place... and the pattern on the skin is still not as vivid as before.
Can i put some shine oil on it? Cuz now it look a bit dull....
please help me.. cuz i just got the bag TODAY!!!
thanks a lot for your kind reply!!
Hi Docride...
There was a black gel on the edge of my new purchase clemence ebane kelly, and i tried to remove it with a small tiny bit of clean water on cotton, the gel is remove, but now my clemance looks "flat" ... i tried to dry it with another clean cotton... but i think there is a "mark" on the place... and the pattern on the skin is still not as vivid as before.
Can i put some shine oil on it? Cuz now it look a bit dull....
please help me.. cuz i just got the bag TODAY!!!
Answers>
Hello, Firstly congrats on your new bag
I'm not sure I fully understand what you are asking...
You removed some black gel with water and a Q-tip> Black gel? Hmm that sounds strange....What was that?
When you say flat do you mean the grain is less tight and has flattened out? Were you pushing on the leather when you cleaned it?
When you say the grain is less vivid do you mean it's flattened out or looks less shiny or dull?
If it looks dull or not shiny enough >
Best bet for shine is neutral polish and not oil..I repeat do NOT apply oil to the dull looking spot.
If the only problem you have is a less shiny spot then a small amount of neutral polish will do the trick...
If you problem is the grain has flattened out and you have a flat spot were the grain was once raised then stop and do not do anything and come on back ...
OK?
Hi Docride...
There was a black gel on the edge of my new purchase clemence ebane kelly, and i tried to remove it with a small tiny bit of clean water on cotton, the gel is remove, but now my clemance looks "flat" ... i tried to dry it with another clean cotton... but i think there is a "mark" on the place... and the pattern on the skin is still not as vivid as before.
Can i put some shine oil on it? Cuz now it look a bit dull....
please help me.. cuz i just got the bag TODAY!!!
Answers>
Hello, Firstly congrats on your new bag
I'm not sure I fully understand what you are asking...
You removed some black gel with water and a Q-tip> Black gel? Hmm that sounds strange....What was that?
When you say flat do you mean the grain is less tight and has flattened out? Were you pushing on the leather when you cleaned it?
When you say the grain is less vivid do you mean it's flattened out or looks less shiny or dull?
If it looks dull or not shiny enough >
Best bet for shine is neutral polish and not oil..I repeat do NOT apply oil to the dull looking spot.
If the only problem you have is a less shiny spot then a small amount of neutral polish will do the trick...
If you problem is the grain has flattened out and you have a flat spot were the grain was once raised then stop and do not do anything and come on back ...
OK?
Hi Doc
thanks for the help.
what i mean was, there was this black gel thing looking 2cm strap on the edge of the leather (i assume its froom the black gel that they use to stick the 2pcs of leather together at the leather edge)
so i tr(y to remove it with a watered cotton.. however, the grain became flat... as in... its was a clemance and all of a sudden it looks like swift that kind of flat...
so i try to dry it with cotton wool and the grain start to appear .. but not as vivid as before... i.e it stills seem more flatter compare to the others...
and that patch became dull. So i apply some polish (that was meant for shoes), it help at the start but later still no shine like the others...
anyway~ my only solution today is to bring back to the shop and ask them what they can do...
but just a piece of advice for me ... when u see stain on the leather, is it wrong to clean it with water, even its just a tiny bit???
Hello, Although water would seem to be the most gentle and beign cleaner, in fact it's not so when it comes to leather cleaning. Generally straight water should not be used to clean leather because many leather types can be water damaged...Water damage can be blisters,depressions,discolorations,spots. You may have some small water damge but I can not see what it looks like because you have not sent a picture.
The water may have simply removed the shiny top coating or it may have done that and also left a small water depression mark.
To bring up lost shine the area needs to be lightly buffed after the polish is applied..however you shpould go to the boutique at this point...see what they say.
Come back if you haven't gotten sorted out by H. OK?
Hi Doc
the stain looks like this.. but it got better during the evening... but still u can see its "flat" compare to the other pores...
i just hope it gets better when it get more dry afterwards..
also, from your experience, if the leater is water damped.. normally how long it will dry itself? cuz since last nite, i can still feel a little damp even its nearly 24 hours...
the stain looks like this.. but it got better during the evening... but still u can see its "flat" compare to the other pores...
i just hope it gets better when it get more dry afterwards..
also, from your experience, if the leater is water damped.. normally how long it will dry itself? cuz since last nite, i can still feel a little damp even its nearly 24 hours...
To be technical, dry time has everything to do with how much water has to evaporate...as well as how dry and warm the enviornment is. Do not speed the process up with heat application,just let it dry naturally,and slowly..it looks like the grain will recover as long as you have not actually pushed the grain down with your cleaning prior....
Dear docride,
I am considering placing a bid on this vintage HAC bag listed on ebay right now - I think it is in vache naturelle.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/220892683925?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_5488wt_1185
The handles look a bit crackly; how would you suggest treating them? I wouldn't look to restore them to pristine condition but how would I keep them from deteriorating any further?
Thank you in advance for your help!
I am considering placing a bid on this vintage HAC bag listed on ebay right now - I think it is in vache naturelle.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/220892683925?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_5488wt_1185
The handles look a bit crackly; how would you suggest treating them? I wouldn't look to restore them to pristine condition but how would I keep them from deteriorating any further?
Thank you in advance for your help!
Hi there, The HAC is actually Vache Espace not Vache Natural ,vache espace is similar but has larger pores and often behaves a bit differently than vache natural will when conditioned and or gaining patina. I can not see if the handles are just surface texture worn or if those are deep or light cracks....
If light surface wear texture it should be OK. If slight surface cracks then conditioning should be enough if deeper cracks you may need fillers and professional help. I hope this answers your questions?
Perhaps ask the seller for additionalphotos and information regarding the handles ? Good luck,that's areally cool bag
docride said:Hi there, The HAC is actually Vache Espace not Vache Natural ,vache espace is similar but has larger pores and often behaves a bit differently than vache natural will when conditioned and or gaining patina. I can not see if the handles are just surface texture worn or if those are deep or light cracks....
If light surface wear texture it should be OK. If slight surface cracks then conditioning should be enough if deeper cracks you may need fillers and professional help. I hope this answers your questions?
Perhaps ask the seller for additionalphotos and information regarding the handles ? Good luck,that's areally cool bag
Thank you doc!
Hi Doc, wondering if you can offer some advice. I have been eyeing this BJ30togo bag (http://www.ebay.com/itm/320793843187?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649 ) thatcomes from a reputable seller. However i am concered that there appears to be discoloration of some of the stitching and leather. I was wondering if this can be removed or improved through either Hermes spa or DIY cleaning. From my search it appears that not a lot can be done about the dirty stitching. Is that correct? What about the dirty leather especially the handles. I am also trying to imagine if the discoloration is very obvious but it is hard without seeing the bag in real life. What do you think?
Thanks, J.
Thanks, J.
Discoloration on stitching and leather can often be handled by a competent luxury leather restorer....
if it's severe I would not tell you to attempt to DIY,if minor simply dirt is present certainly you can clean it yourself with some guidance,and i would be happy to help you.
Blue jean is a tough color to match with a DIY home spa so if you need to color match with touch ups to fix discoloration you should probably send the bag to a pro.
From here the bag looks pretty good,be specific and ask the seller for more information...and photos..OK?
Thanks Doc for your very quick reply. I have written to the sellers and they say they think that Hermes spa can fix the discoloration. I also would much prefer to leave it to the experts, preferably Hermes, but thought a second opinion from you would be reassuring. I will ask for more photos to send to you. Thanks again, J
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