Why hardware wears
Bag hardware is a base metal with a thin plated layer over it. Hands, sweat, perfume, sanitiser and humid air wear that layer down. First it dulls, then it tarnishes, and then the base metal shows through at the edges and corners.
Polish, replate or replace
- Polish — for dullness, tarnish and light scratches, where the plating is still there under the marks
- Replate — where the plating has worn through and a different colour of metal is showing
- Replace — where a fitting is broken, bent beyond use, or pitted too deeply to take a finish
All three are hardware work. A fitting that has to be changed is replace a part; the original is kept wherever it is still sound.
How replating is done
- The hardware comes off the bag wherever it can, so the leather never meets the process.
- The old finish is taken back and the metal is polished.
- It is plated in the finish you choose.
- It is refitted on the bag.
What replating cannot hide
- Deep pitting in the base metal can still show through a new finish
- Engraved logos soften a little each time metal is polished hard
- One replated piece beside old ones will look newer — plating all the visible hardware together gives an even result