How to Repair Zippers

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By eHow Contributing Writer

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(11 Ratings)

A zipper that won't close on a coat when the temperature is 20 degrees outside can be bone-shivering. And a zipper that won't work on a purse leave you open to theft. Most of us don't have the sewing skills to remove and replace a zipper so that it looks like the original. However, other ways exist to fix a zipper without removing it.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Pliers
Butter knife

Stop Problems

Step 1

Thread a needle to deal with the stop, the piece at the bottom of the zipper, that has come off. Leaving this untended means the slider may unzip off the teeth, which will give you a different problem to solve. You'll use the needle and thread to put a new stop on the bottom.
Step 2

Put the needle through the fabric on one side of the teeth. Then put the needle through the fabric on the other side of the teeth.
Step 3

Repeat Step 2 several times to create several layers of thread as a barrier to prevent the slider from going down.

Teeth Problem I

Step 1

Look for a piece of cloth or hair that has become entangled in the zipper, preventing it from moving.
Step 2

Pull gently on the foreign substance to remove it from the zipper. It may be necessary to pull the zipper up or down to assist you in removing the stuck item.
Step 3

Push cloth out of the way, if it has the potential for becoming stuck again. If necessary, use a needle and thread to sew the cloth down and out of the way.

Teeth Problem II

Step 1

Watch for teeth that are separated above and below the slider.
Step 2

Pull the slider all the way down.
Step 3

Use a pair of pliers in the open-jaw position to tighten the slider. Use it on each side. The tightness of the slider keeps the teeth together.
Step 4

Open the side of a slider with a butter knife if it has completely slipped off the teeth.
Step 5

Reinsert teeth into slider.
Step 6

Use Step 3 to finish your repair.

Comments

rebeccer said

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on 4/3/2009 Thank you very much for your information on how to repair a zipper with teeth problems II. I purchased a beautiful handbag that zipped properly for several days of usage then all of a sudden the zipper (nylon), started to separate, which was annoying. So, because of that I was unable to use my beautiful handbag. However, I was in the process of taking out the zipper and replacing it with a new zipper (really was not looking forward to the task...), and came across your problem solving website. It took me two seconds, as opposed to 20 minutes... Rebecca