Restoring 25 year old doctor's bag - LEATHER RESTORATION

[@ginnysimpson5232]

Patina on the handle looked more like dirt and grime which does nothing for the finished product. So polish that brass.

[@JamesBerry]

Hahah I agree with you in the end though I was very reluctant to polish it at first x)

[@willgrime]

Hi James, Great video of a great project. Regarding the brass: I think there’s a big difference between a patinated surface and a dirty or corroded one. Patina develops from continued care - cleaning, buffing, oiling, waxing - and a little wear, controlled by care. Just leaving the brass to tarnish is not to leave it patinated, it’s just to leave it uncared for. And I’d love to have seen you make a shoulder strap for the brackets which remain on the closure… Cheers, Will

[@yolandeoldham452]

I love the cleaned look, going to clean my bags now Ive had the lesson. Thank you

[@karolinas7804]

I love the cleaned look, including the copper! Good job!

[@beetrootbytch]

Polished brass is the way to go. Like a piece of jewellery or a shiny medical instrument. Great video!

[@gaslitworldf.melissab2897]

Excellent finish. Love the brass look, brought back to a shine.

[@dinalander]

I love the cleaned look! Beautiful 💕

[@JamesBerry]

Hahah thanks Dina, glad you like it :)

[@pippadawg7037]

I liked the patina until I saw it cleaned and then I loved the patina which is still there. The patina underneath is still in the details as you pointed out and the contrast is gorgeous. The bag is gorgeous.

[@prettypaws3115]

WOW...Great job. I think cleaning the gold trim was the finishing brilliant touch. Looks like NEW and I luv that look.

[@wendyglasgow6394]

Super job. Can never understand that we all moisturise our skin yet don’t moisturise our leather products. My current bag is 1941 and perfect. Thank you for educating the people.

[@JamesBerry]

This is so true, thanks for sharing Wendy :)

[@jennymacdonald3134]

Looks fabulous- everything restored just perfect.

[@JamesBerry]

Thank you Jenny, so glad you like it :)

[@christopherdrinkard1252]

Absolutely enjoyed this and learned some things! Thanks for posting, my friend 🙌🏼

[@JamesBerry]

You're welcome, thanks for the comment Christopher!

[@IMOO1896]

Gorgeous, glad you cleaned the brass... it still has patina around the rivets, so it’s not ruined.i have a new saddle leather handbag, that I hope to keep good as new for many years to come.

[@JamesBerry]

Ah thanks Sandra! Yes I agree with you on this, having some of the old patina left around the edges does help give it a very used and worn look without compromising on some nice clean hardware :D Hope you love your bag and keep it in great shape! Good leather is such a wonderful material.

[@MarioMejoradoJrMPA]

I absolutely love that you removed the patina! It looks so beautiful.

[@JamesBerry]

Thanks, glad you like it :)

[@askunz1]

Thx. Helpful instruction. I preferred the brass patina because I prefer welled cared for look over newer.

[@mrpinkstuttgart]

Wow, the result is worldclass. Thank you, great video!

[@DorrisDiaz]

I have a very lovely 40 year old handbag, fairly rigid leather, 2 leather handles zip closing all the way round, rigid rectangular base with feet. Some marks which I suspect are oil. Do you think I can give it the same treatment? What would you recommend for the oil-stain?

[@VyChazen]

I love the bag and finish. The only thing that would make the video better is adding more static views of the bag. The close-ups are great for the details, but static shots further from the bag would give time to admire it all.

[@JamesBerry]

Thanks Vivian for your message! It's sometimes easy, when you've been working for hours on a project, to forget that you need to take a step back and show a bigger picture. I'll make sure to get more wide shots in future :)

[@nigelwylie01]

Hi James. Great video. If it was for me, I would have left the brass work unpolished, or perhaps part-polished, to leave some patina. But it doesn’t really matter what I think if it is for you. If it is for sale, it’s anyone’s guess! One metal finishing tip I’ve picked up from other restorers is French Polish (Shellac). A thin coat will keep metal from re-tarnishing, and maintain the patina in whatever state to which you have carefully restored it. Especially helpful if you are going to sell it, as it keeps it looking as it is in the photos for longer.

