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ball and chain zip pull

regius

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3,300
Location
New York
Anyone know who manufactures the coveted ball and chain zip pull? Not the short ball and chain, but the full circle one, as seen on Premier range, Japanese repro, Himel etc. Is it Waldes, I don't see it on their website. If I could buy a couple that'd be great.
 

tmitchell59

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,757
Location
Illinois
Thanks too for the link! I have a few Vintage ball and chain zippers in my stash. These look great!

Somewhat rare to find a vintage jacket with the Ball and Chain. I'm guessing they were too expensive. They do show up, but not common.
 

Honeyman1935

One of the Regulars
Messages
123
Anyone know who manufactures the coveted ball and chain zip pull? Not the short ball and chain, but the full circle one, as seen on Premier range, Japanese repro, Himel etc. Is it Waldes, I don't see it on their website. If I could buy a couple that'd be great.
Is it just the 5” chest pocket zipper your after?? If so I have reproduction ball and chain Talon from Japan in nickel with black cotton tape if you want one??
 

jonesy86

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Messages
4,610
Location
Kauai
Thanks for the tip
CP, I got a message into JC
to see if he has one he can send me. Yeah, it’s for the Mojave.
 
Messages
17,511
Location
Chicago
I just made a “ball-less” version for my 5 Star. I have to get some balls. All in this is about 15 cents worth of hardware from Amazon.
481E22C8-C2DF-47BB-84E5-4E7D3590D858.jpeg
 

Metatron

One Too Many
Messages
1,536
Location
United Kingdom
Nice! Going through a similar process myself and learning to be an amateur jeweller after the puller on my jacket broke! Do you have links to the hardware you used? thanks!
 
Messages
17,511
Location
Chicago
Nice! Going through a similar process myself and learning to be an amateur jeweller after the puller on my jacket broke! Do you have links to the hardware you used? thanks!
Plenty of available options and variations on Amazon. There’s brass as well. Just search ball chain and ball chain loop connector.
A8974070-9D2B-4F77-AE41-B385E9564F2A.jpeg

I need to find an appropriate size ball for the center of the chain. Maybe Etsy for that. The looped chain looks great though. Better pic:
7DC0228E-C993-4ED6-ACD6-F99AD83E6AA5.jpeg
 

Metatron

One Too Many
Messages
1,536
Location
United Kingdom
Nice! I am making an 'O' ring chain puller, myself. Used a bunch of jeweller's tools, jump rings and chains. Getting the right sizes took some trial and error, as it is hard to visualize the dimensions.

But finding the right stuff begins with knowing what terms to search for-for example I did not know there was such a thing as a 'loop connector' thanks! I assume you joined it to the zipper pull with a jump ring?
 
Messages
17,511
Location
Chicago
Nice! I am making an 'O' ring chain puller, myself. Used a bunch of jeweller's tools, jump rings and chains. Getting the right sizes took some trial and error, as it is hard to visualize the dimensions.

But finding the right stuff begins with knowing what terms to search for-for example I did not know there was such a thing as a 'loop connector' thanks! I assume you joined it to the zipper pull with a jump ring?
Yes indeed. And I found several beads on Etsy that I'll need to sift through as the ball.
1647017797506.png
 

Metatron

One Too Many
Messages
1,536
Location
United Kingdom
This is valuable information for vintage jacket fans, as even if their jacket zip puller isn't broken it is nice to have a back up option.

So, here is what I made.
rVwnA2S.jpg


In case anyone is interested, the ingredients are: one 7mm jump ring to attach to the zip. A 6x4mm link chain and a 9mm jump ring for the 'O' tab.
I am happy with how this looks, but this one might be just a proof of concept as I think I want a stronger chain with soldered links if I am to pass this on to future generations. ;)
Be aware that in my experience the metal of the jump rings (and probably the chain) needs to be 1mm+ thick. Otherwise you are basically dealing with wire and it is too soft for repeated tugging. These jump rings are by 'Angel Malone' on Amazon and are really strong. A good way to test the strength of the links and rings is to see you can bend them with your bare hands. If you can, the hardware is too fragile. These can only be opened with pliers. Lots of trial and error to learn this, thank goodness for free returns on Amazon!

Btw The jacket is by SJC. I really rate the jacket in every way, but the original chain puller was flimsy and came off in my hand shortly after buying it.
 
Last edited:

Marc mndt

I'll Lock Up
Messages
7,360
Plenty of available options and variations on Amazon. There’s brass as well. Just search ball chain and ball chain loop connector.
View attachment 408718
I need to find an appropriate size ball for the center of the chain. Maybe Etsy for that. The looped chain looks great though. Better pic:
View attachment 408722

This Ralph Lauren had similar ball and chain pulls.

D1CF2B6C-BCB7-4169-AFD4-5FEEA29F3B92.jpeg
B973EFF3-27BD-401D-A220-54B030AC403C.jpeg
 

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