Louis Vuitton Trotteur dye project - disaster or learning experience?

Everything was going so well... right until the end... Oh. Well.
Brought the bag in today to my local shop - update in a couple of weeks or so!
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[@ms.lleslie1084]

Excellent video. Very informative hopefully you where able to save the straps for the purse.

[@SCENTGOURMAND]

Cheers for the comment. I did get it fixed: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6STiHZpgbadbck

[@Time2Begin]

Would you consider doing a How-to video on restoring/customizing old Louis Vuitton bags? You have alot of experience with cleaning and restoring these items, I would love to hear more about it.

[@SCENTGOURMAND]

Cheers! You mean just a restoring in-general, talking-head video?

[@bohyuni]

Thank you for doing a FULL process video. It has really helped. I hope you got the sides re-done

[@SCENTGOURMAND]

I did! Just posted. :)

[@jlnriddick]

I so agree with you on the painters tape. I've been painting a few LV bags, and frankly, whether it's paint or dye, I find the painters tape worthless, as either (or both) will bleed underneath it! Anyway, I love how the bag turned out (broken strap notwithstanding) and I wouldn't call it a fail at all! I have to go look to see how the bad strap dilemma was resolved, but I honestly think you'll be happier with 2 new strap pieces vs. 1 old half and one new half. Good lesson to learn but definitely all was not lost! Another great job!

[@SCENTGOURMAND]

Cheers! My bag is still in the shop, but I didn’t end up changing the whole strap set up- would have cost double the price I paid for the bag - haha

[@lorrainetownsend4088]

Nice & cute size bag ! Sorry it broke. Good Luck on the fix.

[@abbyluxemburg8968]

Sorry that happened, however you did a great job. In my experience with cleaning brass if I don't rinse the "Brasso" or "Bar keepers friend" off the brass there's either a white or green residue on the zipper, every single time. So now I always rinse it off if I can or wipe it down with a wet microfiber cloth really well. Hope you can get the strap fixed, if anything Louis Vuitton can fix it. Have a great day!

[@SCENTGOURMAND]

Thanks! Yes!!! That is such great feedback re dealing with residue. I have more dye videos coming up - next week's, for example, but sadly, it's already done and I didn't try rinsing. I used a toothbrush and cloth though. :) Will update on the strap situation as soon as I get it back. :)

[@abbyluxemburg8968]

@@SCENTGOURMAND you can still get the residue off if there's any but won't be as easy. I always use toothbrushes and microfiber. I love your videos and will watch every time you upload 👍

[@SCENTGOURMAND]

@@abbyluxemburg8968 Cheers - Thank you!

[@kathyn1343]

Next time, you could always remove the strap if you don’t like it, and snap on a new one. I recently bought a vintage Epi Trocadero. Had to clean the sticky pockets (yuck!) and give it a good cleaning. I didn’t like the strap, I felt it was too thin, so I removed it and will either use my monogram strap or buy a decorative guitar type strap to change up the look. If you could do a video on the best way to get rid of the sticky pockets I would appreciate it! I used acetone but it was a mess.

[@SCENTGOURMAND]

Cheers, Kathy! Yes, cleaning up the sticky pockets can be a nightmare, I've heard, which is why I've chosen to avoid them! If I do end up getting a bag that requires that work, I'll definitely share my process. Acetone is definitely one way to go (not sure actually what the others are, however!) I thought of adding different straps, but because it is not a D ring (but instead a square), I didn't think removable straps would look so great. I have an update on how the bag looks now, if you haven't seen it. I did get the ends replaced. :)

[@reneepierce569]

Were the straps done with leather dye or leather paint?

[@SCENTGOURMAND]

Dye! Sometimes I mix up my words, but I always use dye on vachetta leather because it penetrates. However, paint (a surface fix) might have been nicer to the dry, old leather! It still might have been enough damage to weaken it, however.

[@sydneykane7350]

I saw your after repair video on this bag. You showed a close up of the repair. I noticed the brass rectangle strap hardware does not look correct. The AAA replica bags have those lines in each corner of the brass rectangle hardware that attaches the bag to the strap. Not convinced your bag is authentic.

[@SCENTGOURMAND]

Hey Sydney! My knee jerk reaction is to express an inclination to disagree because a) the patina, materials, craftmanship are on par with authentic items I own and b) it's a vintage piece, and replica manufacturers weren't that good at the time (not that knock-offs don't currently made older models, but they wouldn't be so old, is my thinking). That said, I see your point. I inspected my bag before responding - can't identify anything else off. Can you?

[@nevergetsickofthese]

What did you use to clean the zipper?

[@SCENTGOURMAND]

I used a generic Japanese metal cleaner. If you live in the US, I would suggest "Brasso."

[@TheMaleGayz]

I probably would have removed the straps and stitching and simply used it as a large pouch.

[@SCENTGOURMAND]

That's a great idea!

[@sydneykane7350]

I really can’t see anything else that looks incorrect on your bag. Just too hard to detect in pictures and video. Please compare to trotteurs on reputable websites. You will see both types hardware. Also check/compare the font and decode the interior date code stamp tag. I do believe a counterfeit bag could achieve this level of patina. After all your efforts I hope I’m wrong!!

[@SCENTGOURMAND]

Cheers, Sydney! As it turns out, I am selling the bag (not because it could be a fake - more because I think my Eva clutch does the same job, and love that one more), and already have a promise to buy despite my transparency about its questionable authenticity (cheers for pointing everything out!). I guess she likes my dye job, and I am not asking a lot anyway.