The LV Rescue Club

[sr1856]

awesome, great transformation.

And a group shot of the 3 (I had just finished the red one, hence the taped handles)

 

[LV&Evie]

You did some mind blowing jobs. I especially love the colour on the left. I didn't even knew that model until I saw your photos. Now I have to hunt for one! Is handle vachetta? And can you attach cross body strap? Also did you have any chips on vernis leather that was a problem for the die job? Thanks!!

Thank you!

The handle is vachetta on the Spring Street. I think a cross body strap could be 100% doable, I've often thought about doing that for mine too. I did have some chips and peeling areas on 2 of my 3 spring streets. The dye will not adhere well (or not at all in some cases) to the chipped or peeled areas. For those sections, if they are hidden by the flap I left them alone (for now) as no one will see it but me...and for the exposed areas, like the dark blue, I used a similar colored permanent market (I had to buy them special, in certain colors, like navy blue) to fill them in. Its not perfect by any means, but its close enough and works for me.

 

[cheremushki]

Thank you!

The handle is vachetta on the Spring Street. I think a cross body strap could be 100% doable, I've often thought about doing that for mine too. I did have some chips and peeling areas on 2 of my 3 spring streets. The dye will not adhere well (or not at all in some cases) to the chipped or peeled areas. For those sections, if they are hidden by the flap I left them alone (for now) as no one will see it but me...and for the exposed areas, like the dark blue, I used a similar colored permanent market (I had to buy them special, in certain colors, like navy blue) to fill them in. Its not perfect by any means, but its close enough and works for me.

One more question!
Did you do the inside as well? I've seen someone else in this thread saying that inside won't take the dye that well?

 

[keepallfan]

Hey all! Thanks for letting me share my rescue. I rescued this bag from myself! This is my Keepall 55 I bought brand new my senior year of high school for a summer trip across the United States. Since then, he has has been my go-to bag for most of my travels. He has been thrown, kicked, squished, trampled, jammed, dragged, put in trunks of taxis, checked at the airport, gone to the beach, borrowed, lost and found, left in rain (not for too long!), and he has taken it all in stride with not a single loose stitch or tear in the canvas. However, he was starting to show is age, so I decided to see what I could do. I shined up the hardware with Brasso, used a magic eraser to some scuffs on the bottom and to the handles, and took some Kiwi saddle soap to the vachetta leather. I (stupidly) forgot to take before pics, but trust me, he had some battle wounds haha. Now the leather is a nicely uniformed patina, and although it's darker than it was, I think it looks great. The leather doesn't feel dried out at all, in fact, it seems more supple than before the rescue. The oil and water spots are gone (except for some sunscreen that was once spilled down the back, which you can see in the second photo on the left strip of leather), and the handles even cleaned up nicely! So here is my 13 year old Keepall that I hope to have for at least another 13+ years, and endless more journeys!

 

[LV&Evie]

LOVE the job on the keepall!

 

[LV&Evie]

One more question!
Did you do the inside as well? I've seen someone else in this thread saying that inside won't take the dye that well?

I did not dye the inside. I may have gotten a few odd splotches here and there on the sides, but no one is going to see that but me. Overall I like that the inside is a different color than the outside, it adds a layer of contrast that I think is pretty. I've also tried to dye the inside of my sarah wallet and that was a miserable failure that I'm going to try to fix next month.

 

[rendodan110]

I used a magic erasure and it left my handles dry, what will moisturize them the best? I've tried a few moisturizers with no luck. Also I found a small knick in my canvas on my DA speedy 35 is there any recommendations on how to keep that from ripping or getting worse?

 

[keepallfan]

I used a magic erasure and it left my handles dry, what will moisturize them the best? I've tried a few moisturizers with no luck. Also I found a small knick in my canvas on my DA speedy 35 is there any recommendations on how to keep that from ripping or getting worse?

I only very gently rubbed the magic eraser over my handles, then used saddle soap. A dab of Cadillac boot and shoe care (my personal preference) should help on your dry vachetta handles. Use sparingly, and gently massage into them using a soft cloth.

 

[onlyk]

I only very gently rubbed the magic eraser over my handles, then used saddle soap. A dab of Cadillac boot and shoe care (my personal preference) should help on your dry vachetta handles. Use sparingly, and gently massage into them using a soft cloth.

Yeah, wish you had took before pictures too Looks very nice!

 

[sakiaoki]

Hello rescuers I didn't know where else to post this question, but after reviewing some of the posts on here, I think this thread could be my best bet!
I'm looking to purchase a vintage noe from the 80s (which I plan to "fix") but am now having some reservations bcos I'm uncertain some areas of the bag can be fixed. For instance, can folding marks on the coated canvas be removed or are they somewhat permanent, especially on older pieces that have been stored away for quite some time? (see first 2 images) Watermark stains are the arch enemy of vachetta. Anyone can tell if the level of staining on this piece is repairable? (last 2 images) I'd appreciate any advice you can offer before I make any decisions to purchase this piece. I love vintage Louis and have a soft spot for aged patina
Thanks all!

