Help me "MacGyver" my broken zipper pull--sad update

[kcmel]

My zipper pull on my Ariat boots broke some time ago.Unfortunately the piece that holds the pull on also broke so it’s not an easy fix. I took it to a shoe repair place today and they said they would have to replace the zipper and it would cost $90. I can zip them without the pull but it is a struggle, and getting harder (probably from both winter weight and extra layers :lol:). I can zip them up most of the way with no tools, and then I stick a ball point pin underneath and I can usually get them zipped all the way up. But it’s not easy!

Anyone have any better ideas for a tool to help zip it, or a way to attach a pull?

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[khalliaar]

Have tried a small pair of vice grips? It really sucks when the pull breaks, I had one do it but I had a place to attached some fishing line to help me. Good luck?

[DancingArabian]

You might be able to stick a zip tie through.

[Xanthoria]

A paper clip didn’t work?

[kcmel]

See the picture. The piece that held the pull is also broken. There isn’t anything to stick a zip tie or paper clip through.

[amymoyer]

Maybe a pair of needlenose pliers? Pull up on the back and front at the same time? Or hook a small wire under the bottom from the inside of the boot?

[kcmel]

Actually I was just trying needle nose pliers and broke the rest of the slider off. My next plan is to find an Amish repair place; my FIL is a good source for that kind of information.

[Libby2563]

Zipper repair seems to have gotten so expensive that it’s hardly ever worth it… The zipper on my Carhartt winter coat broke recently. I got a couple of quotes, and it made more sense to just buy a new coat. I’m sure your boots cost more though so hopefully you can find a good solution!

[jcc813]

I had the same happen to my boots. Tried to live with zipping it up with my fingers for awhile but that got too annoying. I had looked up some videos online that seemed to indicate it could be something I could fix myself. But when I went to the craft store to look for the zipper, the store person really recommended against trying to DIY as she said it’s a lot harder than it looks.

Ultimately I caved and took it to a shoe repair place and they fixed it with a new zipper. They only charged me $15. And this is in a high-priced city. (Had I known it was only that much I would’ve had it fixed a lot sooner). Not sure why you got such a high quote–definitely seems like that place was price gouging!

[kcmel]

@Libby2563

Zipper repair seems to have gotten so expensive that it’s hardly ever worth it… The zipper on my Carhartt winter coat broke recently. I got a couple of quotes, and it made more sense to just buy a new coat. I’m sure your boots cost more though so hopefully you can find a good solution!

Yeah, I’ve thrown out a couple of coats I really liked because zipper replacement is so expensive. Anything of that kind is expensive–I had a pair of breeches taken in and a zipper replaced on a pocket of another pair, and it was $75!

[Outyougo]

There was an odd post on Facebook about replacement zipper “head deal”.

[Outyougo]

Google zipper slide. Walmart has them. (If you can go to Walmart,

[cls]

Not sure if this will help. I like to sew and have replaced several zippers, sliders etc. However, never on a pair of boots. You may be able to remove the slider and replace it by removing the end stops. The slider should have a size on it. Looks like it could possibly be a #10.

There are several places that you can order sliders on line. Looks like Tandy has some heavy duty zippers.
https://www.tandyleather.com/en/category/zippers
https://www.tandyleather.com/en/product/10-zipper-slide-reg-lock-brass

There are several tutorials available. Checked found the following:
https://youtu.be/eDEC3XD7vWI

Also found something called FixNZip. Never heard of it before and not sure it is what you need.
https://www.fixnzip.com/

[merrygoround]

cls is correct-
Google it!

[kcmel]

@merrygoround

cls is correct-
Google it!

So have you (or anybody) successfully replaced a boot zipper slide?

[fanfayre]

not a boot zipper, but a jacket once- worked like a hot-d@mn until the jacket fell apart.

[mkevent]

This is kind of an aside, but I figured I’d share.

I always clean my boots including the zippers after each ride. It was still difficult to get the zippers clean and they would start to “stick” when I tried to zip them up the next use.

I started to using zipper cleaners such as this one

https://www.nrs.com/product/2290/gear-aid-zip-care-zipper-cleaner-and-lubricant

and it has really made a difference! I don’t need to apply after each ride, just when I feel it starting to stick. I think zippers break early on riding boots because of the scurf that’s hard to clean out of the zippers. If you’re anything like me, you just yank the zipper up , eventually leading the breakage.

To extend the life of boot zippers, you should always keep boot trees in your boots or lay your boots flat when storing.