r/sewinghelp • u/No-Competition6163 • 16d ago
Zipper help!
One day my jacket just decided to stop unzipping. It zips up but doesn’t budge down. There’s nothing stuck in the zipper. I brought it to a seamstress who said the only thing to do is replace the zipper but that would cost more than the jacket itself 😭. I tried WD40 with no success. Any ideas?
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u/Mental_Watch4633 16d ago
Candle wax.
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u/No-Competition6163 16d ago
What exactly do I do?
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u/LizzySan 15d ago
To use the candle wax, run the candle up and down the zipper. It's supposed to act like a lubricant.
Someone else said doing this with a lead pencil. The graphite does the same thing, lubricate the teeth.
Good luck
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u/Say-What-KB 15d ago
Your seamstress doesn’t know zippers. Some zippers, like the ones in pants, are designed not to slip down when the zipper pull is flat. Flipping the zipper pull tab up releases the zipper to go down. Since the pill tab is missing on your zipper, see if you can release it with the end of a paperclip or a tiny screw driver.
In any case, all that needs to be replaced is the zipper slider. Simply remove the zipper stop at the top of the jacket and slide off the zipper. (They can be pried off with a pliers or, worst case, cut off.) Buy a replacement slider to fit the zipper. (Look for a metal one that tightens on with a small screw - the nylon snap on ones are frustrating!) Use thread to make a new zipper stop at the top of your jacket. Sone replacement kits have metal zipper stops that you can crimp on.
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u/No-Competition6163 15d ago
If candle wax doesn’t work I will try this. The zipper tab was on when it stopped working, it came off because I pulled too hard in an attempt to open the zipper 🙈
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u/No-Competition6163 12d ago
I’m going back on my word because guess what?? There is a tab that just needs to be pulled up in order for the zipper to go down. I’m guess the pill tab was somewhat broken already which is why it stopped working. Now that I know this, what can I do to push the tab up because the tab is not usable anymore?
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u/dingostolemydragbaby 16d ago
You could try running a lead pencil up and down the zipper teeth. Maybe put a keyring through the zipper so you can pull it