What NOT to do to your Beautiful Luxury Bags

To protect the beauty and value of your beautiful Hermes bag 
DO NOT DO THE FOLLOWING:

Hang the metal lock from the turn lock or have it swinging loose from the tirrette it can cut the leather into arch pattern (leather or exotic skin covered locks are usually ok)

Spray perfume into or on to your bag.... this is very difficult to remove Also be careful of spraying perfume on to yourself with your bag near by...




Let your pets use them as toys or bathrooms

Use baby wipes to clean them it can remove the finish of your bag!


Let mean and or jealous people near your bag with a sharpie penif you like them and they like you then its ok

Keep them in a lighted display case or window unless you want color fade and zoning 
Let some company treat your bag with a spray on plastic coating to try and keep it looking new forever eek the leather will dry out below and it will look like heck guaranteed in a couple of years down the road

Use products made for human skin on your bags like sun block or tanning lotion, face or hand cream 

OCD care cleaning or conditioning too often can remove the bag's finish and can overly soften it leading to losing its shape and stretching out. Yes cleaning or conditioning with a product every day is way too much, a simple wipe down with soft dry clean cloth will suffice most days after use unless you had a spill or greasy or sticky stuff on the handles then clean it of course


Placing your bag on top of your car while multi tasking and driving off with your bag on top of your car ... yes this has happened!

Leaving the plastic on the hardware ... this can lead to pitting when moisture sneaks up undeneath

Bring your bag to the hair salon where it can get spilled on with hair dye! do yourself a favor and bring a plastic bag to cover it or leave it at home!

refuse to do basic up keep or send it to the pros for general spa services at least every few years

Send your bag to have it sprayed with leather paint to change the color because you are bored with the orginal

Make art on your bag if you don't like your own Art ! Avoid Sharpie pens....in such a case...
And i'm sure there are more.... feel free to add some other don't  do this to your bag cautions in the comments section below :)

Box Calf, Veau Charmonix and Box Napal Care and Up Keep

A bit about Box Calf , Box Napal and Charmonix Leathers  Their Care and Up-Keep

Spills>>> can be wiped down quickly with a soft dry wash cloth and followed with a leather cleansing wipe or even a damp wash cloth, take care to remove any excess water.


Tarnish marks from hardware > gently remove with a soft pink eraser

Color Loss or discoloration to handles > Handles can be recolored and touched up with leather restoring paints or dyes.. if your feel comfortable with mixing a color match that is otherwise send the bag to a professional , some brands which make touch up colors include, Tarrago, Angelus,Saphir ,Luxury Again,Saphir, Woly,Kelly,Esquire

Worn away corners or color loss to corners > You can use touch up colors or leather paint touch ups on this leather if your feel comfortable with mixing a color match that is otherwise send the bag to a professional , some brands which make touch up colors include, Tarrago, Angelus,Saphir ,Luxury Again,Saphir, Woly,kelly, Esquire

Scratches > A light conditioner ( brands I like are Meltonian ,Saphir,Tarrago,Woly,Kelly, Luxury Again ,etc) on a wipe can help blend them back in to the patina always condition the whole bag lightly rater than spot correcting, then treat the bag to a nice neutral polish and buff.. eventually all those light scratches will blend back into the patina...deeper scratches which are more like cuts, may be helped by a professional who can add filler if needed. Neutral polishes are uncolored, brands I like are Saphir, Lincoln, Griffen,Kelly, Woly, Tarrago,

NEVER use baby wipes these can remove the finish.

Water,weather and water blister prevention / protection> I do not recommend Black Rocks or Obenauf's LP any longer as too many people were having trouble using these products, (if you have been using them with sucess then super, carry on)Brands I prefer are Aqua Seal, Luxury Again weather, Saphir water repellent etc,, google for other options always test a small hidden area first before treating your whole bag. Normally I say absolutelyno silicone but some silicone particularly on this leather may really help prevent stains... personally I prefer not to use silicone and push the patina with multiple thin treatments of neutral polishes...Griffen, Saphir,Lincoln,Woly, Tarrago etc...

Conditioning cautions> Take care when using conditioners, the very greasy type conditioners must be used sparingly as a heavy hand can remove the finish and lead to color change and blotchiness, as well as weakening old stitches, because like disolves like oils can dissolve the bees wax on the stitches. Saphir Renovator is a nice product but has a very high oil content, Also avoid mink oil type products or neatsfoot oil, or Hermes saddle baume or oil, Anyhow those oily type conditioners can be tricky and so unless you are very confident I would avoid these and leave these oily products to the professionals.

Conditioners> I like best for Box Calf ,Veau Charmonix, and Box Napal, are creamy light and lotion type conditioners rather than heavy waxy or oily ones. Saphir Universal, Meltonian Baulm, CPR, Luxury Again, Woly, Cadillac,etc... always test a small hidden area first and make sure you like the results before going over the whole bag!

