Crocodile vintage handbag restoration
One of our favourite regional clients, Jenny, mailed in her mother’s Crocodile vintage handbag for restoration. She lovingly remembered her mother using it when she was a child. It was coming up to Christmas, and Jenny was wanting to gift it to her daughter for another lifetime of use.
Unfortunately, the paper interfacing of the handle had deteriorated. It had lead to the weakening of the crocodile leather on the handle over time. Overall the crocodile was dry and needed a thorough conditioning treatment.
From Jenny: “Nathan and Rachel, One crocodile handbag safely returned. I actually shed a tear (poor choice of words?). It looks as lovely as I remember it now, due to your skill. All the very best to Baxter and Black for Christmas 2019.”
Our Process
- Carefully, we unpicked the handle and opened it up to expose the deteriorated interfacing.
- We put in solid leather interfacing to ensure another lifetime of use.
- It took some time, but we managed to colour match the original thread. We stitched it on our vintage Singer roller foot sewing machine to avoid marking the leather.
- After that, we cleaned down the bag of any dust and grime. We gave the whole handbag an extensive cleaning with Saphir Reptan Reptile Leather Conditioner. It is made specifically for reptile leathers.
- Finally, we cleaned all of the metal fixtures with a mild cleaning solution so they shone as bright as the rest of the bag.
