X or H stops are especially suitable for Delrin injection molded zip fasteners and metal zip fasteners. Both zip fastener types have individual teeth sitting like staples on zip fastener tapes. Plastic or metal teeth project above the surface of the zip fastener tapes both on the front and on the back. Therefore, it is functionally reasonable and visually attractive to fix bottom stops that are symmetrical both on the front and on the back of the zip fastener.
We will show you step by step below how to attach these bottom stops to a Delrin or Vislon zip fastener. You can do the same with metal zip fasteners.
Open the zip fastener chain a few inches so that you can remove some teeth.
Use end cutting pliers to remove the teeth.Important! Pay special attention not to cut the so-called filler cord at the edge of the tape. Because a missing or severely damaged filler cord makes it difficult to attach the bottom stop.
Position the end cutting pliers as shown in the picture on the right.
As a result, the teeth are only cut off partially. But you avoid cutting into the filler cord or zip fastener tape. The bottom stop can later sit firmly and securely on an undamaged filler cord.
Carefully grab the parts of the teeth remaining on the zip fastener tape either using end cutting pliers or with narrow pliers. This way, you can pull these remains from the zip fastener tape. You can often raise the remains of the plastic teeth with the thumbnail and remove with bare fingers.
Removing the teeth in this cautious way may seem a little tedious. But after a few repetitions you will practise the work steps so that it can be done rather quickly by hand. The result of this careful approach will be two neatly uncovered filler cords on the two zip fastener tapes.
Now hook the lowermost, open teeth manually into one another and close the zip fastener chain completely again. This way, the two zip fastener tapes are almost parallel to each other and you can place the bottom stop well on the two filler cords as close as possible to the bottom tooth of the zip fastener chain.
Now use flat nose pliers to press both sides of the bottom stop firmly onto the filler cord. Most pliers have grooved jaws. If you do not want the jaws to leave unattractive marks on the bottom stop surface, then protect it during pressing with a stripe of cardboard, as shown in the picture. If you often press zip fastener stops, it is recommended to smooth the grooves on the inside of the jaws. The jaws of the 6 mm wide flat nose pliers offered by us are not corrugated but forged-raw. Thus they leave no pressure marks on the bottom stops.
The completely pressed X stop is now fixed on both filler cords of the zip fastener tapes. It looks the same from the front and from the back.