Duffel bags and backpacks, leather bags, etc., are valuable assets for many people. Over time and with regular use, bags inevitably encounter wear and tear and need time to repair, or you will have to discard them. It is sometimes very extravagant and unrealistic to throw away an injured bag and buy a brand-new one. We understand the situation and have a solution for you, and you can fix your favourite bag yourself at home. When the injured bag does not affect regular use, or the damage is not so bad, You can repair it instead of spending more money to buy a new one. This guide summarizes four commonly encountered bag damage situations and how to deal with them.
The fabric of your bag is constantly exposed and is the most accessible place to get hurt. Learning to deal with simple breakage alone will save you money.
Sew with a needle
What you need
● needle
● sewing thread of a similar colour to the bag
● scissors
What to do
● Trim the edges of the torn fabric with scissors to make the joint surface smooth
● Start sewing with a needle to strengthen the best choice of multi-layer polyester or decorative nylon thread. If not, use ordinary thread to fold more times
● Even if you are new to sewing, a straightforward style is enough to fix small tears in the bag. You can sew the torn fabric with zigzag or backstitching, making the resulting stitching stronger.
● Finally, knot the underside of the seam 2-3 times, trying to make the knot as tight and neat as possible. Small gaps may appear at the sewing line joints if the knots are not tied tight enough. Then cut the excess thread and comply with the repair of torn fabric.
Tips
● When repairing the bag's lining, the thread's colour or the sewing's neatness is unnecessary because the lining is only visible to the user. It still looks like a perfect bag on the outside.
● If, after trimming the edges of the torn fabric, you lose much, then you can fill it with a fabric that matches the bag. Add a patch by sewing on the torn fabric.
Stick with glue
What you need
● Glue
● Gloves
● Paper towels
What to do
● Some glues are very adhesive and will be a big problem if they get on your skin when handling. So our advice is to start with gloves to avoid this sticky experience.
● Align the tears in the fabric, apply an even amount of glue under one side of the fabric and an even amount of glue over the other side, overlap the fabric and start glueing.
● Wipe off excess glue with a paper towel, press down on the seam for at least 2-3 minutes and wait for the glue to dry. The larger the bag tear, the more glue is needed and the longer you wait for the adhesive glue to dry.
Tips
● Pay attention to the type of glue you choose and make sure it fits your fabric. Some ordinary strong glue is ineffective for canvas, nylon and other fabric fabrics. When repairing a leather bag with leather glue, you need to apply a layer of leather conditioner on the bag first to protect the bag's leather.
● When the waiting time for glue is too long, put a piece of newspaper on the crack to isolate the glue and use a heavy object to press on it. This way, you don't have to keep the pressing position with your hands all the time.
Repairing holes is using patches. Choose a fabric patch that is consistent with the material you use for your bag. When you do not find a suitable fabric, you can consider pieces of fabric from clothes that you do not wear and use them for DIY exclusive patches. Unfortunately, some bags require a finer finish because of the fragility and expense of their fabric, and we recommend you seek expert help.
● Sewing patches
Select a patch that completely covers the hole, cover the bag, and sew along the edge of the patch with a thicker thread. After completing a round of stitching and tying a knot 2-3 times to secure it, cut off the excess cord, and the patch is sewn onto the bag perfectly.
● Gluing the patch
Apply exclusive fabric glue evenly on the fabric around the torn hole, and then apply glue to the overlap of the patch and material. Cover the patch with the torn hole, lay it flat to prevent deformation, press hard and wait for the glue to set. Do not touch the patch while the bond forms; wait approximately 24 hours for the adhesive to develop fully. Twenty-four hours later, the patch is firmly attached to the bag and will not come off even when washed.
● Ironing the patch
Use scissors or a cutter to cut the patch size you need to repair. Place the iron on the patch on the garment and apply heavy or hot medium pressure. Internal and external reinforcement takes only a few minutes, then re-iron the edges to make the patch iron-on firm and leave no residue. You can also spray the back of the patch with adhesive to make the patch last longer or sew the edges with thread to prevent curling.
