Using acrylic paint to camouflage damaged metallic leather – Pics!

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#32
tannedsilk said:
Great Job - you know what they say "necessity is the mother of invention" I wish I had thought of that before returning my antique gold one a few years back.
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Before I tried the repair I actually took the bag back to the boutique to see if they could offer any suggestions. I wasn't too hopeful because I had bought the bag at the outlet. Someone had left it sitting in their closet for a couple of years before deciding to return it in pristine condition with the original tags attached and with the dustbag! I snagged it for a great price during the summer of 2010. So I've only used it during the fall of 2010 and then again this fall. Even though the bag is an older style from 2008-09, it is practically new in terms of use. Just a few months total.

I am not complaining, I got it for a fantastic price and I was able to use it for 2 seasons so I am very lucky, but I love the bag and I want to keep using it. Plus it originally cost $500 and I thought that it should wear a little better than just 2 short seasons!

The SAs were polite but firm and said that it probably couldn't be repaired. They stated that "if the bag were defective the entire area would be damaged, not just in spots!" And that the "damage had been caused by owner use!" They insisted that I must have "over-packed the bag" and had "something hard sticking out the back" that made it rub against my clothes in spots!

That analysis upset me a little because I am very careful with my bags and the bag looks great everywhere except the back. This is a large bag and I do not overpack it. In fact, since I have been commuting into the city I have actually reduced the amount of stuff I carry to lighten the load. Plus I carry the same stuff in all my other Coach bags and none of them have been damaged!

I protested and said that "I don't overpack, and bags are made to carry stuff, and if anything was sticking out the back it would be my Coach wallet or my Coach cosmetic bag!"

The SAs could see that I was unhappy and finally offered to send it to JAX for evaluation to find out if it could be repaired. They also waived the shipping and handling fee, so again I am not complaining. JAX sent it back after a month with a note telling me that it couldn't be repaired. At least they claim that it was all my fault! And to my surprise they included the letter with 40% off on my next purchase, so that was lucky too!

That's why I decided that I had nothing to lose and that I might as well try overpainting the area - I'm really glad that I did! Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket, I'm really feeling lucky! :D
 
#33
katev said:
Before I tried the repair I actually took the bag back to the boutique to see if they could offer any suggestions.

The SAs were polite but firm and said that it probably couldn't be repaired. They stated that "if the bag were defective the entire area would be damaged, not just in spots!" And that the "damage had been caused by owner use!" They insisted that I must have "over-packed the bag" and had "something hard sticking out the back" that made it rub against my clothes in spots!

That's why I decided that I had nothing to lose and that I might as well try overpainting the area - I'm really glad that I did! Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket, I'm really feeling lucky! :D
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@ bolded, that is so stupid, of course the areas that are not in constant contact are not going to be affected. That just makes the SA sound like a fool.

Good thing you gave it a go - I was so upset when I returned mine as the colour was drop dead gorgeous. I hope wears well in the future, and if not you know how to take care of it. :smile1:
 
#34
tannedsilk said:
@ bolded, that is so stupid, of course the areas that are not in constant contact are not going to be affected. That just makes the SA sound like a fool.

Good thing you gave it a go - I was so upset when I returned mine as the colour was drop dead gorgeous. I hope wears well in the future, and if not you know how to take care of it. :smile1:
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I totally agree! But she asked other SAs and they agreed with her and she took it back to show the manager and told me that she also agreed "that if the bag was defective it would be damaged more widely, not just in spots!"

I think that they offered to send it to JAX just to get rid of me because I kept insisting that they were wrong and the bag should have held up better with normal use.

Oh well, it all worked out much better than I expected! :yahoo:
 
#35
Ooh glad it's worked so well for you! I've repaired chipped enamelled jewellery with nail polish before and that works well, would never have thought of fixing bags with acrylic paint! Wonder if it would work on shoes too?
 
#36
That looks awesome! As always a beautiful job! I once got an ebay bag with a hole in the lining (not mentioned) but it was a bag I loved, so I decided to use a cute iron on patch.....sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do for a much loved gal! :D
 
#37
TheDesignerGirl said:
Ooh glad it's worked so well for you! I've repaired chipped enamelled jewellery with nail polish before and that works well, would never have thought of fixing bags with acrylic paint! Wonder if it would work on shoes too?
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I'm fairly new to using acrylic paints. I've never been artistic and only started using them recently to touch up the strap edging on vintage bag rehabs, but I think that they are amazing! They are inexpensive, you can mix colors to make other shades, come in small bottles, clean up easily with water and soap, and become permanent after they dry!

