Random Questions Mega Thread v1.1

[Wormius]

I think somebody has asked about zipper repair here. I had the zipper pull and the little stopper bit come off (got stuck between bus seats and when I got up it got ripped). Is there somebody who can repair this?

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Wormius

I think somebody has asked about zipper repair here. I had the zipper pull and the little stopper bit come off (got stuck between bus seats and when I got up it got ripped). Is there somebody who can repair this?

I usually just repair myself. Buy a set of replacement off temu or Aliexpress (2-3 sizes). It only takes a few minutes and a pair of pliers. I'd assume a place that hems clothing could repair if they had a spart part, but I've never gone.

If DIY, just don't buy a plastic zipper pull, buy a metal one. The plastic ones pop right open with just minor pressure. Replacement plastic zipper pulls are useless IMO. Can't even keep it closed by crazy gluing the moving parts. Melted and fused together, maybe, but I'm not going to melt a zipper pull to keep it together. I'm just going to order a metal one.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

I usually just repair myself. Buy a set of replacement off temu or Aliexpress (2-3 sizes). It only takes a few minutes and a pair of pliers. I'd assume a place that hems clothing could repair if they had a spart part, but I've never gone.

If DIY, just don't buy a plastic zipper pull, buy a metal one. The plastic ones pop right open with just minor pressure. Replacement plastic zipper pulls are useless IMO. Can't even keep it closed by crazy gluing the moving parts. Melted and fused together, maybe, but I'm not going to melt a zipper pull to keep it together. I'm just going to order a metal one.

Thanks. I should have looked up the correct terminology first. It’s the slider and pull and bottom stop. Yeah, it was originally a metal zipper. I still have the slider part, but not the bottom stop. How to do secure the stop though? Just crimped on or glued?

[Shazam]

A dry cleaner that does alterations should be able to fix it for you.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Shazam

A dry cleaner that does alterations should be able to fix it for you.

What about a dry cleaner that does alliterations?

As a kid the name in town was Busy Bee and we wondered if they did alterations along with their alliterations.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Thanks. I should have looked up the correct terminology first. It’s the slider and pull and bottom stop. Yeah, it was originally a metal zipper. I still have the slider part, but not the bottom stop. How to do secure the stop though? Just crimped on or glued?

Slider/pull tab if metal is crimped. This one is kinda hard to repair without a kit or supplies. So it's either ordering something or going to a store that does clothing alterations. I don't know what stores exist that might have these sewing parts. Walmart? Fabricland? Either way, worth it to repair vs replacing the article of clothing.

Overall, relatively cheap repair. Assuming you don't have any old clothing with a part you can attempt to cannibalize for the repair, it makes sense to go to a store if just a one time thing or you don't trust your own skills. But I deal with this more frequently than I'd like (kids), so I DIY many clothing repairs. On average it costs less than $10-20 set up costs and often times supplies for each repair like $0.10 to $3.50. Kinda silly to have to dispose of a piece of clothing because of a repair that is literally a few cents/bucks in parts/supplies (Less than 1% of replacement value).

Bottom stop repair, there's a replacement plastic or metal part you can get to just crimp to block the zipper from going too far. You can also make your own for cheap if you don't want to spend a few bucks for a kit/at a clothing alteration store and you have the materials on hand. Sew a thick ish 1mm x 2mm ish square where the stop should be (use proper colored thread so it doesn't stick out as much). Then fill in that thread with a few drops of crazy glue. As long as what is added is thick enough to stop the slider/pull tab before it comes right off, it'll work. Some zipper pulls have a wide hole a the bottom bigger than the teeth vs some have just the thin gap where the teeth go through. I've seen people do other things for the bottom stop repair, but it wasn't secure enough or looked stupid.

[cam_wmh]

Didn't want to ask this in the Jr players sexual assault case, so as to avoid derailing it..

Why has Robert Baltovich never received compensation for his wrongful incarceration, yet David Milgard did.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Wormius

I think somebody has asked about zipper repair here. I had the zipper pull and the little stopper bit come off (got stuck between bus seats and when I got up it got ripped). Is there somebody who can repair this?

Cyrex on elbow is the answer.

I had two different alteration places tell me my jacket was ####ed after the zipper broke and I brought it there and you would never know that it’s not the original zipper.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

Cyrex on elbow is the answer.

