Can zips be mended?

I am sure in theory it os possible, but I have never managed it.

In et grand old days I did replace trouser zips..but you needed to be a dab hand with a sewing machine to do it. Bag zips? well a cobbler with the right machine and equipped with a suitable new zip could replace it, but unless the bag is worth more than 100 quid, its a nono on cost benefit.

Throw the bag. Its failed to be a bag any longer.

yes

Can't say I've tried it myself, but this page talks through replacing a missing slider, and had links to suppliers ...

The slider normally only comes off if the zipper is worn out. You could try and find a little back-street garment repair place who could remove it and sew in a new one. Note that the zipper on a bag like that needs to be a very strong one to prevent it bursting open, so make sure you specify this if you do try for a repair.

A couple of times when I've had a broken zip that would be difficult to replace, but worth doing, I've visited the local market and bought a similar one; opened up the "staples" on the closed ends of both zips; transferred the slider across; and re-closed the staple.

SteveW

Yes, but only if I've installed the zip myself into a bag I've made myself, using zip off my giant roll of raw zip and sliders from the bagful that goes with it. If it's a commercial zip though, I'd just replace the whole zip. If it was particularly awkward to replace the zip, and it was something like a YKK or an Opti where I had a good chance of finding an exact match, then I _might_ try to replace the slider.

Slider replacement is easy enough. You dismantle the zip at the foot, then you slide in a new slider from the base. Then you re-sew the zip foot with carpet thread or something strong.

I had a openable zipper slider, a long time ago. Googling finds something similar: "Flip an Zip", no idea if it works, but maybe a place to start looking...

Thomas Prufer

A cobbler has repaired zips for me in the past but last time he advised it would be cheaper to buy a new bag than pay him to sew on a new zip.

HTH