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Nomex Jacket Zipper Repair

dilbert

New Member
Did a search for this and couldn't find anything direct, so if I have missed something my apologies.

I've got an old CWU-36P jacket, the one with the action pleats on the back, and frustratingly just one of the teeth at the very start of the zipper has gone AWOL. It is on the side that you slide into the zipper pull at the very bottom and keeps the zipper from loading the free side (if this makes any sense). My question is can just one tooth be replaced? Do I have to replace the entire zipper? If entire, any recommendations on where I might find a zipper (I've tried Googling to no avail) or to whom I might send the jacket for repair?

It's an old favorite and I really like the pleats on the back over the more modern ones.

Many thanks for any help!
 

robrinay

Well-Known Member
Its an old thread and unanswered but for what it's worth I've replaced teeth on a number of metal zips- missing teeth on an eBay jacket keeps the price of them low and is a fairly easy fix.
A. Find a zipper with identical teeth - I've bought cheap jackets from charity shops to supply them. If you look carefully the teeth are a bit like a riders legs straddling a ribbed edge on the tape of the zip.
B. Use a sharp blade to carefully prise apart the legs of a tooth on your donor zip- not too wide or they break - practice makes perfect. Gloves will protect your fingers if needed.
C. Using snipe nosed pliers grip the tooth gently, place in over the space where the tooth was missing and gently squeeze it to secure it in place but don't over tighten it. Make sure it's the same way up/around as the other teeth.
D. Carefully zip up the zip and this process will align the tooth when it locks - then gently unfasten the zip and now use the pliers to squeeze it a bit more securely/permanently now its aligned.

If you can't find a zipper with identical teeth steal a tooth from the top of the zip where they seldom actually lock anyway. You can also move the zips top stopper down in the same way if you don't like the look of the missing tooth at the top.

Practice on a cheap jacket before tackling a good one and like all my advice - take it or leave it and don't blame me if you screw up.
 
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