How to Shorten a Metal Zipper

When a zipper is too long it’s nothing to run a few stitches over the teeth to form a new bottom zipper stop which automatically shortens the length of your zipper. However this doesn’t work for metal zippers and certainly not for exposed metal zippers.

To shorten a metal zipper you need a few supplies and you need to know what size your zipper teeth are. You’ll need zipper end nippers (a type of pliers) and top zipper stops which I ordered from Wawak sewing. The zipper stops came in packages of 50 (cost $2.55), probably more stops than I’ll ever need but what I really need is shorter zippers so what choice did I have? I ordered 50 size 5, aluminum, top, zipper stops.

TIP: To find the size teeth of your zipper, simply flip the zipper wrong side up and the size is usually imprinted onto the back of the zipper head. You can see a number 5  on the top zipper in the photo above.

Find the length of your zipper by laying it flat and measuring from the bottom stop to the top stop. You are just measuring the teeth. My zipper is 7 inches. To sum it up I’m going to remove enough teeth on this zipper to make it the shorter length I need.

I need a 6″ zipper. So again, I measure from the bottom stop up 6″ and mark with a pin in the zipper tape.

The tooth just below your mark is the first tooth you are going to pull off the tape. I marked it with a pin for myself and an arrow for you.

Grab the tooth with the end nippers and yank and pull on it until you get the tooth off the tape. It takes some wrist strength but it’s not too hard.

Keep taking the teeth off the tape, moving up the tape from that new space toward the top stop. The teeth come off one at a time. I tried two at a time; nope.

You only need to take an inch of teeth off the tape or until you hit the top zipper stop, whichever comes first. I hit the stop but right at an inch so I’m not sure which came first.

Zip up your zipper, carefully, (do not go beyond the teeth) to see which tooth you need to start with on the other side. Mark it, pull the zipper back down out of your way and begin again with the teeth removal. All the yanking and pulling made me cringe and tense up and brought back memories of wisdom teeth removal in Korea.

The original zipper stops on your zipper may or may not come off the tape. I understood they weren’t reusable if you did manage to get them off. Luckily, it happens to be easy to ignore the old stops and put the new zipper stops on.

The stops are shaped like a letter U or C and they simply wrap over the edge of the tape just above the teeth. Each row of teeth needs a stop above it.

Place a stop on the tape (like a cuff bracelet onto your wrist) and crimp it down tightly, snugly onto the tape with the same pliers you pulled the teeth off with. These pliers are takers and givers.

After the new stops are on simply pink the ends, and the old stops, off.

I was very excited to learn this new trick and super excited that it was so easy.