Removing polish> Although a Box Calf bag may look beautiful and shiny it might not be healthy underneath the polish, I recommend removing old polish and conditioning your Box Calf,Box Napal and Charmonix at least every 2 years. A greatproduct for removing old polish is Saphir Reno Mat, Other products less harsh which work nicely are most the creamy conditioners,( because like dissolves like)

Why we should do up keep to protect our beautiful Heritage leathers like Box Calf,Box Napal,Veau Charonix, > The surface Cracks and textured rippled finish result from the leather shrinking due to the leather drying out.. having lost much of the internal conditions, fat liquors, oils etc. To keep these leathers looking their best and performing for generations learn to do some basic upkeep or send your bags to Hermes spa every few years.

The Nice thing about Box Calf Veau Charmonix and Box Napal is that with care these leathers can last generations and they also tend to be the leather which restore the best! I love them and I hope you do or will to!

When should I clean and condition my togo clemence and box calf bags?

Hello All,
                I received this question recently and thought I'd share this answer here.

         ↑

Hi Doc. At what point/age should we start conditioning our Togo/Clemence bags? Box calf? Thanks for your advice.

Click to expand...

Togo and clemence are both upholstery leathers, these are modern tanned finished leathers which are produced specifically to be low maintenance , with that in mind they can use a cleaning and light conditioning as a mater of course if the bag gets dirty a (non oily and non waxy) light lotion cleaner & conditioner combination type product would be ideal for these sorts of leathers. Suffice to say , cleaning and conditioning a modern finished leather too often can be harmful and can actually break down and remove the finish if done too often and or with excessive pressure and undo rubbing.

Box Calf can do well with conditioning and polishing more regularly. If you want to protect it from wet weather damage specifically and the bag is in daily use then conditioning and polishing can done up to every 4-6 months would not be outrageous in my opinion If the bag is new and hasn't developed a patina or isn't covered already in layers of polish which does tend to help shed water. For box calf I personally prefer creamy type conditioners followed by good neutral polishes . Does this make sense? I hope I have not been difficult?

When it comes down to it there isn't a set number of weeks or months to abide by to keep in mind for good bag upkeep, When in doubt I think this is a good way to make sure bags get a standard amount of care
Simply give them a going over after you are done with them for the season before resting them
So after the summer spa your Spring/Summer bags and then rest them so they'll be lovely when you rotate them back into your wardrobe again next spring
And same for your Fall/Winter bags simply spa them before you rest them for the warmer months.
Finally you year round neutral bags could get a spa every 4-6 months depending on how much use they are getting and how harsh the conditions are.
I personally like cleaning and conditioning leather wipes for convenience and not getting in to trouble with using too much product on a bag.

I hope this helps?
All the best,doc

Natural Hermes leather? What does that mean? What is an unfinished vs finished leather?

 

 Dalmatian Buffalo

 Vache Natural

Good Morning,

               I wanted to do a little lesson about "Natural" when describing Hermes leathers ...funny thing natural can mean "a color" such as pale tan or buff for instance on a finished leather; or it can mean that the leather surface is unfinished or  naked/ lacking a clear or colored coating on top of the leather .

A naked leather is considered an unfinished leathers such as Barenia an oil tanned leather ( all of the Barenia colors are still unfinished leather olive, fauve, black or indigo) or Vache natural (which is usually semi finished similar if not the same as a vegetable tanned cow hide). What was once called "natural" Barenia is now called fauve.

The color "natural" can be found on many finished leathers such as Epsom, Charmonix, Courchevel, Ardennes, Clemence, Box Calf , Box Napal and I'm sure some others which I did not mention...


What is a finished leather?


 A finished leather generally means one or more clear or colored top coats has been applied on top of the surface of the leather.
Most modern leathers today are finished leathers, that's why they can often be restored or touched up by applying a matching colored finish to areas of wear or stains or color-loss how well that works out depends upon the restoration specialist technique and eye as well as the re-finishing products they use as well as the amount used and dilution of said re-finishing products.

Some examples of Hermes Finished leathers include  With lesser or greater degrees of finish
Fjord
Charmonix
Box Calf
Veau Courchevel
Togo
Clemence
Evergrain
Epsom
etc...





Additionally, if you have a black mark on a white bag for instance it maybe difficult if not impossible to completely remove and or hide the mark below additional layers of white finish... usually it will show up through the cover finish... in a relatively short time. Much like trying to cover a black mark on a wall with white paint... that mark may migrate up through the coverage white paint over time...

Why Authenticating an Hermes Bag yourself isn't easy . so dont flip out... Just saying ( Part one)

Hello everyone,
                      I was speaking with someone a month or so ago who stated they are working on learning to authenticate  Hermes bags one their own. She said she was busy counting the scales on the crocodile bags and each number of stitches.. hmm sounds pretty tough.. especially because those particulars aren't going to help you....  Not to be mean spirited at all .. its just well.. its easy to get freaked out when you notice something you never have noticed before or that you have never seen before, and lets face it when you buy an Hermes bag even a very used one it represents a substantial investment for most of us...

I've also had folks worrying their Hermes bag isn't real because of the lack of a date code  and or a craftsman's stamp, also not a red flag for being inauthentic , missing or invisible date codes and craftsman's stamps  are not a sign of inauthenticity, those Hermes date codes and craftsman's ID stamps were for Hermes' internal controls not for authenticity nor are they serial numbers.... and yes bags can have the same date code and the same makers ID stamp.

