How to make a malfunctioning zipper work

April 12, 2018 BY TRIMS CO.,LIMITED Zippers Knowledge

Have you noticed Brass Zipper Slider, Long Chain Zipper, Invisible Zipper, Rhinestone Zipper, Plastic Teeth Zipper on your clothing? No matter what kind of zipper, after a long time of use, there will be some small faults, making our clothes unable to wear normally. Sometimes we have to change a new zipper, sometimes we can easily repair the faulty zipper and make it work again.

Fixing a Stuck Zipper

The most common problem with zippers is getting stuck in the fabric around them, preventing you from opening or closing the zippers. You can solve this problem by using ordinary items.You can either use graphite pencils, soaps, or non-oil based lubricants like Windex. With lubricant, please follow the steps below.

1. Apply your lubricant to a small area of the fabrics, preferably on the insides. Check whether your lubricants damage the fabrics. If the lubricant does not affect the fabric, continue to the next step. Otherwise you need to change the lubricant.

2. If your lubricant is liquid, soak the area around the zipper. If you use a pencil, rub both sides of the teeth/elements of the zipper until it`s covered with the pencil.

3. Slowly pull the zipper until it`s stuck while your other hand maintains the tension of the zipper. Repeat until it`s unstuck completely. If the fabrics bunch, pull a little harder carefully to unstick the fabrics.

4. You may need to re-apply lubricant and repeat step three.

Fixing Zippers that Won`t Close

Sometimes, no matter how you try, the zipper cannot be closed normally. You may need a pair of pliers.

One of the most common cause is when the teeth/elements are misaligned, and can be recognized when one or more elements stick out from the others. You can use pliers to move it back.

Missing teeth/elements can also be the common cause, especially in jeans and trousers. When this happens, you can stitch a new stop around the broken teeth, so that the zipper becomes shorter. However, this can only be an option when the broken element is near the bottom end, or the zipper will be too short for proper use.

Replacing Broken Zipper Parts

When the malfunction is severe, some parts might be broken. Not to worry, though, some of the zipper parts can be easily replaced.

If the slider completely breaks off, you can replace the slider by simply sliding the new one onto the teeth. Use some pliers to remove the broken one quite easily.

In other cases, the pull might break off the zipper. Then, closing and opening the zipper will be a frustrating process.

When this happens, you can use keyrings, paperclips, or other similar material to replace the pull by just sliding it where the pull used to be. You can get a pull replacement, however, usually it means you need to replace the slider completely.

On more severe cases like when the teeth break off, you might need to replace the whole zipper.

How to fix the glitch of the zipper, have you learned it? If you are interested in various zipper knowledge such as Metal Zipper, Nylon Zipper, Diamond Zipper, etc., you are welcome to pay attention and consult.