What do you get when you scrape off the shoe polish? A beautiful bag! Rehab reveal!

TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others

#61
emilybug said:
Oh my gosh, Kate, I love love love what you've done with this! It looks beautiful. I'd probably carry that myself! It's fantastic.

I swear, one of these days I'm going to find an old gem like that, and I'll be pm'ing you for advice! ;)
Click to expand...

My pleasure, but I warn you "rehabbing is addictive!"
 
#63
Another fantastic outcome!

Katev, thanks so much for sharing your rehab projects with us. Not only do you give us the pleasure of seeing each one come back to life, but you're not afraid to share your knowledge with us. My husband thinks this site is tied in to the Shopping Network, I'm going to have to tell him it's more related to the Learning Channel!
 
#65
Mariquel said:
Another fantastic outcome!

Katev, thanks so much for sharing your rehab projects with us. Not only do you give us the pleasure of seeing each one come back to life, but you're not afraid to share your knowledge with us. My husband thinks this site is tied in to the Shopping Network, I'm going to have to tell him it's more related to the Learning Channel!
Click to expand...

Thank you and that's so true, I have learned loads of stuff from this forum! I remember the first time someone told me to "dunk a leather bag" I thought "you have got to be kidding!" but they were right and now giving my bags a bath is my preferred approach!
 
#67
Wow Im so glad I came across this thread. You have inspired me with that rehab. I buy and sell vintage clothing and purses on etsy and I have found a lot of great leather bags that could use a rehab like that. I never thought about washing them. I use saddlesoap to try and condition them but it doesnt always work. After reading what you've done I bet saddlesoap isnt good lol. I just wondered what are you "washing" the bag with. Just mild soap? Although its not a coach, I found this amazing vintage bag that I would love to make look like that! I rarely keep any of the bags I find for myself but this one I plan to if I can make it look so nice!
 

Attachments

  • IMG_07126.jpg
    IMG_07126.jpg
    84.3 KB · Views: 103
#68
sewbitchy said:
Wow Im so glad I came across this thread. You have inspired me with that rehab. I buy and sell vintage clothing and purses on etsy and I have found a lot of great leather bags that could use a rehab like that. I never thought about washing them. I use saddlesoap to try and condition them but it doesnt always work. After reading what you've done I bet saddlesoap isnt good lol. I just wondered what are you "washing" the bag with. Just mild soap? Although its not a coach, I found this amazing vintage bag that I would love to make look like that! I rarely keep any of the bags I find for myself but this one I plan to if I can make it look so nice!
Click to expand...

Nice bag! Below are a couple of threads with a lot of information about rehabbing unlined, vintage, glove-tanned Coach bags; but I don't know how this method will work on a non-Coach bag. Good luck!

http://forum.purseblog.com/coach/two-70s-80s-made-nyc-bags-going-through-658823.html

http://forum.purseblog.com/coach/coach-rehab-and-rescue-club-624452-8.html#post18465269
 
#72
katev said:
I didn't know if my husband would like it but he needs a new briefcase; he has been carrying the same beat-up microfiber case for years. He was really pleased when I told him I was rehabbing it for him and he seems thrilled with it.

But this is a heavy case, I think it is better for a guy than a girl!
Click to expand...

Wow! What a PHeNOMeNAL job on this one Kate, one look at at first pic Nd I shook my head no way she manages this... How do you do it!?! It looks like the surface of the leather/finish had been scraped off in some places - how did you fix that?

I actually got my dh the same case in black off eBay awhile ago. (Thankfully all it needed was a quick wet rag, a polish and a new strap.) The amazing thing is how he has treated the poor case - we are talking floors, wire bike basket in the rain, you name it - still looks fantastic so long as I use Blackrocks once in a while. I keep wondering of one of the new ones would hold up to this abuse!
 
#75
irr_actor said:
Wow! What a PHeNOMeNAL job on this one Kate, one look at at first pic Nd I shook my head no way she manages this... How do you do it!?! It looks like the surface of the leather/finish had been scraped off in some places - how did you fix that?

I actually got my dh the same case in black off eBay awhile ago. (Thankfully all it needed was a quick wet rag, a polish and a new strap.) The amazing thing is how he has treated the poor case - we are talking floors, wire bike basket in the rain, you name it - still looks fantastic so long as I use Blackrocks once in a while. I keep wondering of one of the new ones would hold up to this abuse!
Click to expand...

Thanks, I am glad to hear that your husband's bag has held up well.

You can see in the first pic below that there was some nasty coating on the bag and I had to scrub it off with an abrasive sponge. It came off in tiny flakes.

In the second pic you can see the surface of the bag after washing and it is badly scuffed and scraped and I am sure my scrubbing added to the problem.

Conditioning then applying blackrocks helps to cover and camouflage a lot of the damage and brought back the shine which helps a lot, but it still has some flaws and signs of wear.
 

Attachments

  • BrownCoachBriefcase 024.JPG
    BrownCoachBriefcase 024.JPG
    123.3 KB · Views: 83
  • LexingtonBriefRehab 024.jpg
    LexingtonBriefRehab 024.jpg
    65 KB · Views: 78
  • LexiBriefAfter 011.JPG
    LexiBriefAfter 011.JPG
    55.4 KB · Views: 83
  • Like
Reactions: Serena Shaw
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top