[@JamesBerry]

Thanks a lot for the tip, I'll have to look into getting some Shellac for future projects. I was not sure if I wanted to touch the patina at first but my girlfriend insisted and I have come to really like the new look. Totally understand that this is a question of taste and many would prefer it untouched. Thanks for the message :)

[@nigelwylie01]

James, the only problem with shellac, is that when it does eventually wear out, it can crack, and peel. Then it needs to be removed with a solvent and either started again or left alone. As a result, I wouldn’t use it on things I own myself. I prefer a natural patina of age to grow and develop over the decades and centuries. I collect old leatherwork tools to use in my workshop, and I love to see the evidence of the workers who have gone before me.

[@78a67h]

Very good work, but for the amateur doing the occasional odd restoration I would recommend fewer products. Soapy water would do a good job of initially cleaning the bag and after it dries only one other product to nourish and protect the leather. I would attempt cleaning of and mechanical adjustments to the top metal strips / closing mechanism right at the start.

[@grahamhill8018]

A very nice job. Love the rich colours of the leather, well done.

[@JamesBerry]

Thank you Graham, glad you like it :)

[@barbaraburgdorff7025]

I loved the clean look. To not remove the tarnish makes it look not aged but dirty !

[@JamesBerry]

Haha, thanks glad to hear you like it like this :)

[@DannyMcLaneDC]

I like the patina look, that being said, the mix of pop rivets on brass makes my skin crawl. I'm in the process of making a bag almost identical to this. And I made sure to match antique brass to antique brass. I normally work in copper, because I think it's so beautiful with dark leather, and it ages well. I think that's the most beautiful thing about well-made leather, is it can last more than a lifetime. I think your final product on this bag looks phenomenal. Well done

[@dose.of.pixels]

Wonder if this will work on the 135 year old drs bag I have.....

[@nurrafidahabrahim]

Thank you for the lesson, I got my old leather luggage bag clean and soft again

[@laurie2553]

I like it much more after you've cleaned the brass plate. Looks great now!!

[@saintxbarbie]

When I think of patina is think of leather and leather only. When it comes to hardware, in my head I view it as tarnish. Have it a little bit tarnished in the corners give it an "antiqued brass" finish but still looks clean and beautiful.

[@katybroyles2805]

Real patina will come back quickly and not look like dirt. Don't worry about polishing brass, especially plated brass.

[@JamesBerry]

I have little experience in this area so I'm very glad to read this :) Thanks for your message!

[@nataliebutler]

Are you using saphir 'polish' (as in shoe polish) or a different conditioning product?

[@jadabrowskitom]

Beautiful work, wow!

[@JamesBerry]

Thanks Tomasz !

[@susanjackson2459]

I have my father's 50 year old doctor's bag. It is black and mildewed on the inside. Any suggestions ? tank you

[@valeriemonnier925]

Bonjour. Le sac est magnifique et vous avez très bien fait d'enlever la patine , c'est propre. Belle restauration.

[@JamesBerry]

Merci beaucoup Valérie pour votre message, très content de lire que le résultat final vous plaît :D

[@vieuxacadian9455]

obenaufs or aussie cream is great conditioners after letting the neatsfoot oil to dry . neatsfoot oil is best used around 87 degrees f.

[@s.m.m.6403]

Love the video. Does this same process apply to restoring Frye leather handbags? Have you ever restored a Frye leather handbag? Only asking because their handbags distress very easily. So, I was wondering if the process depends on the type of leather used.

[@TheRedbeardster]

Nice work! Looks like I need to buy some more Saphir's creme.

[@JamesBerry]

Hahah thanks :) Saphir is the best hands down... they have great products for every use you may need, and their huge choice is the only downside as it can be hard at first to figure out which product will work best for you x)

[@daddygez]

The patina on the metalwork looked more like tarnish, so a polish was the way to go. It will re-age in time. Nicely done.