Now I've heard Hermes is hiding the date codes, moving them to unexpected locations and or leaving them absent completely. And I've seen plenty of authentic Hermes bags without date codes not fetch the same money in the secondary market than one with a date code, so maybe you'll find a bargain? The lack of a date code has nothing to do with a bag being denied servicing by Hermes.. so exhale....whew!

Also comparing authentic Hermes bags  which were made in different time periods  for instance decades for instance the 1980's, 1990's, 2000's and 2010 ... whoa, way too many changes.... 
You will see so many differences , differences in hardware, zipper pulls and zipper stops, date code stamping, gold plating color, lock identification, dust bags, fonts on hardware etc....

Additionally comparing lets say 5 Kelly 32cm retourne style bags or 5 Birkin 35cm bags and finding they all vary in size! Yes authentic Hermes bags of the same style and size can vary considerably in size, also the leather type soft or stiff can also effect the way a bag looks in size...

And colors can vary greatly from year to year and leather type to leather type and dye vat to dye vat ...
For instance the classic Hermes Rouge H color can look purple hued burgundy , to a red burgundy, to a brown under-toned wine color....

Classic Hermes orange can be found in a wide range of hues .....also... as can all of the colors...

So, my advice is that because there are super fakes which are made so well its every hard to tell what you have ; don't try to authenticate it your self use an trusted authenticity service or buy directly from Hermes boutique.

All the best, doc

 

Hello everyone!

I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season and not getting too tired and or stressed out .... whew....

Heavy snow here on the ranch, it's blowy and peaceful now....

I've got to go out and feed the livestock before heading over to the work shop to work on some Hermes Bag restorations.

This year  I'm going to start adding in some video clips so you can learn to restore and care for your bags.

 I hope you'll all  check back and add in your leather care and restoration questions in the comments section and I'll do my best to answer them
. 
I'm adding in a short clip of some of the animals to test out how this works :)

I hope you all have a happy and healthy New Year!

All the best.doc

 

Exotic Reptile Skin bags care and upkeep

 

Time to pull out your party bags in alligator and crocodile  The cool weather is upon us which means you might be having some parties coming up and the chance to wear your party sized bags

So with that in mind I think it would be a good time to get to taking care of your exotic reptile skin bags .I find that the most important things  to keep these skins in good shape is keep them away from extended periods of direct sunlight, high dry heat, or moisture  and most of all keep them well conditioned.

Just because a bag is shiny does not mean its in good condition.  Sometimes all you see is shine but you maybe looking at a shiny finish which is sitting on top of the skin while below the skin is in trouble.

 So first step is check the bag over while its still closed, look for any cracks starting ,especially in between the scales ,on the bends of the bag, look for lifting scales too... If you see any of these signs start conditioning with the bag still closed so as to prevent placing additional stress on the skin. If the skin doesn't show any signs of cracks or stress go ahead and open it up and get started.

 

 I like to use Luxury Again Lotion wipes for exotic skins, They are handy pre-measured and goof proof. :) Start with a Luxury Again cleansing wipe follow the directions, dry the bag and follow through with the Luxury Again lotion wipe for exotic skins, it will condition beautifully,  and when dry can be brought up to a nice shine with a shine cloth ( I use a professional shine cloth from Luxury Again (but you can se a nice lint free cloth,  like old flannel )... I'll do my best to get some instructions posted...

There are other very good products out there that work nicely on exotic reptile skins, make sure the product is specifically for reptile skins.

 I prefer not to use any products which are very greasy on reptile skins because those kinds of conditioners tend to darken the skins..  additionally if the product seems kind of sticky or waxy sticky, in my opinion so best to avoid them rather than get into trouble.

 

And always test a small hidden area with any intended product and wait 24hrs to make sure everything is going to work  before proceeding to whole panels...

 

 Its best to start with a small amount of product and work in a small area,work in sections. (you can always repeat applications). It's much better to under treat on the first go round than getting in a hurry slathering your bag with product and having a wreck trying to remove excess.

 

 I like to  make small circles with my  leather care product infused cloth, in my dominate hand and put my non dominant hand inside the bag to steady it . I use medium pressure,. when making my small 1.5inch circles , I over lap each circle by half as I move along

What is medium pressure?  well if the pressure would bruise an apple its too much pressure, if it wont bruise a ripe peach its too little pressure, find a happy medium in between .

 

 What order to do the panels?  I always say start with the base, then do each side, then the rear panel followed by the front panel  and last do the flaps, straps and handle .

 

Allow the surface of the bag to become dry ...then buff to a shine with long north south or east west strokes (just pick a direction and stick with it )  I like to fold my buffing cloth a couple of times by wrapping it around my dominant hand (make a hand burrito) keeping the fluffy side out and the canvas side in, keep your non dominant hand inside the bag to stabilize.  Again using medium pressure and with some speed, (here is your mini upper arm work out gals)....long full length across each panel in back and forth strokes until you have a nice shine  (or mellow glow if the skin was matte to begin with)

 

 Good luck