It’s a Celine, not LV, but the vachetta needs major help

I came into possession of a vintage Celine bag and she’s in pretty bad shape. She’s got lots of life left in her, but she’s in need of restoration.
Is there any chance that the handles can be restored? **I have a feeling that the handles will need to be replaced completely to give her any chance for future use**

There is also a noticeable water stain as well as a 1.5 inch long scratch in the vachetta. How can I safely minimize the appearance of the stain and scratch?

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>>> Is there any chance that the handles can be restored? **I have a feeling that the handles will need to be replaced completely to give her any chance for future use**

Restore the leather for appearance without stress strength, especially its handles that need to carry weight is not practical. It becomes too dry and already develops dry rotting.


>>> There is also a noticeable water stain as well as a 1.5 inch long scratch in the vachetta. How can I safely minimize the appearance of the stain and scratch?

Water stain will almost disappear and blend into a much lighter color overall after treatment with system products described with this Vachetta Leather Cleaner, Conditioner, and Browning Remover Kit V3. After the final redox treatment, the overall color will be close to the scratch color making it less visible. Read more about some commonly ask questions . . .

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https://www.leatherdoctor.com/vachet...emover-kit-v3/

Vachetta Leather Cleaner, Conditioner, and Browning Remover Kit V3 by Leather Doctor cleans general soiling, rejuvenates suppleness, and removes browning discoloration.

People Also Ask:

What is Vachetta Leather?

Vachetta leather is vegetable-tanned and the pale biscuit coloring comes direct from the vegetable tannins and the skin itself, without additional coloring or finishes, just naked and natural made popular by Louis Vuitton bags.

Why does Vachetta Suntan?

Vachetta behaves just like our light-colored skin and gets a suntan when exposed to sunlight, in contrast with other aniline-dyed leathers that fade. Lightening the suntan is performed with a reduction-oxidation reaction treatment.

Why does Vachetta easily Develops Browning Discoloration?

Vachetta easily develops browning discoloration due to its pH sensitivity to alkaline solution and when neglected often suffers unsightly browning stain marks from a variety of liquid sources. Even apparently clean rain or tap water often leaves a lightning spot with an outer ring. The pH 7 alone of water will often cause a rippling effect on the tannin that destabilizes and causes it to migrate. The higher the pH value above water the darker the browning stain becomes, a common mistake with baking soda.

How to Correct Vachetta Leather Browning Discoloration?

Vachetta leather browning discoloration correction is performed in two stages, a pre-cleaning, and a post-treatment. A pre-cleaning first is soiling removal in combination with pH balancing the leather structure improves the appearance and returns the pH chemistry integrity to its original pH neutral of between 3 to 5. When pre-cleaning becomes satisfactory it is essential that the leather fatliquor conditioning continues while the leather is still damp and terry towel extraction shows dry. Due to the physic of the 'Van de Waal' phenomenon, when leather is wet and dry again without sufficient fatliquor fat and oil to separate and lubricate between them, the fiber shrink and becomes stuck together, and when flex cracks. A post-treatment with oxidation-reduction reactions is performed after the leather is fatliquor conditioned sufficiently to about 15% of fat and oil content when dry.

How to Control Vachetta Leather from Crackings?

Vachetta leather that is aged, dried, or cracked should first be fatliquor conditioned to regain softness with strength prior to an oxidation-reduction reaction treatment to reverse unwanted browning discoloration. This fatliquor conditioning precaution is to prevent any further cracking accelerated to the leather when dry. Due to the 'Van der Waal' phenomenon in the drying process, the empty or insufficient fat and oil in the leather fiber structure are likely to result in stiff leather as the fibers become stuck together. Slower natural drying will reduce the stiffness and ill effect from the lack of fat and oil.

How to Control Vachetta Appearance in pH Balancing and Redox Process?

To control a resulting even appearance always feather out from the area of browning discoloration to the edge of the panel and extended to the entire article. Achieving an even saturating appearance with soaking products will also translate into a dry even appearance. Redox or oxidation-reduction treatment is always the last process after the leather is well conditioned with fatliquor. In mild cases cleaning with a low pH of 1.2 and rinsing with a pH of 2.0 is sufficient to remove most rings and brown water spotting. Browning caused by a higher pH value or sun tanning will then need a redox reaction treatment that follows.

How to Control Vachetta Softness with Strength?

Vachetta leather, unlike other tanning types, by vegetable tanning is more susceptible to stiffness and cracks as it is characteristically more fatliquor thirsty. Cracking leathers are handled with care during the dry inspection and repeat fatliquor conditioning each drying cycle water evaporates until the leather takes no more and is left to slow dry. Surface residue cleans up with a hydrator and massage when almost dry produces a softer and strong leather.

How to Control Vachetta Structure Absorbency?

