Surely on more than one occasion a zipper has been damaged. It is an upsetting and frustrating situation because it has undoubtedly happened at an inopportune time. In many of these cases it may be the carriage that has left the rack rail, on other occasions there has been a large jam or the rack has stopped doing the closing function.
In most of these occasions this little problem has a feasible solution and with the small tutorials that we offer they can help you. You do not have to think that the garment is going to be useless, Well, on more than one occasion an amazing coat has been rendered useless because of a zipper.
Most common problems
One of the most recurrent errors is the one that a zipper does not meet the characteristics of the garment. Many of them are from plastic and are placed on heavily used garments. This type of zippers have this component that breaks easily and the best zipper that can be placed is the one that is made with metal teeth. Many of them offer guarantees as they are strong and robust.
When the zipper won't close
It is one of the most common problems, the zipper opens when the car passes through it. This is due to a bad grip of the teeth and the problem is in the car that closes it. With the help of pliers you can fix it, place the carriage at the beginning of the rack and tighten its base with pliers, press gently so as not to break it. Make the capacity of the carriage more closed so that it can engage the teeth much better, but do it little by little until you find its exact point. When you manage to do it, go up and down the zipper several times to have it ready.
Another very original trick that will help to get the zipper back on track is making use of a fork. We place the carriage between the teeth of the fork and we put the sides of the zipper easily between the openings of the trolley, then you can easily slide it with the attached zipper. You can see this simple way in the following video:
The zipper carriage has come off
This case is usually very common and the zipper has probably been left without a lower stop. For this we must try to re-insert the zipper rails on each side of the carriage, then you have to try to climb the slider (or grip the zipper) and make it close again. If you fear because the bottom has been left open and the car may escape again, You can close it by sewing that part with a thread so that it does not come out.
The zipper has come off because it does not have a stop
This is the case with those zippers that close with a hook down. If you have always lost or damaged your hitch you can put a new one back. Now you can buy in the market this type of parts called box and piston. They are easy to fit and we can see by video how to replace these parts with the help of pliers.
For stuck zippers
These types of jams usually occur in low quality zippers, it is only give it a little lubrication so you can fix it. The graphite of a pencil is a good help mechanism, you should scratch the lead between the teeth and the inside of the carriage base. Then try sliding it.
You can also try rubbing a candle on the base of the car, as the wax will help it slide easily. Vaseline is another one of the best sliders, too.
If one of the zipper teeth has been broken
If any of the teeth in the rows have disappeared, we can use several tricks. You can try to do move the adjacent teeth to cover that gap and try to slide the carriage there. If you have trouble you can use wax, petroleum jelly or graphite to make the task easier.
Another trick is try to replace that missing tooth with another, You can see some small skill test by watching this video that will surely get you out of that little trouble.
For unforeseen events away from home
The paper trick will help you with those zippers that open and do not close. Get a small piece of paper, raise the car all the way to the top, place the paper in the mouth of the car and slide it down until it sticks.
If you've lost a zipper pull and you can not easily raise and lower it, you can replace that handle with pieces as simple as a key ring or paper clip. Try to fit these pieces by inserting them into the upper hole of the car. It will help you go up and down the zipper with ease.