I had two different alteration places tell me my jacket was ####ed after the zipper broke and I brought it there and you would never know that it’s not the original zipper.

Yeah, I first realized how silly it was that things were being thrown away for something as silly as zippers or batteries.

MEC used to repair their gear for life. It was just a matter of whether it was free or a small fee. I remember kids blowing out a zipper or getting a small rip and throwing the bag away. One time, I asked to have the bag, went to MEC to get it repaired. I think my parents still have the bag.

Battery, I was in Asia and looking at watches. I liked a watch, but it wasn't working, so I asked if they had a working one.

"Are you going to buy?"
"If you have one that is working."
*Looks at watch*
"It's just the battery, so stupid."
*pops off back, replaces battery, puts back on, checks watch... in legitimately like 13 seconds*
"OK works now. You pay. You can go."

I remember looking at the watch, walking away slightly bewildered because he didn't charge a battery replacement fee and was so fast. I was familiar with battery replacement for $10-20 in Canada... seeing a pack of 20 watch batteries for $2 CAD a few stalls down and what I had witnessed started to make more sense to me. 13 seconds without scratching the back... that was extremely skillful.

[Wormius]

Yeah, I like this jacket. I bought it at MEC about 10 or so years ago and it’s the perfect Spring and Fall jacket, and I have travelled around with it a lot so it has some sentimental value.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

Yeah, I first realized how silly it was that things were being thrown away for something as silly as zippers or batteries.

MEC used to repair their gear for life. It was just a matter of whether it was free or a small fee. I remember kids blowing out a zipper or getting a small rip and throwing the bag away. One time, I asked to have the bag, went to MEC to get it repaired. I think my parents still have the bag.

Battery, I was in Asia and looking at watches. I liked a watch, but it wasn't working, so I asked if they had a working one.

"Are you going to buy?"
"If you have one that is working."
*Looks at watch*
"It's just the battery, so stupid."
*pops off back, replaces battery, puts back on, checks watch... in legitimately like 13 seconds*
"OK works now. You pay. You can go."

I remember looking at the watch, walking away slightly bewildered because he didn't charge a battery replacement fee and was so fast. I was familiar with battery replacement for $10-20 in Canada... seeing a pack of 20 watch batteries for $2 CAD a few stalls down and what I had witnessed started to make more sense to me. 13 seconds without scratching the back... that was extremely skillful.

The downfall of MEC is actually very saddening.

I remember when I started Jr. High my parents got enough money together to my sister and I MEC backpacks, I dont even know how much they cost, I was a kid at the time. Prior to that we're been using those crappy semi-plastic ones that last a couple of months?

That backpack has been with me through all of Jr. High, all of High School, 3 trips to Europe, University and then...I gave it to my youngest daughter, so it did another trip through Jr. High and High School, a few North American trips to Chicago and San Francisco and another 5 years through U of L and she convocates at the end of this month and is STILL USING IT!!!

That to me is the legacy of MEC! If you bought something, you bought something GREAT! It can be repaired but it'll last.

That backpack is practically a member of my family.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Locke

The downfall of MEC is actually very saddening.

I remember when I started Jr. High my parents got enough money together to my sister and I MEC backpacks, I dont even know how much they cost, I was a kid at the time. Prior to that we're been using those crappy semi-plastic ones that last a couple of months?

That backpack has been with me through all of Jr. High, all of High School, 3 trips to Europe, University and then...I gave it to my youngest daughter, so it did another trip through Jr. High and High School, a few North American trips to Chicago and San Francisco and another 5 years through U of L and she convocates at the end of this month and is STILL USING IT!!!

That to me is the legacy of MEC! If you bought something, you bought something GREAT! It can be repaired but it'll last.

That backpack is practically a member of my family.

IIRC, most of the school bag ones were in the $50-100 range. Anything more and those were for backpacking in the back country.

It wasn't just the quality, it was the fact there was some semblance of ergonomics. Stuff like curved/vented back and thick straps that weren't just durable, but were comfortable and didn't cut into you. Some even had the chest and waist strap so the weight wasn't solely on the shoulders.

I remember laughing at a recent comment about a <20lb backpack for a kid who had a laptop/tablet in it. Not that the concern wasn't valid, but when I was young, I seem to recall there were even news articles about kids who were trekking 20-40 pounds back and forth per day due to the fact we had multiple textbooks and stuff to bring. God forbid you were in band and had to trek that instrument back and forth too. It was like a weighted vest and kettle bell every damn day of school life.