It sure doesn't hurt to try and see how it works! But again, it is difficult to exactly match shades and finish luster using paints. I think that the high-gloss and natural color variations of metallic bags make them a good choice for over-painting damaged areas.
 
#38
MedtechCarol said:
That looks awesome! As always a beautiful job! I once got an ebay bag with a hole in the lining (not mentioned) but it was a bag I loved, so I decided to use a cute iron on patch.....sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do for a much loved gal! :D
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Very inventive! My criteria for repairs/rehabs is "do I feel comfortable carrying this bag in this condition?" and if the answer is "yes!" then I don't mind it if a beloved bag has a few minor flaws!
 
#39
katev said:
I'm so sorry to hear that your copper Zoe is also damaged! I knew there had to be other TPFers with the same experience that's why I posted the info! Here are details about the process I used for anyone that is interested:

I took the hangtag with me to JoAnn's Fabrics and Hobbies but I am sure that other hobby and art supply stores carry many acrylic paints. At JoAnn's they had hundreds of small bottles of paints but only about 10 colors of metallic paints. The brand was "DecoArt Dazzling Metallics - Elegant Finish". They have color patches on the lids but you can actually unscrew the caps and look at the paint color under the cap (shake the bottle well first!) Don't depend too strongly on the names of the colors because sometimes they don't match your expectations!

I found 3 shades that were close to the hangtag and since the bottles were less than $2 each I decided to by all 3 - in case I had to mix colors or if they looked different under better light. They were called "Renaissance Brown Metallic Glaze DGM01" "Worn Penny DA287" and "Rich Expresso DA245". You will also need some artist's paintbrushes. I used a wide brush for this project, maybe a quarter inch wide - but they sell packs with several size brushes and that might be the best so you can experiment.

Believe it or not the color "Rich Expresso" was the one closest to copper Zoe and the shade that I used for this repair! It is actually a golden brown and not expresso at all! I tried mixing but wasn't happy with the results so I used the Rich Expresso color straight from the bottle. When it dries it is a bit more "golden" and slightly less "red/brown" than Zoe, so I probably should have kept mixing until I got the best shade - but it is close and it camouflages the damage and I am happy with the results.

I did the repair under strong sunlight (well, as strong as it gets in the midwest in late December!) Before I began I overstuffed Zoe with towels to create a smooth surface. You will need a small shallow dish or bowl for the paint - mix well, and a small bowl of water, and some rags. I usually wear rubber gloves with paints but I actually wound up using my fingers for this job!

I started on the bottom of the bag, where there were a few small areas that had rubbed off. I experimented with the different shades and mixtures until I decided to go with straight Rich Expresso. Use a damp cloth to wipe off the paint when it is still fresh while you are testing. At first I tried using a thin brush and gently painting the spots but I wasn't getting good coverage. I eventually ended up using the wide brush and tapping in on the spots and then using my fingers to blend the edges into the bag.

The bottom wasn't bad and it was fairly easy to over paint the damaged spots, but the back of the purse with extensive damage was a challenge. I finally ended up painting over the entire damaged area because it looked bad when I only worked on the spots. It made the repair much more obvious. After it dried I did a second application to completely cover the spots. Again I used the fingers to blend in the paint along the edges. When I was done my left hand looked like I was auditioning for a part in Goldfinger - but happily acrylic paints clean up easily with soap and water!

As I said, it is not a perfect match and I can see the repair when I examine the bag under strong light - but it is pretty good and looks much better than it did before. I plan to let it dry for a few days and then try conditioning the bag with Apple or Leather CPR before storing it until next year. I hope the repair holds up and it looks as good next fall as it does right now.

Let us know how your repair turns out and if you discover any new tips to improve on the process I used. I am sure there are other sad owners of Copper Zoes out there! Good luck!
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THANK YOU for your detailed response! I will definitely give it a try in the near future!
 
#42
wow, would have never thought to use paint and the results are so good

I have a Coach from several years ago that had the same problem, metalic wear in spots, going to have to take it out and try to repair it
 
#43
katlun said:
wow, would have never thought to use paint and the results are so good

I have a Coach from several years ago that had the same problem, metalic wear in spots, going to have to take it out and try to repair it
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Good luck! If it is a bag you no longer carry because of the damage then you might as well try and repair it. Let us know how it works out!
 
#44
UrbanBagLover said:
THANK YOU for your detailed response! I will definitely give it a try in the near future!
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I should have mentioned that I used the quarter inch wide paintbrush because it was the widest brush I have - but if I had a wider brush I probably would have used it. I had to overpaint the whole damaged area to cover the spots and camouflage the repair.
 
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