On this page you will find the basic information you need to start making zips to size. (Making zips fit your needs) Specifically the replacing of runners, the shortening of zips, making zips to size, removing and attaching topstops and bottomstops.
What do you need?
Side cutting pliers
Long nose pliers (straight or bent)
Pinking shears
Tailor’s scissors or smaller firm scissors
Seamripper
Usage
Use the side cutting pliers to remove the teeth from zips
The long nose pliers are suited for attaching and removing of topstops and bottomstops
The pinking shears are used to remove the leftover bits of the zips. It is also possible to do with normal scissors, but then the tape of the zip is prone to fraying.
The seamripper is good for removing bits of teeth that are left in the tape of spiral zips and sometimes when attaching bottomstops. (Pushes the teeth of the bottomstop through the tape of the zip)
With a pair of tailor’s scissors or slightly smaller pair you can cut the spiral teeth from the spiral zip on one side of the tape
You can see the side cutting pliers on the left and the long nose pliers on the right of the picture
Pliers for shortening zips
The basic information for making zips to size includes the zip-parts that are available in our shop.
For reparing zips the following items are available:
Runners for zips, also known as locomotive, wagon and puller
Topstops
Bottomstops
Zips can break, but don’t fret!
There are possibilities to fix zips. The best known way is to replace a runner. Is your runner broken, just replace it with a brand new one. It is not possible to place just any runner on your zip, because there is difference in runners. Each brand has it’s own zip parts. Even spiral zips and metal zips have different runners.
We sell these…
Topstop
It is possible to replace topstops on open end zips, closed end zips and two-way zips. Just remove the old and attach the new.
Bottomstop
Every fashion maker has a bit of stock, meant for a project but never used or bought the wrong one…you’ll now what I’m talking about!
Are you working on a project and you need a closed ended zip but you only have a open ended one? You can make the zip closed ended by removing a few teeth and attaching a bottomstop. Now you càn use the zip!
Runner
There are different kinds of runners. Every kind of zip has it’s own kind of runner. If you look at a runner from a spiral zip, you will see that the inside is different from a runner from a blocktooth zip. The spiral zip slider has no raised edge, the blocktooth and metal zips do. Also there is difference in width. The normal width of open end zips and two-way zips is 5 or 6mm. Brands make there own zips and runners, so there is dissimilarity between brands. So please make sure you buy the right runner for your zip. In our shop the sliders are listed with information that states for what kind of zip the slider is suitable.
This concludes Making zips to size – the basics Below you can see what other pages we have on the subject
