Repairing zippers on purses and other leather goods.

Zippers are one of those convenient products that we all have on some sort of product in our homes. Whether it be in a suitcase, purse, leather jacket, computer case, day planner and many other leather products around home even many non-leather items. Zippers are very convenient and easy to use, but they can also become so frustrating as many or all of us have figured out over time. Zippers have many issues and problems that can cause you headaches.

1)  The zipper stops working and starts opening behind the slider when you close it. This is usually easy to fix as long as you are careful. Carefully pull the zipper slide back down to the beginning so that both sides are even and straight. If you have something solid you can slide under the zipper slide and then lightly tap the zipper slide with a hammer. This tightens the slide again onto the zipper teeth and allows the zipper to catch both sides together again. Try pulling the zipper again and it should zip just fine now. (DO NOT HIT THE ZIPPER SLIDE HARD OR TO MANY TIMES OR YOU WILL BREAK IT OR YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SLIDE IT.) The slide tends to be slowly pulled apart over the use of time which causes it not to keep the zipper teeth in complete contact together, that is why the zipper comes apart after you zip it up.

2)  The stitching comes out and the slide falls off. You can just replace the slide back on the zipper and slide it back down the zipper out of the way. Then tuck the end of the zipper back into place where the stitching came out and stitch it up if you have a sewing machine that can do it. Otherwise take it to a shoe repair and they can sew it for you at a reasonable price. It some cases it will have to be hand sewn into place. There are some cases where the zipper will have to be opened up from the other side and the slide slid on from the other end and then both ends need to be restitched. Most zippers cannot have the zipper slide put on in reverse because of the direction of the teeth.

3)  The zipper teeth break off on plastic or metal zippers, coil zippers stitching tears and the slide comes off. Depending on where this happens the zipper can be stitched after the slide is replaced. Simply replace the slide in the correct direction and slide it away from the broken area, then either hand sew or machine stitch across the broken area of the zipper so that the slide cannot slide back to it again. You may want to take the article to a shoe repair or leather repair to have this done, they also have metal clips that can be tapped into place over the zipper to keep the slide in place. If the zipper damage is to far into the middle of the zipper to make repairing it reasonable, then replacing the zipper is the only option. This you will most likely want to have done at a shoe repair or a leather repair so that the stitching is as straight as possible and so that the zipper can be removed and replaced without damaging the leather or the liner it is stitched between. A seam ripper is used to do this so that the stitching can be cut without cutting the material, although accidents do happen because seam rippers are very sharp. There are other options for replacing the zipper if replacing the zipper is to expensive in some cases. Changing the style of the leather product with the use of a snap or a strap to close it may be an option. Just remember, that just because the zipper may be broken you can always do something with a leather article.

4)  The stitching of the seam along the length of the zipper comes out. If you do not have a long arm sewing machine, you will need to take this to a shoe repair or a leather repair to have this stitched up. In most cases it will be a minimum cost, but can cost more depending on how much stitching is required to stitch up the seam.

5)  Zippers on jackets are a bit more difficult due to the fact that they come apart when zipped open so that you can open the jacket to put it on and take it off. If the teeth break off on these kinds of zippers, about all you can do is replace the zipper or completely change the style of your leather jacket by using snaps, straps, buttons or toggles to close the jacket. Customizing your leather jacket is just another way of repairing your jacket if replacing the zipper is not what you want to do. You can have the zipper remover all together and either have snaps even placed up the front of the jacket. The snaps will require the punching of holes to put the snaps in. Buttons, straps or toggles would require stitching and holes cut and stitched into the leather to attach them. Straps with buckles would also be another option to a custom look and change to your jacket.

All of these options are things that you could do yourself at home or take your articles to a shoe repair or a leather repair to have the work done. Just always know that a professional at a shoe repair or a leather repair would most likely be more than willing to help you with advise with your project or give you recommendations on what you could do. You could also buy your items or supplies from the shoe repair or leather repair or go to a Tandy Leather Factory store. Sometimes you can find the supplies at a craft store, but not much assistance.

 For all of you that live in or near WAXAHACHIE, TEXAS you can contact my brother, J.D. at his shoe repair at 972-938-7979. Hours of operation are: Tues. - Fri. 10 am - 6 pm & Sat. 10 am - 5 pm. If you are close to the area, you could just stop by his shoe repair at: 507 N. Hwy. 77, Ste. 1100C, Waxahachie, TX 75165. You can also contact him at: TexasBootRepair.com

For those of you that live in or near WEST JORDAN, UTAH you can contact my brother, Dan at his shoe repair at 801-448-1928. Hours of operation are Tues. - Sat. 10 am - 6 pm.  If you are close to the area, you could just stop by his shoe repair at: 7650 S. Redwood Rd., Ste. B, West Jordan, UT 84084. You can also contact him at: roycecustomleather.com, his business is Royce Custom Leather LLC.