[@JamesBerry]

Thanks Gerry for your message, glad you agree with me on this and happy to read you like the final result :D

[@chrismills5110]

Patina is largely dirt: It can stay if it looks good. If not, clean it away. On furniture, it is a mix of polish and dirt which looks good

[@mickfromaustralia902]

Nice video (as always). I'll go against the trend here and I feel that the bag now looks rather new. The metal's tarnish or patina added something for me. Cheerio, and others will disagree.

[@JamesBerry]

Thanks Mick for the message! It's nice to see how mixed each person's views are on patina and all I can say hear is that both have a lot of charm ;)

[@dandydriver3466]

I think it had oxidation not patina and therefore I believe you took the right decision. Most metal will never get patina or nothing very noticeable. Leather however gets patina reacting over time, use and treatments (Saphire Creme surfine for instance ;) Sometimes leather patina is in fact only dirt.

[@iwasglad122]

Fascinating video! I have a variety of Gladstone (Dr) bags, and I use them regularly in my work and also any social activities that require bags. I'm constantly keeping them all in excellent, usable condition. My preference, despite their great age, is to have any brass parts shining brightly. I'm not a fan of the patina, dull brass look! One of my favourite moments was using one of my Gladstones on a work trip. I got to the airport check-in and the lady checking my details said, for the entire queue to hear, "Wow! What an AMAZING bag!" My 15 minutes of fame!!!

[@JamesBerry]

Thanks for sharing David, it's wonderful to hear stories like this and a great example of how people will always love good quality leather products :D Glad you liked the video!

[@richardichard4237]

Is the inside base of this bag stitched in or just glued...? Thanks. A very nicely made bag. The quality of the leather is obvious. Looks like oak bark tanned leather. Do you know where it was made...?

[@JamesBerry]

Hi Richard, it looks like a hard composite board that is glued onto the bottom of the bag. Completely agree with you, you can really tell it's great quality leather at how well it's survived all those years! All I know about it is that is was a French leatherworker who made it... Sadly the old owner did not have more information for me.

[@lindamellingen5977]

Love the video. I have found Gladstone bag hardware online, but they are not of this quality. Do you know if there are makers of them yet?

[@JamesBerry]

So glad you enjoyed the video! Unfortunately I've not seen any new versions of this hardware and don't have any suggestions for you on where to find them :/ Hopefully Google can help you more than me.

[@lorenwoodson9164]

Thanks much! I agree with your restoration esthetics and related choices. Bag looks great!

[@JamesBerry]

Thanks for your message Loren, so pleased you like it :)

[@Grant2406]

Patina usually just looks like grime and dirt. I generally give it a polish and a coat of oil or wax.

[@JamesBerry]

Thanks for the message Grant, I think I'll stick to that same rule for future projects :)

[@edwinhardman1509]

Great looking bag, but does not neatsfoot oil gradually oxidise and, long term, actually lead to cracking?

[@JamesBerry]

I've never heard of this from any experienced saddler. Possibly the one thing to avoid is oversaturating the leather in oil as that will cause issues long-term - though this would be true for any oil you may use, not just neatsfoot oil.

[@robynsalaver4069]

I preferred the bag after you polished it the brass. The shine contrasted beautifully with the leather.

[@JamesBerry]

Hahah thanks Robyn, I think I agree with you there ;)

[@EduardoBach01]

Great job! I would have used a minuscule amount of polish on the brass just to take a rather superficial layer of that patina, that would give a darker look, which I think looks more natural--something resembling a clean but used brass.

[@JamesBerry]

Thanks for the message Eduardo, Indeed this would also have worked well to keep a lot of that patina :)

[@Anteroization]

yes, the metal was a little dead not to say dirty and did benefit the overall look results.

[@JamesBerry]

Thanks :) Glad I polished it in the end.

