View Full Version : jacket zipper repair
zac39452
11-15-2012, 03:24
Hey. I was just wondering if anybody had any ideas..I just got this jacket a few months ago and the zipper is already broken and was wondering if there was any way to repair it..? If somebody will tell me how to post pictures Ill put a picture of how it's broken up
starbright
11-15-2012, 03:48
Not sure how to fix it yourself but I worked in a dry cleaners one time and they usually have a seamstress that will put in a new one. I know we only charged like $5 to put in zippers. You might check with some in your area and see what they will charge. Usually got it back next day.
Hey Zac, what's wrong with it? Actually physically broken, or are the teeth just separating after the slider passes?
If the later, often times it's because the slider has gotten loose. A needle nose pliers can pinch the slider back together. Just position the jaws on each side of the slider, and squeeze the top and bottom of the slider together slightly. Do this in small increments, so that you do not over-tighten or break the slider. This was a very common problem years ago, not so much today, but still occasionally.
zac39452
11-15-2012, 06:23
The hard piece at the bottom that slides into the bottom ad into the lock piece. Is shredded so I can't get it inside
Rocket Jones
11-15-2012, 07:12
What kind of jacket? Down? Synthetic? The fill might complicate a sewing repair.
Can you harden the shredded piece with a spot of superglue or epoxy? How about moldable epoxy like JB Weld? Obviously, you don't put it into the zipper part until it's absolutely cured.
zac39452
11-15-2012, 11:28
its a koppen skiing jacket no fill really and thats a good idea ill try that and let ya know if it works
WingedMonkey
11-15-2012, 11:34
If only a few months old, exchange it for a new one. Even Dick's gives a 90 day return.
The hard piece at the bottom that slides into the bottom ad into the lock piece. Is shredded so I can't get it inside
Taylors, seamstresses, and "zipper" people have names for all the parts of the zippper. You can get pictures and descriptions of various zippers and the names of the parts on line. You can also buy zipper repair kits at places like Campmor and JoAnn Fabrics. But if it's damaged where and how you say that just happened to me with a high end RAB down vest that was unrepairable by me or a taylor unless the old zipper was carefully removed and a whole new zipper was installed. That's not a $5 repair job! Like Rocket Jones says, depending on what the jacket is made from and how the jacket zipper is installed makes a big difference in the cost of the repair or even if a repair can be made. The hard plastic nub(insert) on the end of one side of the zipper was mangled so that when placed into the slot on the zipper pulll the zipper no longer stayed closed. It wasn't a matter of coils or something else not interlocking. I sometimes play around fixing gear myself but with a high end 850 down fill, thin Pertex Microlight taffeta shell, and the way the RAB vest zipper was sewn into the jacket the repair was above me and the quoted repair costs, even if I supplied my own zipper, seemed too steep for me. Fortunately, I bought the vest at ProLite who stands behind what they sell offering excellent customer service and RAB, a higher end U.K. gear company, who offers a lifetime warranty for manufacturing defects and some gear failures. I sent the damaged well used 3 yr old vest to ProLite where they promptly sent it off to RAB who sent me a new vest! No hassles. That's why I buy gear from companies like this!
What kind of jacket? Down? Synthetic? The fill might complicate a sewing repair.
Can you harden the shredded piece with a spot of superglue or epoxy? How about moldable epoxy like JB Weld? Obviously, you don't put it into the zipper part until it's absolutely cured.
BTW, I thought the exact same thing as Rocket Jones - apply superglue, epoxy, or JB weld to form a new bottom insert or use a zipper repair kit's new folding metal zipper stop placed over the old mangled one. Didn't work for me and both taylors and seamstresses told me that MIGHT work on the top of the zipper(top zipper stop) but not on the bottom where it has to fit snuggly into the zipper pull.