Stuck zipper

[zoharl]

I poured on it hot water, I soaked it in vinegar, I rubbed it with a fresh lemon, and I sprayed it with WD-40. Finally it budged. I'm not sure what did the trick, but I would bet on the WD-40. Next time I'll try the other ways, sound interesting.

[Peter_Frank]

I'm getting "Deja Vu" now....

There was a long thread not that long ago, with this issue - and LOTS of responses.

Maybe I started it myself - can not remember - but I remember putting pictures of some of my VERY stuck and "forever" destroyed zippers on a travel kitebag.

Also how the less stuck ones worked or not worked after using vinegar as many proposes.

But if I do a search on myself and all related names I can think of, I just get an old thread from 2004 ?

And not the one from this year (or was it last year)

Is something wrong with the search function here ?
Or is the thread deleted ?

Can anyone remember, or maybe find it through the search ?

I can not remember how the thread ended - if it was useful or not - but was about to link to the topic, as there were many contributors to this problem we all experience....

Peter

[markchatwin]

Did the vinegar (which cleaned the outer corrosion), did the peroxide, did the toothbrush, did the wd40 - NOTHING... Starting poking around inside the zipper with a dental instrument and stuff started coming out. White stuff... Poked all around the zipper and broke all adhesions I could. Finally it went. Coated whole zipper with vegetable oil. Now it runs like a roller coaster

[saildawg]

Tooth brush and tooth paste (and sweet water) work well. WD 40 will eff everything up in the long term. WD means water dry, not developed to be a lubricant.

[windyway]

The white corrosion expands the metal, just like rust does.
So the result is often terminal for the patient.

After trying everything I could think of with no success,
I soaked the slider in vinegar for 24 hours.
The key is to let it soak and soak and soak.
I saved one bag and the other one died.
WW

[letsgoflyakite]

After years of grief and trying most things, this was my best result. Buy a new plastic slider.( not whole zip) Yup. About £2.00. prob 8mm plastic coil for most bags. The old one will work for a while, and then get stuck again, as corrosion has probably eaten your slider making it crap forever. The teeth are normally plastic and should be fine. Cut apart old slider, (it might just fall apart). Cut thread off end of zip teeth, slide on new slider, and then sew a bit of thread to keep it together where you cut old off. I have now replaced all my metal sliders with plastic. A bit of silicon spray keeps it smooth as, with no corrosion.Worked for years on my old surf bag. It shows how little time manufacturers actually spend on the beach, most of my kit has metal sliders, which beggars belief.