magic coat on the birkins???

[catsinthebag]

I have experience of one of these companies and based on that I would say no. In most instances they achieve water proofing by spraying a colour match film over the whole of the bag. I have seen this done to a vintage brown box bag and it was dreadful. The patina was wiped out and replaced by a milky brown, flat colour. Furthermore, in order to get the new colour to bond with the bag they first had to sand the bag. Therefore, if you ever wanted to remove the finish you couldn't as the bag was ruined underneath.

I would also say two more things:

Hermes bags are pretty robust and I have carried togo, clemence, fjord, epsom in all weathers without a hitch. I know rules for box and exotics are different but standard leathers are incredibly resilient.

Building up a layer of a natural polish on box leather (see vintage bags thread) will provide a level of water resistance, will nourish your leather, will not change the colour and will not affect any future spa visits.

"Sand the bag?!?!?!" This description literally sent a chill down my spine!

 

[cheapfrillnorth]

"Sand the bag?!?!?!" This description literally sent a chill down my spine!

TaDah.

You can see the remnants of the colour that was sprayed on at the seam on the bottom of the bag. I only sent it to the leather restorers to get a small scratch (see top of pic) blended in as I tried to do it myself but couldn't get a colour match.

IMO it just isn't worth the risk sending a bag back to anyone other than Hermes.

 

[6310254]

TaDah.

You can see the remnants of the colour that was sprayed on at the seam on the bottom of the bag. I only sent it to the leather restorers to get a small scratch (see top of pic) blended in as I tried to do it myself but couldn't get a colour match.

IMO it just isn't worth the risk sending a bag back to anyone other than Hermes.

OMG how can they do this! That looks almost like a murder scene to me....

I agree with all TPFers above that it's a bad idea to let others play with your H leather. It doesn't make sense to "preserve" the leather by destroying the true beauty of it.

 

[catsinthebag]

TaDah.

You can see the remnants of the colour that was sprayed on at the seam on the bottom of the bag. I only sent it to the leather restorers to get a small scratch (see top of pic) blended in as I tried to do it myself but couldn't get a colour match.

IMO it just isn't worth the risk sending a bag back to anyone other than Hermes.

View attachment 2754340

Wow. A picture really does speak a thousand words, doesn't it? I'm so sorry this happened to you and your bag. Thanks for sharing -- it really does make the point for anyone considering this "treatment."

 

[pursecrzy]

Interesting article on CNN from a British-based company: Nano-coating provides watertight solution

If you Google the topic... porous surfaces that receive a spray application of nano-coating can be altered in such a way as to be detectable by sight and feel.

Obviously, not everyone is comfortable with this. But... people customize their H with graffiti, spikes, patches, etc., which require them to seek spas at companies other than H. So... if you want to coat your H bags with a nano coat and use a non-H co for any future spas, it's totally up to you. They're your bags, after all, to do with what you will.

On the other hand... if you'd like to use an H spa service for your H bags in the future... a nano coat (or any waterproofing technology) is probably not advisable.

Either way, good luck with your decision.

ETA: btw, here's a thread on H bags in the rain: Hermes leathers for rainy climates.... posts from 2014 start on page 10

Detectable? I hope it would be undetectable!

I also hope anyone trying to sell a treated bag, discloses the treatment in the listing.

 

[newmommy_va]

Apparently there are applications of nano coats that are not detectable... if the co discussed in the CNN article is to believed, per proprietary process.

Not that I'd do this to one of my H bags per se... but maybe one day a brave soul will post a video on YouTube for all of us to see. The existing demos are remarkable, to say the least.

Aside from the article that I posted from CNN, I first saw this technology on a TED talk some time ago. It's geek cool, if that makes any sense...

Detectable? I hope it would be undetectable!

I also hope anyone trying to sell a treated bag, discloses the treatment in the listing.

 

[pursecrzy]

Apparently there are applications of nano coats that are not detectable... if the co discussed in the CNN article is to believed, per proprietary process.

Not that I'd do this to one of my H bags per se... but maybe one day a brave soul will post a video on YouTube for all of us to see. The existing demos are remarkable, to say the least.

Aside from the article that I posted from CNN, I first saw this technology on a TED talk some time ago. Geek out cool.

Oh, I guess I misunderstood your original post where you stated the nano coating would be detectable.

 

[newmommy_va]

Based on a superficial Google search... formulas and applications appear to be proprietary... wherein some nano coats appear to be detectable (especially in the case of porous materials)... while others claim not to be.

The co referenced by CNN uses a proprietary formula and process that they claim creates a nano coat that is undetectable to sight and touch... as opposed to their competition. (Their blog provides more technical details... )

Oh, I guess I misunderstood your original post where you stated the nano coating would be detectable.