I have a WWII flying jacket in ‘fair’ condition. The leather was rather dry, but I’ve applied Pecard’s and it’s better now. I’ll keep an eye on it and possibly condition it again as the dressing is absorbed. The major problem is with the zippers. The main zip has about a 4" section missing, and no slider. A sleeve zip is missing its slider. The other sleeve zip is intact, but it does not stay zipped. i.e., the zipped section comes apart behind the slider. Even though the jacket is an uncommon variant, given its overall condition there’s no reason to preserve it as original. Better to make it functional. (NB: It’s too small for me, so I’ll never wear it. Even if it fit my torso, the sleeves are about five inches too short. I only have it ‘for the collection’.)
The obvious solution, since originality isn’t a great issue, is to simply replace the zips with modern ones that look ‘close enough from 20 feet away’. But I’d like ‘close enough’ to be as close to original as reasonably possible. To that end:
Can the original sleeve slider be used on a modern zipper?
At the end of the main zip the ‘pin’ (the part that goes into the ‘box’) has an integral plate with two rivets to provide extra strength where the bottom of the zipper is attached to the jacket. This is not something I’ve seen on modern zippers. Can this ‘pin’ and plate be put onto a modern zipper?
1: Probably. You’d need a zipper of the same tooth size. Zippers today are fairly standardized - the main zip is most likely a #10 or maybe a #9, and the sleeve zips are probably the same size, or maybe a #7. The size number may be on the back of the zipper head, and it may have an “extra” letter such as 10D. Just be aware that if the zipper is worn out, the slider is also probably nearing the end of its life. If the garment construction is such that you just need to pop off the end stops and thread on a new slider, it’s no biggie.
2: I have seen zippers with reinforced ends like that, but it’s impossible to transplant pieces from one zip to another. If you wanted to order a kabillion or so zippers, I’m sure they can be special-ordered.
I compared the main zip to the sleeve zip, and they appear to be the same size. The pull-tab is marked with a crown and ‘A.M.’ on one side, and an ‘N’ on the other. I assumed that ‘N’ is a manufacturer’s code, but maybe it’s to do with size?
I’m not about to order a kabillion zippers. It would be easier to get a jacket in better condition. Incidentally, I saw a set of original zippers a while back that were removed from a jacket that had fallen apart They went for like $100. I wouldn’t spend that much unless the jacket itself were in very good condition.
You may be able to fix this one by taking pliers and squeezing the slider. The place to squeeze is not the “pointy” front of the zipper but the square tail that looks like this sideways: [-]
Try squeezing it so it tightens up like this [] (remember this is a sideways view). That’s an exaggeration, it just needs a gentle squeeze and you won’t be able to see any difference visually, but that’s the direction it needs to tighten. It may eventually loosen up, but if you’re not wearing it, it might be fine forever.