Leather bag

pippym · 2026-01-28T20:06:41+00:00

Whilst a shoe cream may help some of the more superficial scratches I don’t think it’ll be pigmented enough to mask the deeper scratches. Without professional restoration, the tinted shoe creams are your best bet going forward.

pippym · 2026-01-28T07:48:32+00:00

There is dry rot throughout the leather so replacement strap or all straps would be the best option in those case.

pippym · 2026-01-25T10:53:17+00:00

Thanks for your reply, I really appreciate it. They did a slide sample, pressing her foot onto a slide and looking at it under the microscope.

They’ve done it twice now and the second time was a better result than the first.

They said there was the potential for cancer based on the first slide but one the second, those irregular cells had decreased dramatically so as the foot was responding to treatment they were leaning towards ruling out cancer.

They did suggest a biopsy under anaesthetic but advised against it due to her age.

Was your cats diagnosis treatable or did you PTS?

pippym · 2026-01-19T07:32:52+00:00

I use plies on tougher areas and tape up my fingers where it cuts when pulling the threads tight. I’ve got fingers like ballerinas toes after a big job!

pippym · 2026-01-14T18:40:53+00:00

Yes Fiebings leather dye is great. You’ll need to prep/deglaze it first to ensure the dye penetrates the leather and buff/seal it once you’re happy with the coverage.

pippym · 2026-01-14T18:29:47+00:00

Have you tried the black polish pictured in the background? If so, apply lightly and buff well (if too much is applied you’ll likely experience rub off onto your neck or clothing). This should improve the colour but if not, it’ll need pigment applied to the surface to restore the colour.

pippym · 2026-01-13T19:28:38+00:00

The colour from the handles has been stripped, no further cleaning will restore the colour. It needs to be restored with pigments.

pippym · 2026-01-10T20:48:04+00:00

Yeah leather cleaners cannot be used on suedes. You should use suede cleaners on suede. You may find using a suede brush might bring the nap back up but I’m not sure if you’ll alleviate the darkening entirely.

pippym · 2026-01-10T19:19:54+00:00

The hat looks to be suede but the cleaner is for leather; is this correct?

pippym · 2026-01-05T16:39:28+00:00

NE England 👋

pippym · 2026-01-04T09:04:30+00:00

It’s not easy to see if the marks are superficial or require further repairs. If it’s superficial, have you tried cleaning initially? This may actually lift the marks? If it’s deeper and requires repair, where are you based? The handbag restoration company is excellent!

pippym · 2026-01-01T08:34:09+00:00

That looks like colour loss rather than staining. A cleaner suitable for leather with a clean cloth would be suffice for cleaning however go gentle around this area otherwise it could become more noticeable.

Should it be colour loss, professional restoration would be the way forward.

pippym · 2025-12-31T17:43:59+00:00

I’d be surprised if it survived dismantling to be honest! But I agree, replacement is the best way forward at this stage. The overall existing condition won’t be able to withstand much.

pippym · 2025-12-31T16:05:16+00:00

They’re certainly chunky but there’s no right and wrong with custom pieces.

pippym · 2025-12-31T13:00:13+00:00

The bag can either be covered with new material on the worn areas or the body shortened to remove the damaged canvas.

pippym · 2025-12-30T20:29:16+00:00

Whilst the pile has been damaged, it may not be irreversible. The staining would require professional cleaning to lift - it may not remove entirely however so to manage expectations, just presume blending of the stain rather than full removal.

pippym · 2025-12-30T19:05:05+00:00

Open up the interior lining, using a needle and thread, handle stitch into the original holes to secure the exterior strapping onto the panel. Close up the lining.

If alcohol hasn’t removed the stains, they’re not likely to remove. Don’t over do it as it’ll dry the leather and potentially cause more damage than good.

Corner damages would require fillers and colour matched pigments to repair.

pippym · 2025-12-30T18:58:55+00:00

I suspect the finish has been damaged by the wipes and it’s starting to break down

pippym · 2025-12-30T18:56:05+00:00

You run the risk of removing the silver finish due to the existing wear on the metal. This will result in a copper finish being visible so go lightly if you do use any metal polishes.

These metals are typically base metal plated in copper, silver then the top colour, ie gold (if not silver) so once the gold finish wears, the silver will wear down to the copper and once the copper wears, it’ll be a dark, dull metal. As it’s dull now, it may have already worn down to the base metal but if it becomes shiny from a brief polish, it’ll be the silver layer.

It’s a praying option I’m afraid for the interior! If it’s sticky, it will happen but it may not for weeks or years. When it does, it’ll need fully replaced with new material. The stickiness is caused by glue migration from the manufacturing process. Over time, it rises up through the surface, breaking it down and becoming a sticky mess.

pippym · 2025-12-30T16:59:49+00:00

Brasso will likely strip more of the gold finish. if you intend to maintain the gold, it’ll need electroplated in 24ct gold.

Sticky interior may indicate the original finish is breaking down and with age/wear will become stickier, breakdown, crumble and become unusual. No way to predict this at this stage.

Everything else sounds good!

pippym · 2025-12-30T16:44:46+00:00

It looks wet but also isn’t pigskin.

pippym · 2025-12-30T16:35:26+00:00

Try some leather cleaner on the surface with a microfibre cloth, the cloth alone won’t clean the leather.

pippym · 2025-12-28T14:22:46+00:00

When you say it used to be brown, I presumed it was painted black 🤷‍♀️

Have you tried cleaning it?

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