 

[Bags_4_life]

picked up this super dirty NF mm roses for 575 and now she's like new.. she had liquid stains, saturated pen marks all over the inside, food residue, grime and gunk, etc. and the leather all around was so dark it was almost black. filthy condition and now... perfect. there was nothing wrong w/the bag except lots of dirt. guess the owner didn't want to clean it. the second and third pics are with flash so it looks darker inside

View attachment 3675765


View attachment 3675763

View attachment 3675764

Wow, amazing job!! Please share the list of products used as I've never seen results like this!

 

[ccbaggirl89]

Wow, amazing job!! Please share the list of products used as I've never seen results like this!

it took over three months b/c it was a project i worked on in stages and not quickly. and since i only paid 575 for the bag i didn't care if i ruined it further by trying different stuff. so don't follow my method if your bag cost a lot or you're scared, because i was just willing to try stuff and i wasn't afraid to ruin my LV. i hand washed the lining initially just with basic gentle soap and water to see what i could remove. i washed the lining about 3 times over two weeks, just to clean it. a week or so later i came back and used a spray and wash stain remover before washing it again with a gentle laundry detergent. it lifted all the dirt and grime but still left the ink (although it did fade a bit). washed it again with a gentle woolite laundry detergent. it started to fade (the ink). i already knew that alcohol removes ink so a few weeks later i tried rubbing alcohol very liberally on the ink, i used a lot of the bottle, and let it set and soak in for a while before washing the lining again. i think this was the part that scared me most, but it lifted almost all the ink spots. waited a week and tried an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (clear) and saturated the lining with it and let it sit before washing again. i think the bag was washed over 11 times total, probably more. i do know you have to use a strong alcohol on the ink though or it won't budge. there is still a very small ink mark or two left behind, but not complete liquid stains. after all the cleaning i had the leather replaced by a local leather shop for a fraction of what LV quoted.

 

[Bags_4_life]

it took over three months b/c it was a project i worked on in stages and not quickly. and since i only paid 575 for the bag i didn't care if i ruined it further by trying different stuff. so don't follow my method if your bag cost a lot or you're scared, because i was just willing to try stuff and i wasn't afraid to ruin my LV. i hand washed the lining initially just with basic gentle soap and water to see what i could remove. i washed the lining about 3 times over two weeks, just to clean it. a week or so later i came back and used a spray and wash stain remover before washing it again with a gentle laundry detergent. it lifted all the dirt and grime but still left the ink (although it did fade a bit). washed it again with a gentle woolite laundry detergent. it started to fade (the ink). i already knew that alcohol removes ink so a few weeks later i tried rubbing alcohol very liberally on the ink, i used a lot of the bottle, and let it set and soak in for a while before washing the lining again. i think this was the part that scared me most, but it lifted almost all the ink spots. waited a week and tried an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (clear) and saturated the lining with it and let it sit before washing again. i think the bag was washed over 11 times total, probably more. i do know you have to use a strong alcohol on the ink though or it won't budge. there is still a very small ink mark or two left behind, but not complete liquid stains. after all the cleaning i had the leather replaced by a local leather shop for a fraction of what LV quoted.

Thank you so much for giving such detailed instructions, its so very helpful
You've done an amazing job, I'm so happy for you!! I've previously done small jobs like removing the damaged lining of lv cosmetic pouches, dying a Chanel lambskin key pouch and taken small repairs to stores. I'm so impressed your result, hope your enjoying it lots xxx

 

[chinchin7]

Just in case anyone is wondering how dirty some of those vintage eBay pieces are. View attachment 3664641
I skipped baby wipes and went straight to Lysol wipes. Followed up with soap+water and scrubbed the canvas with a baby toothbrush. Slathered Cadillac conditioner all over the canvas and let it sit over night. Worked miracles.

Repairing gouged/scraped canvas:
View attachment 3664647
This cut is deep and goes through the plastic coating of the canvas (think paper cut). Used a sewing needle and some super glue to slowly and carefully stick the pieces back together.

End result:
View attachment 3664653

hi, wondering how the super glue has held up for the rip so far (know it hasn't been that long)?

 

[chinchin7]

Hello rescuers I didn't know where else to post this question, but after reviewing some of the posts on here, I think this thread could be my best bet!
I'm looking to purchase a vintage noe from the 80s (which I plan to "fix") but am now having some reservations bcos I'm uncertain some areas of the bag can be fixed. For instance, can folding marks on the coated canvas be removed or are they somewhat permanent, especially on older pieces that have been stored away for quite some time? (see first 2 images) Watermark stains are the arch enemy of vachetta. Anyone can tell if the level of staining on this piece is repairable? (last 2 images) I'd appreciate any advice you can offer before I make any decisions to purchase this piece. I love vintage Louis and have a soft spot for aged patina
Thanks all!

the creases may pose a problem. It is difficult if not impossible to get them out on vintage items. You can try conditioning the canvas and then keeping it in a flat position for some time to try to alleviate it a bit. would be more effective to carefully iron the inside fabric, but this is risky in melting the pvc coated canvas. Maybe steaming the inside a bit would work (never tried this though so I have no clue). The watermarks can be diffused and lightened somewhat with a cleaning - liquid detergent and water, followed by conditioning with something like cadillac boot and shoe. They can't be completely removed though.