Vachetta structure absorbency is controlled by the amount of fat and oil in the leather structure. Since fat and oil is VOC or volatile organic compound, it evaporates with aging and heat. These empty spaces become absorbent from any liquid stains. Keeping Vachetta periodic fatliquor conditioned not only reduces absorbed stain but prolongs the life of the leather, as fatliquor is the lifeblood of leather.

How to Control Vachetta Surface Scuffing?

Vachetta leather is naked and unfinished and easily scuffed, sealing the scuff and concealing scuffing repairs is performed with a draggy feel and non-stick surface protector.

How Fatliquoring Works?

Fatliquoring works by preconditioning the leather structure relaxing and separating any stuck-together fibers plumping it with softness and allowing free water movements ready to receive fatliquor conditioning. In a bottle, 5/6 of the fatliquor water contents will evaporate and only leaves 1/6 of the remaining fat and oil in the leather structure. The fat plumps the leather with fullness, and the oil lubricates the fibrils like millions of interlocking hinges for sliding over one another for suppleness with softness and tensile strength from tearing. Fully saturated fat and oil with breathing pores when dry makes the natural leather less absorbent to any liquid stains. Fatliquor surface remnants that shine when dry are removed with a hydrator turning it milky and reabsorbed into the leather to clear is the end of the fatliquoring process. Slow drying will produce a softer leather and flexing or massaging it while almost dry also helps in extra desired suppleness.

"Why these Products are Handpicked as a Holistic System to Remove Browning on Vachetta leather?"
The answer is . . .

Vachetta Pro Cleaner-1.2 and Acidifier-2.0 system!

Vachetta Pro Cleaner-1.2 is a dual-purposeful low-pH heavy-duty cleaner and low-pH conditioner to remove surface soiling and rectify surface pH imbalance to remove browning rings and blotchiness. Leather Acidifier-2.0 is a pH 2.0 leather acidifier rinse and pH conditioner working in sync with Pro Cleaner-1.5 to control Vachetta browning discoloration.

Hydrator-3.3 and Fatliquor-5.0 system!

Hydrator-3.3 is a water-based pH 3.3 relaxer conditioner used before fatliquor conditioner and a surfactant cleaner to remove surface remnants thereafter. Fatliquor-5.0 is a pH 5.0 ionic negative (-ve) charged micro-emulsion of fat, oil, and water conditioner for softening Vachetta leather when dry.

Vachetta Redox Cleaner-2.8!

Vachetta Redox Cleaner-2.8 is a pH 2.8 oxidation-reduction reaction cleaner for the lightening oxidation and sun tanning effect.

Leather Protector-D!

Protector-D is a protective conditioner with a draggy feel that is also a scuff repairer filling and concealing surface scuffs to improve appearance.

Why Products in Concentrates?

Concentrate product has an indefinite shelf life, does not freeze, has less handling damage, and save cost on shipping weight.
Concentrates in the bottle have to be cut/mixed with distilled water prior to use.

How to Work with Pro Cleaner-1.2 and Acidifier-2.0 system!

1- Pro Cleaner-1.2 is sprayed and worked with a lint-free folding towel with detail brushing accordingly and feathering out to the edge of the panel changing folding sides as soiling shows. Even product absorption is observed to achieve an even appearance when dry.

2- Acidifier-2.0 is sprayed and worked by the same method accordingly
and towel extraction until the new folding sides show clean again and dry with even out appearance before fatliquor conditioning.

How to Work with Hydrator-3.3 and Fatliquor-5.0 system!

1- Hydrator-3.3 is sprayed and worked by towel padding and brushing accordingly with towel extraction until new folding sides show clean.

2- Hydrator-3.3 is again applied to plump softness and the leather creases, wrinkles, or stiffness if any is staked, massaged, or flexed to satisfaction and towel extraction until new folding sides show dry.

3- Fatliquor-5.0 is sprayed, towel padded, and brushed into the leather to plump softness and let it dry.

4- Fatliquor-5.0 is repeatedly applied each cycle the water content dries until the last application when the leather absorbs no more that ends the repeat application, and the leather is left for slow drying.

5- Fatliquor-5.0 remnant if any is driven into the leather or wiped off with Hydrator-3.3 and left to dry before redox treatment.

How to work with Redox Cleaner-2.8?

1- Vachetta Redox Cleaner-2.8 is sprayed over the dried surface and towel padded saturating evenly without a dry edge to avoid blotchiness or drying marks and left to dry for an oxidation-reduction reaction to take effect.

2- The appearance is inspected during damping or after drying and treatment may repeat accordingly.

3- Any surface drying residue is wiped away with Hydrator-3.3 and let to dry again for a satisfactory inspection, otherwise repeat.

How to work with Leather Protector-D?

1- Leather Protector-D is sprayed and spread out with a lint-free towel let dry and the leather is ready to use.

Your Questions are Welcome!

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Roger Koh
Leather Care System Formulator
Consultant / Practitioner / Instructor / Coach
web: www.leatherdoctor.com
forum: www.leathercleaningrestorationforum.com
email: [email protected],
email: [email protected]