If you’ve invested in designer bags but it’s got someone else’s initials on it then it’s a pretty simple process to make it your own. You don’t have to walk around with a bag bearing someone else’s personalisation as this is actually pretty simple to remove. We’re going to explain the process of removing gold initials from a designer bag, kindly shared to us by a hot foil print professional, so that you can go on to personalise it with custom initials.
Removing existing gold initials
- Start with some white spirit and cotton buds. Put the white spirit in a bowl and then dip a tiny amount on to the end of the cotton bud. Hold the cotton bud against the initial that you want to remove and give the white spirit a few seconds to start sinking in.
- You’ll then need to start rubbing the cotton bud against the gold initial. Make sure that you’re pressing relatively firmly with the cotton bud but you don’t have to be too forceful. As you keep going you should see the gold of the initial start to come off with the white spirit.
- Grab a clean tissue with some water on it and use this to clear away any of the gold that has already come off.
- Next, find a toothpick and gently use this to start scraping off the gold in a little more detail. You’ll need to be pretty light with this so that you don’t end up scratching the leather on the bag itself. Less is more at this stage. Now, you should start to see the gold coming away more and the leather underneath being revealed.
- Keep going, alternating the cotton bud dipped in white spirit, the toothpick and the wet tissue. The idea is that you press firmly with the cotton bud so that this loosens the gold foil and use the toothpick to take this off.
Once you’ve removed all the gold, give the surface a wipe with plain water.
Personalising your designer bag with custom initials
Hot stamping is one of the simplest ways to personalise your designer bag with your own custom initials and really make it your own. Once you’ve removed the existing initials then you can go on to add this cool customisation that features your individual details. Hot stamping is a process of applying heat and pressure to metallic foil (in this case gold), which leaves behind an impression of your initials in a lovely gold shimmer. It uses heated dies – in this case with your initials on them – that create a good-looking embossed effect as well as the metallic finish.
If you want to complete your designer look and you’ve bought a second-hand designer bag then removing the previous owner’s initials is the first step to really making it your own. After that, you can go on to personalise your designer bag with your own custom initials.
Make your mark with personalisation and add an impressive and show-stopping touch to your products with the help of the team at Metallic Elephant.