Properly maintained leather bags can last many years without warping or flaking, especially those expensive animal leather bags. Most people are on a limited budget, so we face more of a faux leather bag epidermis peeling dilemma. It could be direct sunlight, improper cleaners use, accidental wear and tear, and your leather bag flaking off. Weihan has found that if there are deep scratches or peeling edges on a leather bag, you can use leather paint to touch up the bag, and it does a great job.
What you need
● Leather lacquer in a similar colour to your purse
● Small paintbrush
● A rag
What to do
● Clean the area where the paint has fallen off the leather bag to prevent any debris from preventing the leather paint from adhering.
● Use a small paintbrush to apply a small amount of leather lacquer to the peeling area of the bag.
● Wipe off the spill with a rag and wait for the paint to dry naturally.
Tips
● Use a small paintbrush to reapply the leather paint several times to severely damaged areas of the bag, and wait for the last coat to dry before each application.
● If a valuable leather bag is flaking, we recommend asking a professional repairer for help.
For most duffel bags, cooler bags, laptop bags and wallets, zippers are essential to protect the contents. But when the zipper is damaged, the situation can be dire. For example, a broken zipper on a laptop bag leads to a lost laptop, or a broken zipper on a wallet leads to lost keys and money. Sometimes, you can deal with some of the more straightforward situations on your own. Here are some tips for reference.
When you use the zipper and find that it does not open and close smoothly, it may be because you have used it for too long and the moisture is rusty. In this case, you can use a lubricant such as soap, pencil or candle to rub the zipper back and forth on the teeth and repeatedly pull the zipper several times to fix it. If a foreign body is stuck in the teeth of the zipper, clean up the foreign body first, use a wet rag to clean up the debris, and then apply the lubricant.
When a zipper looks completely normal outside, you pull it together and find gaps. Gaps are because the zipper slider has been used for too long, causing the calibre to become more prominent, so the zipper does not snap together well. The most direct way is to replace the slider with a matching model. If you can't find a suitable zipper head, you can use pliers and other tools to gently clip the end of the zipper head and slowly debug it.
When a zipper slider breaks, you can temporarily use a paperclip or metal ring to save it. A paperclip or metal ring threaded into the puller on the old slider becomes a temporary zipper head. It would be best if you promptly replaced the slider with a stronger one for subsequent regular use.
When the zipper teeth are bent, you can use a tool such as pliers to straighten the teeth, and they will close properly. In the case of missing teeth in the zipper, you can use pliers to remove a few teeth in unimportant parts of the zipper, such as the tail, for replenishment. Finally, use pliers to tighten the teeth of the filled part to the edge of the cloth. Be careful not to deform or pull out the teeth when adjusting the process with strength.
If none of the above methods can repair the bag's zipper, and the damage to the zipper is too severe, you can go to a tailor store for a new zipper.
When a backpack shoulder strap breaks, you can refer to the same procedure as when sewing a fabric tear and use the backstitching sewing technique. When sewing, be careful to supplement the shoulder strap's length with fabric and not to hurt yourself by applying a lot of pressure with the needle through the shoulder strap.
Most handbags are leather, so if the shoulder strap breaks from the centre, you can replace it with a belt. The shoulder strap breaks more often than not due to friction at the interface, so we don't recommend using a needle and thread to cause more wounds. Suppose a break occurs at the interface between the handbag and the shoulder strap. You can use a belt through the interface ring, fold a part of the length, and apply a strong glue. After the glue dries, the shoulder strap and the bag re-establish the connection. This way, you do not have to spend more money to re-exchange a whole belt.
Another special kind of shoulder strap is the drawstring bag rope. Different cords with drawstring bags can better help you personalize your drawstring bag. The easiest way is to stuff a new string with a paper clip.
Bags can always suffer from unexpected injuries over a long period, and it is a shame to give up on them because of minor problems. Weihan is confident in the quality of the bags we manufacture, but this is consistent with our willingness to share some simple repair tips with you. We hope you find this guide helpful, and for more wholesale quality packs, now contact us!
