What to do if the lock broke. We fix the lightning at the base
For a very long time, these convenient fasteners appeared on our clothes, and now we cannot imagine life without them. Compact, comfortable, aesthetic - and that's not all positive characteristics these castles.
But they also have a disadvantage. These locks sometimes fail at the most inopportune times. How to fix a lightning if it diverges? This will be discussed in the article.
Of course, situations are different. Sometimes you have to give a thing for repair, but basically you can fix the zipper yourself, special skills are not required for this.
Clamping the slider with a zipper
Has the zipper on your bag come loose? How to fix this accessory yourself? Usually the zipper diverges precisely because of the slider - it unclenches and the edges of the zipper do not fasten. It is important to remember here that you can clamp the slider only 1-2 times, then it will simply break. If this happens, it is better to prepare a new slider in advance.
How to fix a zipper if it diverges:
- First you need to try to clamp the slider. This will help ordinary pliers. At the same time, it is important to do everything right: in turn, clamp the slider from each edge, without applying much effort. In this case, do not squeeze the "dog" with your fingers, only tools will help here.
- It is not necessary to press hard on the slider - this can cause it to crumble.
- There is another method. Push the edges of the thing and lay it with a slider on a table or stool. At the same time, the lock must be fastened (even if it diverges). Fasten it about halfway, clamp it with pliers and lightly tap it with a hammer. Then try to fasten the zipper again. If there is no effect, then the procedure should be repeated.
Repairing a zipper with no teeth
How to fix a zipper if it diverges due to lack of teeth? At home, this is quite difficult to do, but possible. If the zipper consists of metal teeth, then you can remove them from another lock. In this case, it is important to choose the teeth in size. It is difficult to insert them into place, so if you didn’t manage to do it yourself, you will have to take the thing for repair.
Nylon and plastic zippers are much easier to repair. To do this, you only need a thick fishing line. But you need to fix this fishing line so that the ends do not impede the movement of the slider through the zipper.
There are times when teeth on metal zippers fail. At the same time, the zipper is fastened with difficulty, sometimes because of this, the zipper on the jacket diverges. How to fix? This issue is solved quite easily: you need to tap with a hammer on the zipper itself where the teeth are out of the general row.
Problems when opening and closing a zipper
Sometimes the slider starts to “walk” poorly around the castle, while it can be difficult to unfasten and fasten the zipper on things. This problem can be solved in several ways:
- The folk method suggests that you can smear the zipper with a piece of lard. This is suitable for things made of leather or dense coarse fabric. Otherwise, greasy marks may remain on things.
- A safer method is to lubricate the zipper with regular wax. A wax candle is suitable for this - with its help, the "dog" will move easier.
- But the ideal lubricant for a zipper is a pencil lead. Just be sure to choose a soft pencil. It is necessary to draw a lead over the zipper several times, and then unfasten and fasten the lock several times.
Zipper Care
In order to avoid damage to the lightning, it is important to properly care for it. Some nuances should be taken into account:
1. Main enemy lightning is sand. When sand hits the lightning, it inevitably diverges. Therefore, it is important to keep your shoes clean, use a special cream and occasionally clean the lock with a regular cotton swab or an old toothbrush. This advice is relevant specifically for shoes, so that the zipper on the boot does not disperse. How to fix a zipper, we discussed above. Here I would like to note that if the lock on winter shoes does not want to unfasten in any way, then fixing its tongue with a small hook (for example, from an old dress) will help.
2. In order for the lightning not to disperse, you need to wash things correctly. Before washing, the zipper should be fastened, and the product should be turned inside out.
The article answers the question "How to fix lightning if it diverges?". As a result, we can say that if there are problems with this type of lock, do not rush to give the thing for repair. You can always try to revive it yourself.
Lightning has become an integral part of many things from our wardrobe. Thin and thick, long and short, with metal and plastic teeth.
We use zippers on clothes of all seasons. And how insulting it sometimes happens when at the wrong moment it breaks down. If the button came off, then you can simply sew it back in place and continue to wear the thing. How to fix lightning? Of course, you can take the spoiled thing to the studio. If you want to leave the house in this outfit today, then you can try to fix it at home with your own hands.
