Thread: Zill elastic

Hi all,

I need to replace the elastic on my zills (the original broke a long time ago and I've been using hair tie elastic! But that's not holding up well either)

Any suggestions of where I can buy some good quality elastic appropriate for zills?

Thanks!

joann's, hancock fabrics, hobby lobby. there's online places too, that carry basic elastic (fabric.com)

Originally Posted by lallakahina

Hi all,

I need to replace the elastic on my zills (the original broke a long time ago and I've been using hair tie elastic! But that's not holding up well either)

Any suggestions of where I can buy some good quality elastic appropriate for zills?

Thanks!

Before you leave the house, measure the length of the slot in your cymbals (assuming it's a long slit and not a round hole).

Go to a fabric store. Look for a sign along one wall that says "Notions" - that's where the elastic will be.

The elastics are usually hanging in blister packs along a wall, though sometimes stores put them on a vertical pegboard aisle divider. Some fabric stores will also sell elastic by the yard, but I usually don't choose that because I don't want to fuss with taking it to the cutting counter and having them measure/cut a length for me.

You will see a dizzying array of elastics. Some will be white, some will be black. Either is fine - I choose black so that it won't become soiled over time.

Look for a width that is either the same as the slot length you measured, or 1/8 inch longer. Buy that.

Thanks for your suggestions. I guess maybe my question had too obvious an answer. I didn't know if one brand of elastic was better than the other. Interestingly there are no nearby fabric stores in the town I live in... so the online option is best. Joann charges twice the price for shipping as the product itself, so I'll check out Hancock and fabric.com.

Cheers!

,r:;

you can buy elastic in a package at walmart also.

I've never had any trouble with the regular old fabric store elastic.

I always used 1/2" elastic. Black looks better, but I found that white lasts longer for some strange reason.

The dance shoes I buy come with extra elastic that is a nude/pinkish color. It's a much softer look than black against my skin, and doesn't glow under black lights like the white does. Like Shira says about the white, it does get a bit dingy over time, but not as obvious as on the white. Bonus that I just save it and don't have to go out to buy it.

Is there a dancer supply store near you that sells slippers/shoes? They usually carry the pink elastic by the yard. It's "dancer grade", so my elastic has lasted a long time. I changed to pink elastic when a former teacher insisted that elastic should be white--- which I thought looked too dirty to quick.

I steep a cup of tea very dark and soak a length of white elastic in it. Much closer to a "skin tone" color, very fast and easy to do!

~~Kimahri

Briefly dipping white elastic in a bit of red wine and letting it dry also produces a fairly skin-color like tone.

Originally Posted by khaalidah

Is there a dancer supply store near you that sells slippers/shoes? They usually carry the pink elastic by the yard. It's "dancer grade", so my elastic has lasted a long time. I changed to pink elastic when a former teacher insisted that elastic should be white--- which I thought looked too dirty to quick.

Yes, there is a dancer supply store. Good idea! I'll check there. I'm not too worried about the color of the elastic (probably no one in the audience will notice it). My problem was the elastic kept stretching until the zills started to slip off of my fingers (at home, thankfully!). Thats why I wanted some sturdier elastic.

Originally Posted by lallakahina

... I'm not too worried about the color of the elastic (probably no one in the audience will notice it).

LOL... Yeah, I always told my teacher, if people are noticing the color of my elastic, I must be doing a crappy job of dancing. Good Luck.

Okay, I just want to thank you all for posting to this thread... because I really need to fix my zill elastics before tomorrow's class and had forgotten all about it until I saw this!

Originally Posted by khaalidah

LOL... Yeah, I always told my teacher, if people are noticing the color of my elastic, I must be doing a crappy job of dancing. Good Luck.

..l;,

Old bra straps taken from a nude colored bra.

We use elastic that's about 1/2'' wide and I think it' s underwear elastic. One side has a sort of rubbery herringbone pattern on it which actually grips and stops the zills sliding on your fingers. It's very similar to the elastic used for strapless bras.

You can also rub foundation into the elastic before you sew it, to make it fleshtoned.

I've been using ponytail holders lately with EXCELLENT results, I like it better than elastic. But not the ordinary kind, these are small, thick soft ones, the kind that are made from rolled stretchy fabric. It's a little tough to get them through the slots (I pushed them through with a bread knife) but I find them to be more durable, more secure, and more flexible (meaning they fit well whether I'm bloated that day or not) than elastic.

Interesting to read the different ideas everyone has. I wonder if I should try the bra strap one? Although my straps don't seem elasticized.

Lauren -- true, I should have been using thicker ponytail ties. I used thin ones (the only ones I could easily fit in) and have to replace them every month. Worse so, I became so desperate, I started using different colored ties I had laying around the house, so now I have pink, blue.... yikes! I look like rainbow bright... ..c::

I have had the same thick black elastic on my zills for probably two years now-- and only had to recently tighten them up a bit for the first time. But it is due to be replaced as one finger is pretty stretched out and I sure hope I can find the same stuff. I had used a black elastic previously on a different set that was about the same width (as wide or a little wider than the slots) but it was a thinner elastic with kind of a pattern on it-- that stuff unravelled along the edges almost right away and I've yet to do them over. Then I got this one which is also about that width (I guess like 3/4 inch maybe?) but was thick/dense enough that it was a bit difficult to put in and let me tell you what a world of difference from the original elastic both sets came with!! I can put the zills on and wear them forever with no blue fingertips, they stay put and are comfortable-- never again will I use that skinny little crap elastic! And I agree with Shira that black is so much better- I could never have gotten away with using this elastic so long if it was white, although I like the tips for dying white elastic to try and make it nude- still, I don't mind the black myself.

Originally Posted by Elviza Isis

I have had the same thick black elastic on my zills for probably two years now-- and only had to recently tighten them up a bit for the first time. But it is due to be replaced as one finger is pretty stretched out and I sure hope I can find the same stuff. I had used a black elastic previously on a different set that was about the same width (as wide or a little wider than the slots) but it was a thinner elastic with kind of a pattern on it-- that stuff unravelled along the edges almost right away and I've yet to do them over. Then I got this one which is also about that width (I guess like 3/4 inch maybe?) but was thick/dense enough that it was a bit difficult to put in and let me tell you what a world of difference from the original elastic both sets came with!! I can put the zills on and wear them forever with no blue fingertips, they stay put and are comfortable-- never again will I use that skinny little crap elastic! And I agree with Shira that black is so much better- I could never have gotten away with using this elastic so long if it was white, although I like the tips for dying white elastic to try and make it nude- still, I don't mind the black myself.

Any techniques for putting thick elastic into the zills? I have some 1/4" black elastic ponytail holders but it looks like the zill hole is less than 1/4". I usually put a pin through the elastic to pull it through the hole, but it didn't work with this one.

Make a loop out of dental floss and use that to pull the elastic through the hole, same principle as threading tools for sewing needles.