Can you replace a zipper?

Absolutely I can replace a zipper but before we get to that let’s have a little chat about zips themselves.

Zippers are an amazing piece of clothing technology that we take for granted and very few of us actually understand how they work. There are two sets of teeth, one for each side of the zip, each tooth (either plastic or metal) is offset so it fits snugly between two teeth on the other side. The wedge is the zip slider that forces the two sets of teeth together and apart. The zipper tag or zipper pull is what you grab ahold of.

Zips are quite strong when they are together because the load is distributed among so many teeth along its length, a zipper is at its weakest and is most vulnerable to failure when it is being closed. My best recommendation is: do not force a zipper.

It is best to try to align the two sets of teeth as closely as possible before attempting to close the zip. The physics of using a zipper wedge to force a tight garment or overfilled bag closed is never going to work in your favour. Align the two sets of teeth and your zip should close nicely.

Here’s a couple of other zip tips:

If your zip is starting to run poorly or get a little jammed try rubbing a bar of soap along each set of teeth a couple of times. This can help lubricate the teeth while they are being closed and make things smoother.

If you have a metal wedge or slider on your zip you can also try to carefully squeeze each side closed a little with a set of needle-nose pliers. (I have a pair of “magic” pliers at the shop so drop in!) This can help the wedge to force the teeth together better and make the zip run smoother.

If these tips don’t help and your zip is still not working, or if it is completely shredded and beyond hope, come see me and I’ll get your zipper sorted out in a jiffy.