How to fix a zipper that diverges with your own hands
If the zipper on things diverges after fastening it or does not want to fasten at all when the slider moves along it, then most likely the reason is that its slider is unclenched, so the runners on the slider do not fasten the zipper. This lightning can be repaired.
The slider can simply be clamped with pliers. Clamp lightly, from each edge of the slider, in the middle of the slider, where the tongue is attached, it is not necessary to clamp the slider.
If you squeeze the halves of the slider too hard, then it will not be able to move along the lightning at all.
If everything is done correctly, then the slider should begin to cope with the fastening of the zipper, and it will not diverge. Only the first time the slider will be a little harder to walk on the lightning, but it's not scary.
If, after all the efforts, it still diverges, then you can only fix the lightning by changing the slider altogether.
To do this, remove the limiters from the zipper by bending their spikes with an awl or a thick needle and remove the slider. When choosing a new slider, pay attention to its size, it is indicated on the slider itself. Put the new slider back on the zipper and insert the stops.
We fix the lightning if the teeth break out
If the teeth on the zipper break out, then it is not always possible to fix it. But still, you should try. If the teeth of the nylon or plastic zipper, then you can restore them with a thick fishing line. It is only necessary to fix the fishing line so that its ends do not interfere with the slider.
If the teeth on a metal zipper break out, then you can fix it by inserting teeth taken from the same old one in their place, if they fit. But this is quite difficult to do. Therefore, it may be necessary to take the product to the studio and change the zipper completely.
If the lightning slider walks tight
On new items or items that have not been worn long time, the runner can walk tight. In order for the slider to move like clockwork, the zipper must be lubricated.
Some home craftsmen recommend lubricating the teeth by running a piece of lard over them. But this method can help when it comes to leather clothing or shoes. Grease stains may appear on products from other fabrics when the product is stored or used.
The lead of a soft pencil can serve as a universal lubricant for a zipper. Run the pencil a few times over the teeth, and then try to open and close it a few times.
You can also rub it with stearin candle wax or soap and inside also an effective way.
If the teeth of the lightning are uneven
Most often, on metal zippers, the teeth go out of “common order”, and this makes it difficult for the slider to move through the zipper. To set the prong at the correct level, lightly tap it with a hammer in the place where this prong is located. For prevention, you can walk with a hammer along the entire length of the zipper.
If the zipper opens on its own
Most often, it unzips itself on trousers after you sit down and stand up. Such a zipper should be repaired so as not to be in an uncomfortable situation. To do this, you need to take a paper clip, from which make a ring. Or take a ring from a keychain. Put this ring on the slider together with the tongue or on it. After you fasten the zipper, put this ring on the button of the trousers belt, and it will not unfasten itself.
In order not to face the problem of how to fix the zipper with your own hands, you need to use it correctly. Here are some tips to make it last longer:
- For thick fabrics and shoes, a thicker and more secure zipper should be used.
- Iron things with a plastic or nylon zipper sewn in so that the teeth do not melt with an iron.
- Folding things with a zipper for storage should be done so that it does not bend.
- If the tongue has fallen off the slider, it can be replaced with some small ring or paper clip. If, when unfastening, you pinch the slider with your fingers, then over time you can damage it.
- If the slider flies off after fastening, then you need to thicken the limiters at its end. To do this, put the slider back on, take the threads to match the lightning and make a few turns in place of the limiters.
Lightning has become an integral part of many things from our wardrobe. Thin and thick, long and short, with metal and plastic teeth. We use zippers on clothes of all seasons.
Lightning is a popular fastener, especially detachable: it is convenient, but alas, sometimes it breaks.
If the button came off, then you can simply sew it back in place and continue to wear the thing. How to fix lightning? Of course, you can take the spoiled thing to the studio. If you want to save money, you can try to fix the lightning at home with your own hands.
And today we will talk about repairing a detachable zipper. And about a fairly common case when the plug-in tip of the left side of the clasp is "worn out".
