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Old 09-08-2017, 01:17 PM   #1
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Zipper Lube! Who knew??

Well, many of you may have known, but I didn't.

My 4 seasons old PUP has seen a lot of use. And PUPs have about 10 miles of zippers.

My bag awning zippers, in particular, were getting very tough to operate. Last weekend, as a big thunderstorm came through, we had to break down the awning in one hell of a hurry. And with a HW, it requires a ladder (I keep one in the PUP). So, here we are, teetering on a ladder while trying to roll the awning and zip the bag. The wind is ripping at everything, including the bag, and I was struggling to zip without ruining the zippers. Success, but just barely.

I wondered....how could I lube the zippers? I should have known, but I had never heard of zipper lube. Amazon offers a ton of options.
https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb...ds=zipper+lube

I bought the Zip Care (first on the list) for all of 6 bucks, and tried it on the bag awning zippers. Wow...like new!
Heading out this weekend, and I plan to use it on all the window and bed-end zippers, too. The biggest window, over the sink/stove, has become a bit reluctant, and I can't wait to get it working smoothly again.

All of you "old hands" are probably chuckling at my ignorance, but maybe this will help someone else before s/he ruins a good zipper.

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Old 09-08-2017, 01:25 PM   #2
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candle wax will work in a pinch
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Old 09-08-2017, 01:25 PM   #3
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CAUTION

Zipper lube been around for a looong time. It works well on metal zippers, BUT I ruined a tent 20+ years ago that had the newer style nylon zippers. The teeth mesh, but would pull apart without hardly any pull at all. I thought I was doing good, but in fact ruined the door zipper to where it was worthless.

You can also use a bar of soap lightly scrapped over the zipper teeth.

If the slider ever gets broken get one of these in the correct size to fix it in 5 minutes on the spot.

https://www.fixnzip.com/how-to-use/
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Old 09-08-2017, 01:28 PM   #4
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If you ever run out of lube, and need something right away, rub a white candle over the zipper. The candle wax will lube the zipper enough to get it moving....
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Old 09-09-2017, 01:17 PM   #5
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Many, Many years ago, the Army issued "zipper-ease" with your field gear. It was basically bees wax in a 6" long round half inch diameter paper tube with a clip to fasten it to a zipper tab. Stuff worked pretty good.
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Old 09-09-2017, 01:53 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jimmoore13 View Post
Well, many of you may have known, but I didn't.

My 4 seasons old PUP has seen a lot of use. And PUPs have about 10 miles of zippers.

My bag awning zippers, in particular, were getting very tough to operate. Last weekend, as a big thunderstorm came through, we had to break down the awning in one hell of a hurry. And with a HW, it requires a ladder (I keep one in the PUP). So, here we are, teetering on a ladder while trying to roll the awning and zip the bag. The wind is ripping at everything, including the bag, and I was struggling to zip without ruining the zippers. Success, but just barely.

I wondered....how could I lube the zippers? I should have known, but I had never heard of zipper lube. Amazon offers a ton of options.
https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb...ds=zipper+lube

I bought the Zip Care (first on the list) for all of 6 bucks, and tried it on the bag awning zippers. Wow...like new!
Heading out this weekend, and I plan to use it on all the window and bed-end zippers, too. The biggest window, over the sink/stove, has become a bit reluctant, and I can't wait to get it working smoothly again.

All of you "old hands" are probably chuckling at my ignorance, but maybe this will help someone else before s/he ruins a good zipper.

Back in the day we used bees wax..........softer and better than candle wax....
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Old 09-10-2017, 07:54 PM   #7
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We keep a small block of bees wax in the tool box.
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Old 09-11-2017, 08:42 PM   #8
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Thanks, all!
I keep a "crayon" of "Screw-Ease" in my tool box. It looks like a lumber crayon, but it's bees wax. A bit on the tip of a wood screw will allow it to be driven far easier...especially in hardwood. I have bees wax in my camper kit, too, but I didn't think of using it on the zippers. I use it on the bed rails.

Thanks again.
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2020 Jayco Jay Feather X-213
previously 2014 Forest River/Rockwood HW 277
2006 Ram 1500 4WD Crew with Firestone Airbags
Every weekend boondocking in the National Forests or at Lake Vallecito.
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Old 09-11-2017, 09:15 PM   #9
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I always had two carpenter pencils in our pup. Run the tip of the pencil back and forth along the zip and let the Graphite do it's work. Nothing sticky to collect dirt, dust, fuzz, seeds, sand, gravel, or the occasional boulder.
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Old 09-11-2017, 09:26 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheWolfPaq82 View Post
<<snip>> or the occasional boulder.
Yes, I'm always pulling boulders out of my zipper...oh, wait!

Speaking of which, if you have teenage sons, don't tell them about zipper lube.
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2020 Jayco Jay Feather X-213
previously 2014 Forest River/Rockwood HW 277
2006 Ram 1500 4WD Crew with Firestone Airbags
Every weekend boondocking in the National Forests or at Lake Vallecito.
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