[@ex0gen]

In regards to the patina of the brass, I think its a matter of preference. Some might prefer the "new" look, whereas, others prefer the vintage-aged patina that develops character. Me, I prefer the vintage look, but if the bad originally was shinny, restoring it isn't necessarily bad.

[@colorguardrifleman]

Fabulous bag I would love to own a bag like this. I wonder if I could find one made like it.

[@JamesBerry]

Thanks Rafael! I see quite a few of these on second hand sites that often go for quite cheap.

[@MissSunshineHS]

What type of oil did he say?

[@weishanzhang2343]

I think you make the patina come out and perform better.

[@JamesBerry]

Thanks Weishan, I think I agree with you even if I was hesitant at first to touch it :) Glad you like it!

[@weishanzhang2343]

@@JamesBerry Thanks for your reply. In the beginning, the bag looks quite "yellow" and dry. I even think that patina was too light for such an old bag. Then you brought it out through cleaning and maintenance.

[@barbaraburgdorff7025]

What do I do with a handbag, olive in color, that has lost its color in the very middle of the bag? Do I try to match the olive color or will the restoration you just showed us help a lot? Thanks for your kind response.

[@JamesBerry]

Hi Barbara, without seeing the bag and knowing more about the leather I really can't say. I recommend you bring it to a local cobbler and ask for their opinion as the method to fix it will depend on quite a few things and I don't know I've got the knowledge to properly help in this.

[@erikzorger3311]

oddly enough I found neetsfoot oil in Walmart in the shoe polish section.

[@JamesBerry]

Oh cool, good to know they have it :)

[@MazzaCheewanich]

Love the final look, for me, if I started to clean it, go all the way!

[@JamesBerry]

Thank you, glad you like it :)

[@chaccaron4321]

At first I thought you were saying the bag belonged to a Dr who is 25 years old lol. Anyways nice work on this!

[@JamesBerry]

Hahah :) Thanks for your message, glad you liked it!

[@svenbuijks6525]

very nice video !

[@lauraanderson3056]

I like the brass cleaned up and shiny❤

[@normazarpak6774]

I don't think of it as removing the patina, but more cleaning off the grime and oils from the hands that have touched and loved it. You can still see the age and wear even after cleaning it.

[@JamesBerry]

Agreed, it looked so much better in the end... and as you say it's definitely still got loads of character from years of use :)

[@brendadavis8758]

Hello, what was the name of the oil you used in the second step I have several vintage Coach bags that I would like to restore.

[@JamesBerry]

Hello Brenda, it's neatsfoot oil. You can find at at any leather store or horse-riding equipment store.

[@W.CambridgeLeatherCraft]

Great video James.

[@JamesBerry]

Thank you :)

[@hopeindirect4165]

In my workshop, when I put on ma leather, and rock to sum Metallica, Delta Parole, Foo Fighters or the Smashing Pumpkins I feel like I can do anything in the whole wide world.

[@JamesBerry]

Oh man, that's a wonderful feeling :)

[@chergagne7430]

Like your edit.

[@danielirvine7468]

Nice work James

[@JamesBerry]

Thank you Daniel!

[@etm567]

I have my father's doctor's bag, and it must be 70+ years old. I'm pretty sure he never used it, as he went to work for the VA out of medical school, and worked there for many years. He went to medical school after WW II, and I don't know exactly when that was for him. He had his MD by 1950, so this bag must be nearly 80 years old.

[@russellchevalier3606]

Glad you cleaned the brass. Patina it was not… filth and corrosion due to filth has no character, and that’s what you wiped off.

[@Andy-pu2iv]

I've just found your channel, having very recently discovered an interest in leather-work. I love what you did to this bag, but what really stuck out at me were the rivets along the length of the brass top closures. They look like cheap pop-rivets (they probably aren't) but maybe replacing them would have added that little bit extra.

[@JamesBerry]

Thanks a ton Andy for your message! I'm really glad to hear you like the result :) At the time of filming I didn't have much experience with rivets and didn't have what I needed to replace them... I'm glad to say I know a bit more now than I did then and would definitely follow your advice next time!

