I just recently came into this Coach vintage briefcase and was wondering what steps I should take to restoring it. I attached some pictures but most importantly how would I repair the fraying on the bottom of the case? The leather is glove tanned leather if that is any help. Thanks!
repair the fraying on the bottom of the case?
The fraying of the leather edges is repair by using this Bond-3D.
The missing fiber is replaced by scraping from a piece of similar leather to use as donor.
This is done by applying the bond to the surface and adding the leather fiber and putting them to shape with help of hair dryer to speed up drying.
Color is added to the Bond-3D for an aesthetic repair.
steps I should take to restoring it
Most high-end black bags are aniline dyed just like most Chanel black bags.
We can use the Aniline Leather Problem Solving Guide as reference.
This bag can be restored accordingly under “Surface Abrasion”.
When a total restoration is desired, the corner fray repair is done after fat and oil replenishing and before dying.
Thus, the general structure of process should be in this order.
1.] Degreaser-2.2
2.] Rinse-3.0
3.] Hydrator-3.3
4.] Fatliquor-5.0
5.] Bond-3D / Impregnator-26
6.] Adhesor-73
7.] Aniline-76
8.] AnilineTop-76
9.] Protector-B+
We shall further discuss in details when you take up this project.
Leather-Safe Aniline Problem Solving Guide
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn4/Rogerkoh/A.jpg
Leather-Safe Problem Solving Guide (A) – Aniline Leathers
Repair Products
Products mentioned
Roger Koh
[email protected]
Roger, I am at the fatliquor step, about to attempt the Bond3d/Impregnator step. How should I proceed?
Attachment 1128Attachment 1129
All repair areas will need to clear of surface strays fatliquor.
Spray Hydrator-3.3 horsehair brush and towel extract.
A dry blower may speed up the drying on those areas as well.
For weaken structure repairs, the Impregnator-26 is applied until the damaged areas is saturated prior to Bond-3D repairs.
To prepare for the repairs, missing fiber need to be replaced and this is taken from the suede side of any similar leathers.
Apply the bond to the worn areas and fill up with the suede fibers to fill it up working with a forceps and a leather tool or equivalent.
These are simultaneously combine action to fill, compress and smoothen while the repair dries with the help of a heat blower.
Color is added to the Bond-3D for deep repair during the few final touches for aesthetic, while shallow repairs are done with color mix.
You can show pictures of the repairs if you are doing it right.
Roger Koh
[email protected]
Still a little unsure on the leather transfer of "fibers". Do i cut out pieces of leather from another bag or do I take strands of another leather product?Quote:
Originally Posted by Roger Koh
Do I put actual leather strands into the frayed area or do I cut out pieces of leather? Not 100% clear on this bonding part. Does it matter what color suede leather I choose as a donor?
The reverse side of leather is suede, take from any other leather product, you can unzipped from your leather cushion and scrape from the suede side.
The suede fibers are scraped with a circular blade on a flat surface.
Alternatively is to fold the suede facing out and scrape with a razor blade.
A white and black range will not interfere with your “transparent” dye.
Show pictures if you are doing it right before you continue.
Can I remove from a product that is pure leather suede? I have many old minnetoka suede moccasins that I could easily use.
Yes!
Scrape them and use the fibers.
I did two corners, not sure but I did the best I could. Is this the right idea? They are still dryingAttachment 1130Attachment 1131
Yes,
Continue filling up with Bond-3D and filling up with fiber interlacing them for added strength
Add coloring to the final few touches to hide away the color differences progressively.
Ok, continued on towards the adhesor, aniline, aniline-top coat, and the protector B+ here are a couple shots of the final product. Corners turned out pretty good considering they were missing chunks of leather. I purchased some brass corners in case I feel like covering them up and to help accent/protect the briefcase. Attachment 1136Attachment 1137Attachment 1138Attachment 1139
We would like to see some close shot of your repairs, are they smooth to the touch?
How did you go about apply the dye and the topcoat, brush, pad or airbrush?
Is this a practical solution for the DIY'er?
Roger Koh
[email protected]
A little late in getting back to you. Some corners are better than others probably due to how much was missing on some of the corners. I didn't spend too much time on it since I figured I might add brass corners to the bag for protection. It was pretty easy once you go the hang of it. Key being to cut fibers as small as possible. Attachment 1163Attachment 1164Attachment 1165Attachment 1166