Can you mend zips

The aim is to do this gradually, compressing the plates on either side of the puller until it's right. If one or both sides of the slider come off the track, the zipper doesn't necessarily need replacing, the slider just needs reattaching. To do this, you first need to find the 'bottom' of the zip.

The bottom of the zip is, typically, the end closest to the floor when you're wearing the garment. If you can't tell which is the right side, look for the end with a square tab of fabric after the zip finishes.

Then, feed the teeth from that end into the slider. If you need extra leverage to push the teeth into place, use a flathead screwdriver. Once the teeth are inside both sides of the slider, use the puller to move it up and down the track to lock it in place.

First, check to see if there's anything caught in the zip, like another garment or even rogue fibres. If possible, remove these obstructions by hand before retrying the zip. If, however, the stuck object still won't move, try going in with a pair of tweezers to slowly pull the blockage out of the teeth. Sometimes softly wiggling the puller up and down as you tug on the slider can also help dislodge tougher items. If the zip still won't move, don't lose faith.

You might need to give it a little extra help. Start by using a pencil to coat the teeth surrounding the lodge with a light coating of graphite - this will act as a lubricant to help facilitate a smooth run.

If that fails, try a small amount of washing up liquid, to further aid the slider move up and down the teeth. If the pencil and washing up liquid don't work, or if you're worried they might stain your clothing, try Vaseline instead.

Start by reaching for a cotton bud, coating the outside of the bud with a light layer of Vaseline. Then, use the cotton bud to work the jelly into the teeth surrounding the stoppage. Put the zipper on top of a hard surface. As you work your way up the zipper, press down on the teeth to pop them into place.

It is important that the teeth are perfectly lined up. Make sure that once you get to the top of the zipper that you don't have extra teeth on one side. This would mean that the teeth are not lined up. Reinsert the slider onto the top of the zipper.

Once you have realigned the teeth, stick the bottom of the slider back onto the top of the tracks. Insert one track into the bottom of the slider, which is the end without a piece of metal separating the two sides. Then insert the other track. You will know each side is inserted when several teeth have gone up into the slider and the track won't go any further. It's easiest to insert one side and then the other. Putting them both in at once doesn't typically work.

Run the slider up and down to check your work. Pull the slider down a few inches to make sure that it is on track. Move it up and down a bit to make sure it opens and closes the zipper correctly.

Reapply the top stops. Once the zipper is working once again, put the top stops back in place. Position them in the spots where they were originally installed.

Squeeze the ends of the stops with your pliers until they grip the zipper tape once again. Invisible zippers are made out of thin plastic and are usually harder to fix. While it's possible, I would recommend just replacing the zipper altogether. Not Helpful 3 Helpful 8. Start at the bottom of the zipper. One-by-one press the teeth of the zipper together, alternating the right and left sides until the zipper is closed. Not Helpful 1 Helpful 0.

It doesn't matter what the zipper is on, it should work. The only way it might be different is if it's a two-way zipper. Not Helpful 12 Helpful Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Invisible zippers and plastic zippers are harder to fix. If you have one of these, you may be better off replacing it. Helpful 0 Not Helpful 2. Just because you have a broken zipper, that doesn't mean that your piece of clothing or bag is broken forever.

Use needlenose pliers or a flathead screwdriver to carefully pry open the prongs on the back of the stopper. You don't need to worry about ruining the stopper because you won't need it again, but you should take care of your fingers! Once the prongs are opened up you can pull the stopper off. Bring the slider all the way down to where the stopper was, but don't let it come off entirely. When it's in this position, there's a little more flexibility with the position of the teeth.

Smooth out the teeth so the zipper is aligned again. On nylon zippers, you may be able to move one side through the slider, even when the slider is farther away from the end. If the slider comes off the end entirely, it can be tricky to get it back on without opening a seam, so it takes more involved steps.

Once the zipper teeth seem to be aligned, check to see if it zips properly. Pull the zipper slowly and watch to see that it's zipping. Then, zip it all the way to the other end to make sure that the ends line up. Thread your needle with doubled thread, knotted at the end.

Matching thread both in color and fiber is best because you'll barely notice the repair, but you can also use a coordinating color. For metal zippers, it's important to use strong, heavy-duty thread, as the sewn stopper is likely to take a lot of wear.

With the zipper partially zipped, bring the needle and thread up on one side of the zipper end where the stopper was. Take the needle down the other side of the zipper and back out on the side where you started. This makes one stitch across the zipper end. You can do that without removing the zipper in the same way. If you have to renew the runner go from the top of the zip and remove the stops and if you cannot refit the stops just sew around the last teeth and it will stop the runner coming off.

What if there is no stopper? I have a pouch thing and the zipper goes all the way to the other end, what then? Reply 2 years ago. By marcellahella Follow. More by the author:. You can save a jacket, a tent, a sleeping bag, and many other items. Did you make this project? Share it with us! I Made It! A Literal Handbag by Tatterhood in Halloween. Chameleon Mask by hugheswho in Halloween. Genaille's Rods by Wingletang in Education. ClaudiaD56 Tip 4 months ago on Step 7.

Reply Upvote. Kiran Gokal 1 year ago on Step 1.