I replaced the strap on one of my bags and it's super light compared to the rest of it... I've been trying to tan it but it's been cloudy and cold and I really just wanna use my bag. I've read on here about using olive oil to darken vachetta, but I want to know from people who've done this what the long term effects are. Like will it ruin the strap in the long run? Will the strap I put olive oil on eventually turn way darker than the strap that doesn't have olive oil?? I don't like my bags to patina super dark, I like them to stay honey colored so I use them sparingly.. If I oil the strap, will it darken beyond the honey color because of the oil? Thanks!!
Long term effects of olive oil??
- Thread starter taraox
- Start date
It will destroy the leather. Do not oil it. Let it patina natural. Oiling the leather is one of the worst things you could do.
Ahh I have a tanning bed!! Does that work?? How long should I tan it for and how many sessions does it take to see progress? Thanks!
Glad you decided not to oil it. Oil goes rancid over time. It will start to smell bad and cause leather to decompose. It will erode stitching too.
Ahh I have a tanning bed!! Does that work?? How long should I tan it for and how many sessions does it take to see progress? Thanks!
I did mine 20 minutes a day for about 3 weeks. The people at the tanning salon got a charge out of it.
I was just about to say I've heard of users doing this. It's brilliant! I haven't used a bed, but I would take my purse tanning outside while I sat in the shade. It worked very nicely and for freeee
I was thinking oil would hurt the stitching. I actually wonder about it with all of the treatments people use (LMB for example) I prefer to just leave untreated
Hmm.. well, I bit the bullet and just oiled it 
I know, I know! BUT, the color difference was just too noticeable (one strap was white, the other was tan) and I don't want to wait weeks to use it since I need it to tote my daily items around in. I was talking to my mom and apparently she oiled her mono bag like 5 years ago, and I was surprised because I didn't know that and the bag looks beautiful.. perfectly even patina, mint looking condition... Soo I just risked it because I figured if hers looks great 5 years after oiling, it can't be that terrible... Plus they sell various treatments (mink oil etc) for leather boots and couches (even though I know vachetta is different). Honestly, it's an experiment lol, and I figure if anything bad happens down the road, I'll just replace the strap again. I don't really buy my bags with the intention of still having them 20 years from now, so I guess I'll see what happens!
I know, I know! BUT, the color difference was just too noticeable (one strap was white, the other was tan) and I don't want to wait weeks to use it since I need it to tote my daily items around in. I was talking to my mom and apparently she oiled her mono bag like 5 years ago, and I was surprised because I didn't know that and the bag looks beautiful.. perfectly even patina, mint looking condition... Soo I just risked it because I figured if hers looks great 5 years after oiling, it can't be that terrible... Plus they sell various treatments (mink oil etc) for leather boots and couches (even though I know vachetta is different). Honestly, it's an experiment lol, and I figure if anything bad happens down the road, I'll just replace the strap again. I don't really buy my bags with the intention of still having them 20 years from now, so I guess I'll see what happens!