Any fix for frozen zippers?

Travel discussion for St. John
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dreamshark
Posts: 311
Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2012 8:08 pm

Any fix for frozen zippers?

Post by dreamshark »

I have a nice beach bag with an insulated section on the bottom for snacks and multiple zippered compartments for towels, books, wallets, etc. Unfortunately, since our last trip to St. John, ALL the zippers have corroded and gotten permanently stuck. :( I tried lubricating well with WD-40 and wrenching at the zipper pulls with pliers, but no luck. Anybody have any tips for fixing salt-corroded zippers? I hate to just throw this lovely bag away, but with the zippers all broken it's not much use.
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GidgetPicklebrain
Posts: 170
Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 7:54 am
Location: Frederick, MD

Re: Any fix for frozen zippers?

Post by GidgetPicklebrain »

Try a vinegar & baking soda or CLR soak followed by toothbrush scrubbing. Also silicone spray rather than WD-40. Lubricate with beeswax or candle wax.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. - Confucius

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nuendelcapecod
Posts: 91
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2009 9:44 am
Location: Cape Cod

Re: Any fix for frozen zippers?

Post by nuendelcapecod »

Please, what is CLR?
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Suziekue
Posts: 189
Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2007 1:51 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Any fix for frozen zippers?

Post by Suziekue »

CLR is a cleaner, my Dad used to used it to clean the humidifier filter to remove chemical build up like calcified stuff. https://clrbrands.com/Products/CLR-Hous ... en-Cleaner. That link will get you to the CLR site you can check out the numerous products they have available.
Soarin' with the eagles all week long, and this is all that we've learned about living - VACATION!

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GidgetPicklebrain
Posts: 170
Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 7:54 am
Location: Frederick, MD

Re: Any fix for frozen zippers?

Post by GidgetPicklebrain »

It is a cleaner designed to dissolve Calcium, Lime and Rust.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. - Confucius

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dreamshark
Posts: 311
Joined: Fri Aug 31, 2012 8:08 pm

Re: Any fix for frozen zippers?

Post by dreamshark »

If anyone is wondering, I did finally get all the zippers working again, but it was a CHORE. I followed everybody's advice - used both CLR and baking-soda vinegar. Multiple times for each zipper. First I carefully painted the stuff onto the zipper pull, scrubbed at it with an old toothbrush, yanked at it with pliers. Eventually I started soaking the entire pack in solutions of various degrees of toxicity. I'm surprised the whole thing didn't dissolve. But I figured it didn't matter - without the zippers working I'd just have to throw it away.

Then when I got the last zipper working I bought some silicon lubricant spray and lubed them all. If I'd done that before the last trip, I might have saved myself some trouble.
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Here's what it looked like new. It's not quite this perky looking now, but still usable.
Here's what it looked like new. It's not quite this perky looking now, but still usable.
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Suziekue
Posts: 189
Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2007 1:51 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Any fix for frozen zippers?

Post by Suziekue »

Thanks for the update, happy to hear it worked. Nice bag, I can see why you wanted to save it. :D
Soarin' with the eagles all week long, and this is all that we've learned about living - VACATION!

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