Zipper Problem

Question
Henry. I have an old gear bag that I now use for boat dives. It is mesh and has two zippers both of which are stuck open and caked with sea salt. Is there a solution or topical I can used to remove (melt) the salt and get the zippers functioning again.

Answer
Asmar,

If the zipper is plastic, and if it is just salt, soak the whole thing in some clean, luke-warm fresh water for a several hours, swishing it around a couple times an hour. This will dissolve the salts.  If the zipper is metal, there is probably some rust involved as well.  Try using some silicone pump spray to loosen up the zipper.  At worst, you could replace the zipper with a new plastic zipper.

The silicone pump spray is great stuff. It can be used on all kinds of SCUBA gear, but don't use it on silicone masks or straps.

Hope this helps,

Henry Babcock
AllExperts SCUBA Expert