Unfortunately, here it is difficult to repair the zipper with your own hands, and replacing the slider or, as they say, "dogs" will not help, and it is usually recommended to change the zipper completely.
What to do if you don’t want to change the lock, yes, sometimes it’s not so easy (it can be very inconveniently sewn), but you want to wear a jacket with a zipper. Found on the Internet a very interesting way
So, you do not want to sew up the lock at the base and do not want (or are not able) to replace it. Well, then we fix it:
To begin with, we need a piece of iron from which we will make the part we need.
We will also need superglue and a paperclip. (superglue - one that hardens very quickly and becomes “like glass”, very hard, based on cyacrolate, sold in small tubes of 1-2 grams).
So, we remove all unnecessary, after soaking the fabric with superglue. It will quickly grab and give rigidity.
Carefully cut with pliers. (photo 1).
Now it's up to the main part.
We cut it to size from a piece of stainless steel or tin plate (you can take it from tin can from condensed milk)
and fold as shown in photo 2.
It should go well into the part of the lock that moves and be well fixed in the part that is below (photo 3).
Surely, everyone did this when they were trying to understand how this thing works or when the lightning was moving in the middle.
After that, we apply our piece of iron from the inside of the castle and put it on superglue (photos 5 and 6).
Let's try to loosen it. If you did everything well, then the lock should unfasten, although, at first, until the piece of iron gets used, this can be done with some effort. Take your time, because the glue may not have time to finally grab.
So, you unfastened the lock. Everything works, but this is not enough.
Now we need to strengthen our structure.
We drill 2 small holes and insert a staple made from an ordinary paper clip (photo 7, 8,).
Now that's it! (photo 9, 10).
We finally check the operation of our lightning. For best view you can tint the gluing points permanent marker. For good work, I recommend rubbing the lock with paraffin or stearin (an ordinary candle) or just soap.
Some helpful tips associated with zippers
* If the lock is a little tight on the zipper, rub it with a stearin candle. This advice is especially effective for metal zippers.
A soft pencil lead will also help. It is enough to hold them on the lightning several times.
* If the "lightning" often spontaneously diverges in the middle - lightly tap on the lock (its edges, and not on the bracket for which the tongue is attached) with a small hammer.
Tapping the zipper itself will also help, if it is metal. The lock will begin to walk tighter, but the lightning will stop spreading.
* If the tab on the zipper is torn off, it can be replaced with a regular paper clip.
* Zippers on shoes suffer greatly from dampness, wet and salty snow, slush. This drastically shortens their lifespan.
Run a piece of unsalted lard over them or use a special hydrophobic lubricant more often. And the lightning will be protected from moisture. Such a lubricant at the same time will improve its performance.
So, the zipper is stuck and won't go down, and you are caught by your thing, because in order to remove it, you have to unzip it.
Take a regular graphite pencil and rub it over the teeth of the zipper. This should help. If not, you need to increase the glide, for example, rub the teeth with soap, lip balm or detergent which reduces friction.
Using a Q-tip, apply lubricant to the zipper and teeth. Then pull the fastener down, repeat the lubrication procedure again. Continue until the clasp is completely unfastened.
Teeth not closing or coming apart
This is one of the most common and annoying problems. To begin, try repeating the trick with a pencil and soap, maybe this will improve the glide and allow the teeth to close properly.
If that doesn't help, then something is preventing the slider from working properly. See if a thread or fabric is stuck in the lock, carefully inspect all the teeth, maybe one of them is bent. In this case, it must be straightened with pliers, and the zipper will close normally.
If nothing got into the fastener, and all the teeth are straight, it may be the slider itself. Over time, the sliders loosen and stop holding the teeth together. Take the pliers and squeeze the slider so that it grabs the teeth again.
If you have a few teeth of a zipper damaged at the very beginning, you can simply sew it over the damage if you can open the zipper enough.
The clasp is not fixed
When the zipper slider is not fixed on the jeans, you can get into a very awkward situation. If you need to urgently go out, but there is nothing else to wear, you can do this: thread the key ring into the slider, put it on a button, and then fasten the loop. For the same, you can use an elastic band.
