Can't unstick the zipper on my mesh bag

Advice
#1

Help, the zipper on my mesh duffel is frozen shut with crystalized salt and can’t be opened. I’ve tried WD-40 and Blaster pB-16 to no avail. Can anyone offer suggestions besides taking a knife and cutting it open?

Thanks

Phil

#2

A thought:
Try putting it through a washing machine cycle.



If you get it unstuck, lube it every so often with a silicon spray



Jack L

#3

brush
Across Zipper with water and vinegar maybe 8 to 1. Toothbrush or stiffer. SoAK zipper, rebrush, rinse. Lube zipper with zipper lube. Apply silicone or bees wax with artist’s brush

Spray brush, paint zipper.



When tugging on zipper pull, hold closed end stretching zipper run over complimentary surface.



Petroleum solvents are not normally effective in salt or OH groups.



There would be UTUBE videos on destroying your zipper

#4

This product was recommended to me
McNett zip Care



https://www.mcnett.com/m-essentials/blog/zipper-cleaning-and-care

#5

thanks
(I had to skip my morning coffee)

#6

Yes - good answer
If the problem is crystallized salt, the first step is to dissolve the salt, and for that you need water. Plain soaking might be enough, but the washing machine might be even better.



Save the zipper-lube products until after the salt is gone.

#7

Will Lubricants On Zippers
Hold small grains of sand? Would zipper lube make the teeth more likely to disengage when you don’t want them to?



Soak the bag. Then always rinse after use.

#8

Moot point, no, useless advice
Wax or oil would attract sand but McNett claims some formula that doesn’t.



Lubricant of any kind will no affect the mechanical fastening of a zipper



Pot metal zippers, high humidity, and salt air are the problem. Rinsing helps but doesn’t fix it.

#9

going clamming ?
the lube coats metal reducing corrosion, OH adhesion, eases, facilitates tooth meshing, pull sliding.



brushing grit out, avoiding grit in first place is your maintenance duty.



lube and zippers are together.



https://www.google.com/#q=kokatat+zipper+advice

#10

zip
soak in white vinegar the Mc Nett stuff

#11

corrosion
zipper could be corroded if not plastic and it will never open as corrosion makes metals expand. Steel when rusted expands 10 times original size.

#12

Do You Find That The Zipper
Taste better when soaked in vinegar?



Water is the universal solvent. Why not just let it do what it does?

#13

your taste
ever rinse you kayak good with water? You will see many times salt remains.

#14

acidic
acidic acid will also remove corrosion from the zipper.

#15

Salt and water
Of course, if salt remains after rinsing with water, it’s not because water is a poor solvent for salt (it’s excellent). It just means that the rinsing method wasn’t so good. That’s why Jack’s suggestion about using a washing machine was so good. The salt problem WILL be gone after using that method. Then you can try something that’s appropriate for corrosion.

#16

is there anything inside it?

– Last Updated: Sep-01-15 10:44 AM EST –

if so the washer machine idea might be difficult.

#17

acetic acid?
nm

#18

last resort replacement
Besides sewing and remodeling my own stuff, I used to do a lot of gear repairs for people as a side line when I worked for an outfitter. I found that in desperate cases where a zipper has broken teeth or is welded shut from corrosion the best recourse is to take a sharp utility knife or razor blade and carefully sliced the zipper teeth away from the fabric tape they are bonded to, leaving as much of the tape as possible. Then buy a new zipper the same length (or a little longer if you can’t find the exact size) and stitch it by machine or hand onto the old tape. If you can’t do this yourself, shoe and luggage repair shops will usually do it fairly cheaply. Full stock fabric stores like Joann’s often stock the “waterproof” zips, which may sound foolish for a mesh bag, but I have found that they zip smoothly and are made of nylon plastic that does not corrode or easily get gunked up or caught in the fabric of the bag or garment.

#19

Salt
I am just guessing here and have not done it but try submersing the bag in the bath tub and let the salt dissolve then remove it and open it?

#20

good lubricant
Since I’ve always had folding kayaks, I keep BoeShield lubricant at hand for lubricating the frame connections to prevent them corroding together. Boeshield was developed by Boeing for aircraft lubricant that will not become sticky or degrade/contaminate electrical cables and plastics – bike stores sell it in spray or dropper bottles to use as chain lube. I have found it to be a superior lube for everything from doorlocks to zippers.