[@matt3408]

did u documenting this on paper work?

[@JamesBerry]

Hi Matt, if you mean did I make a template then unfortunately no, I did not.

[@Rikyloebis]

Awesome, greeting from leather artisan in Indonesia

[@fortysomethingbadgirls2173]

I would polish patina if it looked like something was growing.....mold, otherwise I would keep it to show it is used and reused!

[@MariaAbada]

great job!

[@JamesBerry]

Thanks Maria!

[@robertmanson5922]

If the metal is brass plated or brushed you should probably avoid polishing cause you might end up polishing the brass topcoat off completely, though saying that i personally prefer the nice "shiney" brass with leather

[@JamesBerry]

That's exactly what it was Robert, in some areas I was polishing a bit too far and I was showing the steel beneath ever so slightly. I think the polished look makes it look like a much more cherished item. Pleased you like it :)

[@frankcicero4444]

Well done

[@JamesBerry]

Cheers Frank :)

[@Agate87]

That patina is gorgeous. Why don't you ask the owner if she wants to keep the vintage look or she wants the brand new look?

[@JamesBerry]

Thanks for your message :) I didn't have a customer at the time of making the video - the bag was actually sold shortly after the video was posted.

[@johannvanaardt7221]

Personally I would have left the patina, it looks overcleaned now and brass tarnishes really quickly so it wont stay shiny for very long. If someone want's something old that looks new, just go out and buy a new bag.

[@threethrushes]

Speaking as a former soldier, brass cannot be shiny enough.

[@JamesBerry]

Hahahah well said :D That and polished shoes.

[@boyrandall]

I’ve always thought, leaving a “petina” it’s an excuse curators give for sloppy end results.

[@JamesBerry]

Hahahah I do get this feeling sometimes also, but othertimes I find patina adds a lot to a piece and can be very nice.

[@latetotheparty4785]

A layer of grime is not patina.

[@JamesBerry]

My Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/JamesBerryLeather Tools used all listed here: www.amazon.com/shop/jamesberry

[@CourtneysAuntSara]

It isn’t patina. It’s grime. I prefer the cleaner look.

[@JamesBerry]

Heheh, glad you like it :)

[@ShweMyaukMyauk]

Patina is one thing, dirt is another lol

[@JamesBerry]

Hahah well said x)

[@alista2926]

was not restoration was cleaning

[@JamesBerry]

If simply cleaning it brings it back to its' original shape then I call it a restoration (i.e. restored to original state).

[@36993020]

I much prefer the "before" only because I like the tan colour and the non shiny texture on leather...

[@JamesBerry]

I get that. Sometimes I like to make things using non dyed vegtan leather so as to enjoy the raw feel and the plain elegant look.

[@CharlesM2]

I feel that restoration means bringing the bag both into a form of usability, and to a brand new looking state. I’ve watched a lot of videos of restoring bags and such, specifically from insider and their “high end” bag restorations (luis vuitton, mulberry), and I find keeping specific original parts that seem to need cleaning/fixing to lessen the look of the bag. I just don’t see how 1. it could lower the overall price considering you can clean it or replace the part with a more expensive version 2. be worth buying at a dramatic cost of over $3,000 dollars when it’s not even in exact tip top shape Maybe it’s just my opinion, but as someone who’s never been able to afford an expensive bag I see it as pointless to refurbish and sell away in an “unfixed” state if I have the cash to buy a brand new version of at least a similar bag. Just my 2 cents though.

[@miriamhavard7621]

😃🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

[@TheLexiconDevils]

Those cheap rivets are disgusting

[@JamesBerry]

Completely agree with you! Had I had better rivets with which to change them I would have ... At the time of filming I didn't have much experience with rivets.

[@alx252]

Why do you overemphasize so much. It wasn't in that bad bad bad condition with that much much much dirty dirty dirty and grime grime... It was in good but used condition.

[@JamesBerry]

I guess I wasn't able to showcase well enough on camera how dry and dirty it felt to me when I got it. Also, I'm a very emphatic person :D