If the lightning periodically diverges, and pressing the slider does not help, you need to replace it. First, use wire cutters to remove the old slider and metal zipper stops. Then put a new slider on the zipper and use the pliers to secure the stops.
Broken tongue on slider
Solving this problem is easy enough: a paperclip or a key ring will help you. True, it does not look very aesthetically pleasing. There is another way out: a wire and a connector for the phone.
AT recent times in almost any element of clothing and accessories it is used as a zipper. It is very easy to install, quick and convenient to close and open, and relatively inexpensive. In bags, more often than other products, we encounter them.
But it happens that the product still retains its excellent shape and can serve, but the clasp is broken. In this case, of course, you should not throw the thing away, because it is enough just to send it in for repair. And if the problem is simple, then you can fix it yourself. In our article, we will talk about possible reasons malfunctions and show you how to fix it.
Before proceeding with the repair, you need to identify the very reason. Carefully inspect the product, find the defect. Usually the clasp on the bag diverges for the following reasons:
IMPORTANT: if the cause cannot be determined and all the proposed methods do not work, it is better to contact the master or insert a completely new clasp.
What can be done at home if the zipper on the bag diverges
If in your case it’s really the slider, then you can fix the situation using ordinary pliers. All you need to do is just squeeze the lock so that it starts to walk normally along the clasp again and connect its links. To do this, you will need to do the following:
- Pull the pawl to the bottom edge of the product and unfasten the fastener.
- Using pliers, grab the bottom and top edge runner.
- Gently squeeze the edges without too much effort. This will ensure that the bag is properly closed.
If a similar situation occurred with a plastic lock, then you can act on the same principle. We need to achieve compression of the part and its reliable operation. But unlike metal product, plastic is less durable and subject to mechanical stress. Therefore, with strong squeezing, you can simply break it. To avoid this, proceed very carefully.
After squeezing, make sure that you do not squeeze the zipper too much and that it closes freely.
TIP: it is better to replace plastic with a metal product.
What can be done with improvised means when metal lightning diverges
It happens that lightning diverges at the most inopportune moment, when there is practically nothing at hand from a set of tools. In this case, we advise you to use the materials at hand and save the bag for a while.
After this temporary invention, be sure to replace the clasp or repair it.
Do-it-yourself repair of a zipper on a bag
In the case when none of the proposed options helped to save the thing, you need to completely replace the zipper. To do this, you can contact the nearest studio or repair shop. But if this is not possible, you can do it at home. look detailed instructions and follow the described action plan.
But first you need to prepare the following materials:
- a new zipper (snake with a lock);
- scissors;
- pliers;
- threads with needles.
How to replace the slider on a metal zipper with your own hands
Replacement can be complete or partial (lock only). They resort, for example, to partial replacement dogs. In this case, you need to follow the steps:
IMPORTANT! For easy removal, you can use oil and lubricate the fastener.
How to replace a dog on a plastic lock
The technology is practically no different from the previous version. It is only important to carefully approach the process and not damage the lock. Plastic is very brittle and can break easily. Also milestone there will be a choice of lightning. There are many different types, differing in size, shape, connector. Carefully select the slider you need and proceed with the replacement.
Is it possible to replace the zipper on the bag yourself
If a complete replacement is necessary, it is best to contact the master, he knows exactly how to choose the right zipper and will be able to do everything quickly. But if this service seems too expensive, you can try to replace it yourself.
In principle, it is quite easy and possible to perform at home. This will require a new clasp. Before starting, you need to remove the old zipper from the bag. After that, you need to sew a new one in its place.
TIP: for the convenience of sewing, you can not completely remove the old part, but leave a braid from it, on top of which we will sew a new fastener.
How to extend the life of a zipper on a bag
In order for a thing to serve you for a long time and reliably, you need to properly care for it and sometimes inspect the condition. Lightning has its own requirements for use, thanks to which they will not deteriorate for a long time:
Following these simple rules, you will be able to use the bag for as long as possible. But, and if it becomes necessary to replace the lock, resort to the proposed work instructions.