Ooo... coincidentally, a few weeks ago, MEC might become Canadian again.

https://hardlines.ca/gp_dailynews/me...anadian-buyer/

We will see what happens after that.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

IIRC, most of the school bag ones were in the $50-100 range. Anything more and those were for backpacking in the back country.

It wasn't just the quality, it was the fact there was some semblance of ergonomics. Stuff like curved/vented back and thick straps that weren't just durable, but were comfortable and didn't cut into you. Some even had the chest and waist strap so the weight wasn't solely on the shoulders.

I remember laughing at a recent comment about a <20lb backpack for a kid who had a laptop/tablet in it. Not that the concern wasn't valid, but when I was young, I seem to recall there were even news articles about kids who were trekking 20-40 pounds back and forth per day due to the fact we had multiple textbooks and stuff to bring. God forbid you were in band and had to trek that instrument back and forth too. It was like a weighted vest and kettle bell every damn day of school life.

Ooo... coincidentally, a few weeks ago, MEC might become Canadian again.

https://hardlines.ca/gp_dailynews/me...anadian-buyer/

We will see what happens after that.

Oh man....in High School my middle daughter was in Band and you know what she got assigned to?

The Tuba.

A goddamned Tuba.

This is a 90 pound girl hauling that gigantic bastard around on the bus! It was ridiculous! I mean, I found it funny, but it was ridiculous.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Locke

Oh man....in High School my middle daughter was in Band and you know what she got assigned to?

The Tuba.

A goddamned Tuba.

This is a 90 pound girl hauling that gigantic bastard around on the bus! It was ridiculous! I mean, I found it funny, but it was ridiculous.

I played tenor sax in Jr High. As much as it was cumbersome, I never once complained because there was some 4 ft ish tall girl who was assigned the baritone sax. I remember if she was standing, that thing was only a few inches away from her chin.

I recall she was very vocally independent as well. Any offers to help her with the instrument were chided and rejected. This little girl battling this behemoth of brass and winning on the regular was a sight to behold. Plus the loud deep tones being produced by this little girl who was mostly covered by this huge instrument (relative to her) was hilarious in its own way.

[Locke]

Yeah, I never did Band. It was determined relatively early on that in regards to 'Musical Aptitude' I had none.

[fotze2]

Why can’t I seem to find the jolly rancher hard candies anymore? All they have are the soft ones that taste nothing like them. Kids choking on them or something?

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by fotze2

Why can’t I seem to find the jolly rancher hard candies anymore? All they have are the soft ones that taste nothing like them. Kids choking on them or something?

Bulk Barn has the hard ones.

https://www.bulkbarn.ca/en/Products/...d-Flavours-531

[Flacker]

Originally Posted by fotze2

Just got a sour cream and the best before is totally nonsensical.

Says “BB/MA 2025 AL 16”

Does tha mean best before may packaged on April 16? Why the fata would they make it confusing? Or is it April 16th?

Bilingual packaging, BB/MA on food packaging stands for "Best Before / Meilleur Avant",

No reference to May or March.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by fotze2

Why can’t I seem to find the jolly rancher hard candies anymore? All they have are the soft ones that taste nothing like them. Kids choking on them or something?

I saw some of the hard candies at superstore the other day, but tropical flavor, not original. I wasn't really looking for original hard candies though. What I really was intrigued by was the flat version (was a ribbon shape, sorta like an air head) vs the rectangle version. I recall as kids, we used to bite down slowly to "glue" our mouths together and see who could "unstick" our teeth the fastest based purely on jaw strength.

Original flavor hard candies can also be obtained on Amazon.

[fotze2]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

I saw some of the hard candies at superstore the other day, but tropical flavor, not original. I wasn't really looking for original hard candies though. What I really was intrigued by was the flat version (was a ribbon shape, sorta like an air head) vs the rectangle version. I recall as kids, we used to bite down slowly to "glue" our mouths together and see who could "unstick" our teeth the fastest based purely on jaw strength.

Original flavor hard candies can also be obtained on Amazon.

I ripped out a filling with one of those doing that. Bet a dentist wouldn't recommend doing that.