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Need to blacken a zipper?

Spitfireace

Well-Known Member
I've discovered that if you need a zipper, and or pull, blackened, you can use a Sharpie black permanent marker. It is easy to do, just run the marker over the zipper and voila! Instant black. It's permanent, easy, looks a lot better than out of the box crappy zipper such as on Bronson etc. Works. Try it, you will like it.
 

Spitfireace

Well-Known Member
I tried to blacken an old Conmar zipper on my 1961 MA-1 and it's not easy to do by nitrate methods. That said, I won't blacken something like that with Sharpie. It's mixed results reblackening a vintage zipper. I'm just talking cheap china zippers.
 

Spitfireace

Well-Known Member
20240304_120534.jpg
 

Spitfireace

Well-Known Member
As I said, I wouldn't recommend this for anything except cheap zippers on Bronson for instance. Not sure how long it's gonna last, just that it does tone down the glare so to speak.
 

dbtk44

Active Member
I did this very thing to a pair of side-zip motorcycle boots...black leather, and bright silver zippers..WHY they couldn't have just gone with a black zippers, hell BRASS woulda been 10 times better, but Noooo..
Sorry, I digress...

Anyway, works pretty well. I found the best technique for me is to go over the zipper, let it dry for a moment, then go over it again, repeat till it develops the black-ness you want. The dye builds nicely.
Rubs off eventually to a certain extent of course (Sharpies are just alcohol based dye in a pen form after all) but reapplying is cheap and easy. Alcohol takes it right off btw, so easy to reverse if you're not diggin it
 
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