Last week, I went over some tips for improving how you install zippers. They can be challenging to work with, especially when trying to get them right. Most customers, especially older ones, will say they prefer a bag with a zipper over one that closes with a flap or snap. This desire undoubtedly comes from the experience of knocking your bag over and seeing the contents spill out over the floor. Or it’s from walking through a crowded market and wanting that extra security of a zipper and a flap. Many of our customers, friends, and family members prefer zippers. So why don’t leatherworkers use them?
When I ask our leathercrafting students and blog readers why they don’t use zippers, the most common response is that they are too complicated. Those same people, though, aspire to make handbags and wallets. Zippers can be an essential part of a leatherworking project, and although difficult, they are not something to be avoided. I can empathize with the hesitancy, though. Besides being troublesome to install, there’s another reason many leatherworkers don’t think about at first. Here’s a clue:
Think about an old jacket, bag, or purse. What was the first thing to break on it?
Yep, the zipper.
One of my favorite jackets is very well-worn, especially in the cuffs and the zipper. This jacket was my daily driver for a long time before it started wearing out. The wear on the cuffs I understand; I use that jacket now in the wood shop, and I expected there to be wear to be in those areas. I work a lot with my hands in this jacket and so the cuffs see a lot of action. The zipper, though, is simply old and plastic.
Pick Better Zippers
When adding zippers to your project, I recommend using the best ones you can find. In my last post, I wrote that I exclusively use metal zippers. Using metal vs plastic is not only more flexible, but you can custom size a metal zipper, and it is also more durable. Quality metal zippers smoothly open and close even after extended use. By choosing better quality zippers, you can decrease the time before you need to repair them. It will eventually break, but hopefully, it will last as long as the other parts of the item.
Built for Service
My second recommendation is to make the construction around your zipper serviceable. One of the most important insights I gained when creating our new upcoming course with Hajime Niwa, The Zippered Wallet, was understanding how the zipper was installed to be more easily removed. That seems counterintuitive until you have to repair it.
I was resistant to adding zippers to my early work, and I think the experience of them breaking on my personal items set up an unconscious barrier for me to use them. I had not thought of constructing pieces so as to be able to repair or replace them. A zipper can last almost forever on a special occasion item, but it can require service in just a few years on your everyday carry. Five years if it is quality. Then what? Like me, you can downgrade your daily use item to something to use occasionally. Other leather goods components are less prone to breaking. You can glue and rivet to reinforce your bag or wallet to be bomb-proof, but once the zipper wears out, your masterpiece will be unsalvageable.
As makers, we like to build things to last. However, this idea can be misleading if you deny the inevitability that all items will eventually need maintenance or repair. Noticing that my course collaborator, Mr. Niwa, built his wallet to be easier to repair was profound for me. Perhaps that’s a bit of heavy philosophy for simple leathercrafting, but it represented accepting the impermanence of things.
The idea of designing my pieces, knowing they must eventually fail somehow, intrigues me. It’s a new and beneficial consideration for my work. I can acknowledge their limits, add flexibility, and increase their longevity. Then, it truly becomes a piece built to last, built to be serviceable.
Set Yourself Up For Success
My last recommendation is to spend the time it takes to design your piece so that the zippers will fit well. Though your zipper will eventually fail, it doesn’t need your help speeding up the process. You will add more stress to a part that already gets a lot of use if you make it too small, too big, or demand it turns awkwardly. It should fit just right into your piece to give it a better chance of lasting. Relatedly, you must execute your design well. You can plan your zipper well and still cause problems by installing them poorly. The measurements should be precise and the placement accurate, so you don’t add stretching or twisting and put the zipper tape under tension.
Interested in learning how to both create a good pattern and install zippers for your project? Our upcoming course, the Zippered Wallet, will teach you both.
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