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Vintage Suitcases
Suitcases
Learn more about this repair
Vintage cases are usually worth restoring rather than replacing, but the materials involved - old vulcanised fibre, early leathers, brass fittings - need conservation-minded repair rather than modern parts fitted regardless of look. We match hardware style and finish as closely as possible, rebuild original locks and catches where they can be saved, and only replace what genuinely cannot be repaired.
Wheel, Zip & Handle Repair
From £40 depending on item and complexity
Restore and fix worn or damaged areas.
- Assess the damage
- Replace wheels or zips
- Repair handles & telescopic bars
- Reinforce corners
- Quality check
- Replacement wheels
- Heavy-duty zips
- Matching leather/fabric
- Adhesives
- Broken or worn wheels
- Stuck or broken zips
- Damaged handles
- Torn corners
- Replacement wheels
- Heavy-duty zips
- Matching leather/fabric
- Adhesives
- Broken or worn wheels
- Stuck or broken zips
- Damaged handles
- Torn corners
Every repair is different, so the best way to see what we can do for yours is to send us a photo - we'll reply with an honest assessment and, where we can, examples of similar work.
Between professional repairs, a few habits keep suitcases in good condition:
- Wheels and castors take the worst of the punishment - clean the axles after any trip on gritty or wet ground, and bring the case in as soon as a wheel starts to wobble or drag rather than waiting for it to shear off, as a wheel lost mid-journey usually means the housing gets damaged too.
- Don't overpack against the zip. A case that only closes under pressure puts constant strain on the slider and tape, and that's the single most common cause of a zip splitting open at an airport carousel - pack to the seams, not past them.
- Hard shells flex to absorb impact, they are not meant to be rigid - a hairline crack from baggage handling will spread if left, so get it assessed before the next flight rather than after a second knock finishes the job.
- Extend and retract the telescopic handle fully every so often even when the case is in storage; handles left collapsed for months can seize, and a handle worked loose from a fall is far easier to true up early than once the internal rails have bent.
- Store luggage empty, upright, and away from direct heat or damp - a case left stacked under weight or shut up with damp packing for weeks is how linings mildew and shells warp out of true.
- On soft-sided luggage, keep external pockets and straps clean and dry before packing away - trapped moisture rots stitching and corrodes buckle hardware from the inside, which shows up as failure months later with no obvious cause.
Can you fix a wheel that airport baggage handling broke?
Yes - this is one of the most common repairs we see. Depending on the case we can source an exact or close-matching replacement wheel, rebuild the wheel housing if the mounting has cracked, and re-set the axle. If a wheel has been ripped off entirely, we also check the corner and frame it was attached to, since the impact that took the wheel off often stresses that area too.
Do you repair or replace broken telescopic handles?
Yes. We can true up a bent handle rail, replace snapped push-button catches, refit stripped locking mechanisms, and swap the whole handle assembly where the internal rails have buckled beyond straightening. We work to the original handle width and rail spacing so the replacement locks and travels the same as the original.
Can you repair a cracked hard-shell case, or only soft-sided luggage?
We repair both. Hard-shell cracks and impact fractures in ABS, polypropylene and polycarbonate can usually be bonded, reinforced from the inside and colour-matched so the repair doesn't stand out; a shattered corner or badly split seam may need a patch section. Soft-sided cases are repaired by re-stitching, patching or panel replacement, matching the original fabric or leather as closely as possible.
Can you replace a broken suitcase zip, and will it match?
Yes. A split zip tape or a slider that no longer grips is one of the most frequent luggage repairs we do. We fit a new zip to the same gauge and, wherever possible, the same coil or tooth type as the original, running the full length of the case rather than patching a short section, since a partial repair often fails again right next to the old damage.
What is the process for sending in a large suitcase or trunk by post?
Large suitcases and trunks travel perfectly well by Royal Mail - empty the case, secure any loose internal fittings, and wrap it as you would for any parcel carrier; no special crate is needed for most repairs. Get in touch first so we can confirm the fault, give you a guide price, and advise on packing for that specific case before you send it, and we return the completed repair the same way.
Can you match locks, including TSA combination locks, if one is lost or broken?
In most cases, yes. TSA locks are a fairly standardised mechanism, so we can usually source a direct replacement or a very close match, reset the combination, and refit it to the original housing. Where a lock is integrated into the shell itself rather than a bolt-on unit, we'll confirm during assessment whether it can be replaced or needs a compatible retrofit.