The Sewing Place

Tools of the Trade => The Haberdashery => Topic started by: Ploshkin on February 14, 2018, 17:23:50 PM

Title: Removing zip teeth - aaagh
Post by: Ploshkin on February 14, 2018, 17:23:50 PM
 If I already had a most hated job in sewing it has now been knocked off the top spot by removing zip teeth.  What a ghastly job, my hands and fingers are now very gouged and sore.  Those clever dicks on You Tube make it look so easy.
I had all the necessary tools but just couldn't find a way of getting them off without considerable mangling and swearing.
I won't be doing that job again unless I really have to.
Title: Re: Removing zip teeth - aaagh
Post by: rowe1311 on February 15, 2018, 19:55:07 PM
I have a jacket that is very old but it is my gardening jacket and just useful for dirty jobs.  The zip has broken (the pull moves up but doesn't fasten).  Every time I put it on I forget that the zip doesn't work and then struggle to take it off again as it doesn't pull down very easily.  I have wanted to know whether it is repairable and maybe your ghastly method might do the trick.
Title: Re: Removing zip teeth - aaagh
Post by: Ploshkin on February 15, 2018, 21:07:34 PM
If it's a gardening jacket I think I'd just put a new zip in it - it wouldn't need to be a pretty job, just functional.
Title: Re: Removing zip teeth - aaagh
Post by: rowe1311 on February 16, 2018, 19:45:26 PM
If it's a gardening jacket I think I'd just put a new zip in it - it wouldn't need to be a pretty job, just functional.
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Do you think putting a new zip is quicker than realigning the teeth then?  I would have thought taking out the zip and putting in a new one would be longer, but I haven't tried the fiddly work of doing the zip either. 
Title: Re: Removing zip teeth - aaagh
Post by: Ploshkin on February 16, 2018, 20:33:28 PM
I don't know if  you could realign teeth and get it working again, I've never tried.  All I was doing was removing teeth to make the zip shorter.  I did manage to prise the top stops off and put them back on again in a new position  but it wasn't easy.
Title: Re: Removing zip teeth - aaagh
Post by: rowe1311 on February 17, 2018, 19:54:25 PM
I ended up buying continuous zips with separate sliders, so I now feel quite an expert at putting the zipper back on.  I am just not sure how to do it on a jacket.  I will have to do some more research on youtube to find out if it is possible.
Title: Re: Removing zip teeth - aaagh
Post by: Gernella on February 21, 2018, 10:34:11 AM
I ended up buying continuous zips with separate sliders, so I now feel quite an expert at putting the zipper back on.  I am just not sure how to do it on a jacket.  I will have to do some more research on youtube to find out if it is possible.

I did this on DH's favourite round the garden or down the street jacket.  I bought it from C&A so you can tell how old it was.  Anyway the zip just wore away from the sides and would stick going up.  Half the battle is taking out all the stitching out so a good ripper comes in very handy.  At least I got an idea of how a zip placket works.  It was a good job done, but he was examining like it was a really expensive jacket.

Gave me some practice for taking a lining out on a new casual jacket because it made him hot and replacing with a cotton one.  That was a top notch job, I even did new welt pockets on either side.

Funnily enough I'm just doing a jacket that needs a 20 inch zip and in that colour the one I already have is 22 inch.  I think it might be easier to just get another zip.

What niggles me is that I have a new curtain pole stood in the dining room that has been there coming up to 5 years and he's still not put it up.