Using acrylic paint to camouflage damaged metallic leather – Pics!

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#91
katev said:
I only have one metallic bag but it’s a favorite, my copper Zoe 12669. I have read posts by other TPFers about peeling, rubbing, and various problems with metallic leathers (including the copper Zoe) but I was very happy that I never had any wear issues with my beloved bag – until this year!

I only wear Zoe during the fall, but life has recently gotten harder on my bags (and on me!) and my sweet Zoe was damaged! My bags are spending a lot more time on my shoulder and rubbing against my clothes – instead of sitting next to me in the car – because I am now walking back and forth to commuter train stations to go to and from work.

As a result, areas of metallic leather on the back side of my Zoe rubbed off and really looked terrible! I finally decided to try over-painting the damaged areas. I usually only use acrylic paints to touch up the strap edges on rehabbed vintage bags. I’ve never had much luck over-painting areas on the body of a bag. It is very hard to match colors exactly and even harder to match the (matt or glossy) finish of the bag.


I now think that metallic paints may be a good option for damaged metallic bags because of the natural color variations in metallics and the fact that both the bags and the paints have a glossy finish.

I took Zoe’s hangtag with me to JoAnn’s and found a small bottle of metallic acrylic paint that was a very close color match. Then I just painted it on and hoped for the best! My goal was to minimize the damage and make it less noticeable and I am satisfied that I’ve accomplished that.

I don’t think that I will ever use Zoe as an everyday work bag again, but I will take her out for special occasions next fall and I am glad that she is not lost forever!

Below are some before pics and I will post after photos with the next message. It’s hard to photograph the true colors of metallic bags, so these are the best pics I could get.

Please don’t praise my rehab skills because I didn’t have to use much skill, just nerve! This was more of an act of desperation! I just bought a small bottle of paint and slathered it on with an artist’s paint brush and let it dry.

I am only posting this info because I know that others have had issues with metallic bags and this may help someone else.

Before, poor Zoe!
CopperZoeRestoration001.jpg


CopperZoeRestoration002.jpg


CopperZoeRestoration003.jpg
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I have a question, forgive me if I missed the answer somewhere...did you just paint the spots or did you do the entire "panel"?

I have one of these bags and as tempted as I am to try sending it back to see what coach says (it's obviously a defect, maybe they have since realized it), but I'll probably never get around to it and will end up touching it up.

And thanks for doing the legwork and matching the paint!
 
#92
ledobe said:
I have a question, forgive me if I missed the answer somewhere...did you just paint the spots or did you do the entire "panel"?

I have one of these bags and as tempted as I am to try sending it back to see what coach says (it's obviously a defect, maybe they have since realized it), but I'll probably never get around to it and will end up touching it up.

And thanks for doing the legwork and matching the paint!
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I only painted the affected section but if I had to do it over again, I would paint the whole painted because you can faintly see the difference. I would also try and mix the paints or find a closer match. The color I used it pretty close but it is more golden and less copper than the original bag.

I sent mine into coach and they returned it and said it couldn't be repaired, but they also sent me a 40% off retail letter - so they realize it is a defect - and it is worth the trouble of sending it in. Good luck!
 
#93
katev said:
I only painted the affected section but if I had to do it over again, I would paint the whole painted because you can faintly see the difference. I would also try and mix the paints or find a closer match. The color I used it pretty close but it is more golden and less copper than the original bag.

I sent mine into coach and they returned it and said it couldn't be repaired, but they also sent me a 40% off retail letter - so they realize it is a defect - and it is worth the trouble of sending it in. Good luck!
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hmmm...yup, 40% might just be worth it.
 
#95
AKW98 said:
What brand of metallic paint did you use to touch up your Zoe handbag?
Thanks
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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.
 
#96
katev said:
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.
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Did you put an acrylic finisher on top of the paint?

Yasmeen
 
#100
katev said:
No, I didn't
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Thank you so much for your reply! I read through the thread a few weeks ago and forgot that you had previously mentioned that you decided not to use a sealant. I have been reading a lot of blogs on painting shoes and bags and they all mentioned using a sealant, I'm glad that I don't need to do that extra step.

I picked up a Silver Zoe at a thrift store that has a few scratches and scuffs. I got a bottle of silver metallic paint and painted the underside of the strap as that area had really lost colour. I figured if it didn't work or I made a mess of things, at least the underside of the strap is mostly hidden. 

I'm happy to say that it turned out GREAT! The paint is a slightly lighter colour than the bag so I'm not sure if I'll use it to touch up the damaged/worn area's on the front of the bag. I think I'll test it out on the back first and see how it looks.

I used those triangular makeup sponges to glide on the paint. It worked very well and gave me a lot of control.

Thank you so much for starting this thread and all the advice you provided!

Yasmeen
 
#102
Daniac said:
Thank you so much for your reply! I read through the thread a few weeks ago and forgot that you had previously mentioned that you decided not to use a sealant. I have been reading a lot of blogs on painting shoes and bags and they all mentioned using a sealant, I'm glad that I don't need to do that extra step.

I picked up a Silver Zoe at a thrift store that has a few scratches and scuffs. I got a bottle of silver metallic paint and painted the underside of the strap as that area had really lost colour. I figured if it didn't work or I made a mess of things, at least the underside of the strap is mostly hidden. 

I'm happy to say that it turned out GREAT! The paint is a slightly lighter colour than the bag so I'm not sure if I'll use it to touch up the damaged/worn area's on the front of the bag. I think I'll test it out on the back first and see how it looks.

I used those triangular makeup sponges to glide on the paint. It worked very well and gave me a lot of control.

Thank you so much for starting this thread and all the advice you provided!

Yasmeen
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Glad that it worked for you!
 
#104
bagloverismeme said:
Hi katev,
How's your bag holding up after few years? Thank you.
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It has held up well, the paint is still in place and the bag has worn well. The only thing I would change is that I did a few touch ups in some isolated spots and they blended in perfectly when I did them, but as the bag and paint have aged the color is a little different now. Not bad but I can tell. If I had to do it over I would have left those spots alone, or painted the entire panel.
 
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#105
katev said:
It has held up well, the paint is still in place and the bag has worn well. The only thing I would change is that I did a few touch ups in some isolated spots and they blended in perfectly when I did them, but as the bag and paint have aged the color is a little different now. Not bad but I can tell. If I had to do it over I would have left those spots alone, or painted the entire panel.
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Thank you! I tried painting some corner scuffs with acrylic from craft stores the day before yesterday and the result is satisfactory. Wanted to use angelus but i couldn't find a colour match. I applied angelus acrylic matte finisher after I painted the corners to protect the paint from rubbing off though. Am glad to hear that after so many years your bag has held up well! Was hestitating if i should use normal acrylic paint or only use angelus. Angelus is meant for leather.
 
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