Hookless Zipper help please!

[ArdentStart]

Hi everyone,

I have an Aero Leather 38-1711-P with a Hookless zipper. Yesterday, I tried to put the jacket on and the zipper felt extra stiff. Shortly after zipping up a little, I realised that the two rails are no longer joining up? Does anyone have any advise or experience with these zippers?

I've emailed Aero (I would love to not need to send this back!), and heard about deadstock zippers requiring special care, and also general zipper fixes (wax/ soap/ crimping), but am hoping someone can offer some advice I haven't through of.

Many thanks,

Alex

 

[Hide'n'seek]

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[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Alex:

I have a few jackets with this kind of zipper. One thing to make sure of before trying to pull the slider is that the tip of the male end is contacting that little tab at the bottom of the female side. I ran into the same issue that you described when the zipper was off by a tooth. Carefully try to get the zipper sides separated (only grab the slider by the body and not the pull tab). Once you've got them apart, use the technique that I've described and you should be good to go.

These zippers are a bit finicky but are fairly robust.

Best of luck to you!

Noel

 

[Fanch]

I've never actually seen a hookless zipper but can clearly see cause of the problem, particularly illustrated by the bottom photo where the teeth fail to line up properly due to fully engaging the male part into the female part (no sexual innuendo intended). I do like the concept of this zipper, particularly the grommets at the bottom that appears to provide a stronger attachment perhaps less likely to separate? Interesting thread and would be interested in reading about the OP's resolution of the situation.

 

[ButteMT61]

Vintage-Repops or NOS are neat, aren't they? But yeah, you sorta pay a price for the cool factor with finicky zips. I've cursed out just about every zip I've got at one time or another, some being worse than others

 

[Fanch]

Zippers jam up or come apart. Buttons unravel and fall off. The only foolproof closure is a pullover (jumper). Can anyone imagine a slim fit leather pullover?

 

[Stand By]

My God, that's a beautiful looking zip!
Yes, these old design zips can be tricky and they do require the wearer to be more "present' in mind when engaging them (I speak from experience as I have NOS Talons on a couple of jackets and have learned this myself).
And this has occasionally happened to me. And I hate to say it, but when it does, I try and I apply some light-medium pressure and try to work the zip out and jiggle it and I curse a lot; and none of it helps.
Then (and I hate to say this as I wish there was a better way) I line up the teeth as best as I can and single-mindedly force the slider of the zip down (not holding the leather puller, as WTF states) and work it through in one very firm and controlled movement. Then it disengages at the bottom - and re-engages again and runs smoothly like nothing ever happened. And I heave a mega-sigh of relief.

 

[ArdentStart]

Thanks everyone for your time and replies! Really appreciate it! Once this is sorted out, I will be doubly sure to engage the alignment perfectly before drawing upwards for everyday use. In the meantime, the problem pic shown above lets the male side hang 'free', hence it appears to be misaligned from the start.

I have the sides free now, and Denny from Aero has kindly messaged me about it, so hopefully it will be worked out soon.

I agree, even with the current issue, these zips are just gorgeous looking . Rediscovering these details is one thing good about encountering problems...

 

[robrinay]

I prepared this before your - nearly solved it post sorry - I'll be interested to know if it's what Denny suggested.

If nothing else works you might try carefully removing the stoppers at the top of the sides of the zip and pulling the puller up and off. Then gently tease the zip apart. The puller can easily be put back on the female side and then the stoppers replaced. Aero I'm sure will send you authentic spare stoppers or you can sometimes get them as part of a zipper repair kit.

 

[Stand By]

Glad to hear you're dealing with Aero directly to get this sorted …
As I said, it just doesn't pay to be on "auto-pilot" when engaging these NOS/repro zips. I know when I've done this and my mind's been elsewhere and I've suddenly pulled up the zip and it felt strangely wrong and I instantly am jarred back to being focused on the zip and I instantly become aware that I wasn't fully "present" and my instant thought is always "Oh, ****, that was damned careless of me!" and I look down - and if it's happened, it is always why. As stated, they're robust and very work well - but if they don't, I find it's simply "user-error".
Best of luck!

 

[ButteMT61]

Yeah, the key is to indeed be "present" when zip'ing these things. It's not the kinda thing you do while texting!
Even knowing that, I still on occasion jack up a zip. Luckily I don't too often zip my jackets, so I just try to be careful when I do...

 

[rocketeer]

Looks like the lower parts were simply not engaged properly at the start. Never seen this make but have dine the same with other zips.
By the way, what is Hookless about it, or is it just a name?

 

[Dinerman]

That was the company that turned into talon. They never made jacket zippers, but repro companies have made mashups based on 1930s talon teeth and stop boxes and 1920s pulls.


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[Stand By]

Yeah, the key is to indeed be "present" when zip'ing these things. It's not the kinda thing you do while texting!
Even knowing that, I still on occasion jack up a zip. Luckily I don't too often zip my jackets, so I just try to be careful when I do...

Indeed. When the zip fouls, I think it's a timely prompt to treat these things with some respect (for their age) and more kindly and to appreciate them more fully for what they are and represent - and not merely treat them casually. And that's no bad thing. There's so much to admire and appreciate in all of our jackets (which we can often forget and take more for granted once their novelty wears off somewhat), so I think it's a nice reminder.

 

[Superfluous]

I have had more than one wildly frustrating experience with a similar zipper. In fact, I once had to remove the stoppers at the top, and remove the puller. They look great, but are very, very finicky. Applying candle wax can help a bit. As Butte stated, proper use of these zippers requires careful attention, dexterity, and patience. When customizing jackets, I now specify non-Hookless zippers.

 

[Grayland]

I have one on my GW Ventura. I find it easy to zip, but it can be difficult to unzip. A few times I got nervous that I'd broken the zipper. JC says it gets much easier with wear. Honestly, I don't find myself zipping up the GW that often anyway - but I would specify a non-Hookless zipper on future purchases.

 

[RapidReaper]

Same problem with an Eastman Werber 1729 A-2. Sent this one back. The jacket arrived with the rivet top broken off as pictured.

 

[Vinny A]

yikes, this thread is enough to put me off Hookless zippers for life!

Sure they look cool when their working out.. but the ones snapped above sure aren't looking so snazzy.

Good luck with getting is sorted Ardentstart

 

[ArdentStart]

So after some kind emails from Denny at Aero, a new puller and stoppers arrived in the post pronto. I've just spent the last 20 or so minutes installing it, and figured I would post some photos for reference:

Replacement puller and stoppers!


Using pliers & screwdriver to gently pry away the existing stopper


Removing the existing puller (note the angled removal to avoid the folded cloth lip)


Old puller vs new



Installing new puller (using pliers to hold cloth lip in place)


Sweet victory!!!


Replacing the stopper


All done!


Extremely pleased with the end result, and especially the help from Aero. As mentioned above by 'stand by', this was a great opportunity to further appreciate the little details Aero puts into these jackets, the feel of the design, and to understand it all more.

I've just run a little wax over the rails and will place extra attention on zipping and unzipping

Thanks everyone for your posts!

 

[Vinny A]

That is great, and really decent of aero to intervene so swiftly and decisively. A perfect outcome. Your A2 looks pretty sweet too