What tips for repairing a zipper?

For the record, the first zipper was created by the American inventor Elias Howe in 1851. However, it is another American Whitcomb Judson who filed a patent for it in 1893. The zipper takes the form of a zipped closure whose passage of a “slide” (also called a “shuttle” or “slider”) makes it possible to activate small teeth which intersect and uncross. But it happens that these last malfunction…

Tips for fixing a blocked zipper

Faced with a recalcitrant zipper, there is no need to use too much force or risk breaking it. Thus, four products commonly present in the house can repair a zipperblocked.

• Bar soap: the act of rubbing a piece of soap against the teeth of the zipper will lubricate it and allow it to be operated again by gently sliding the slider. Performing a few maneuvers will allow you to know if the opening is fluid enough.
• The candle : it will have exactly the same action on a zipper as a piece of soap. Its friction against the teeth will lead to the loosening.
• The pencil: the graphite of one pencil lead running over the teeth of a zipper will help unblock it, in the same way as soap or a candle.
• Vaseline or glycerine : I’application a greasy substance with a small brush or a cotton swab will improve slider sliding and thus loosen the faulty zip.

Tip for repairing a zipper whose stops are missing

Sometimes one of the stops is missing from a zipper, letting the zipper come out on one side or the other. The fastest operation to implement at home remains the fact of sewing a stop point with Chinese thread whose solidity is recognized. The back and forth of the zipper will therefore wear out this type of thread less quickly compared to a classic sewing thread. Several passes around the area where the stop is missing will be necessary to repair a zipper.

You should know that this trick relating to missing stops can also be applied for broken teeth on the top or bottom of the zipper. Condemning the broken lower or upper part with Chinese thread will block the slide and thus avoid driving it on the faulty teeth of the zipper.

Tip for repairing a zipper with a broken puller

By dint of being used, the zipper puller can give way and make it difficult to use. This trick makes it very easy to repair a zipper. Thus, it is possible to replace the missing zipper with various objects easily found in a house:

• a trombone ;
• a key ring (depending on the size of the slide gap);
• a ribbon or a small cord;
• a safety pin…

Nevertheless, the zipper can be replaced by other small everyday objects and bring a certain originality to the garment !

Tip for fixing a zipper that comes down

A zipper that opens unintentionally certainly means that the zipper is a little loose. To repair it, the operation consists of using small electrician’s pliers with fine tips to tighten it very gently and gradually on both sides.

Attention, the slides are not all identical, it is therefore necessary to adapt your strength when using the pliers, otherwise the slider rails will be too compressed and the zipper, unusable.