|
|
Post by Don Ricardo on Jan 22, 2014 21:36:48 GMT 10
Hi all, After nearly 65 years the knob on the spring latch on the door hatch of our Don caravan decided it had had enough last night, and detached itself from the latch.  It now looks like this, and makes it pretty hard to open the hatch:  I spent a bit of time visiting hardware shops and following up various leads by phone today, but got no joy. I suspect it's going to be hard to track down. However, if anyone happens to have one lying around that they don't need and can send my way I'd be very grateful, and of course I would be happy to pay you something for it and to pay for postage, etc. When complete with knob the latch looks like this:  The spring in the latch works so that when you latch or unlatch the latch, the spring pushes the tongue back into position...and seeing in the case of the door hatch it needs to work vertically with the tongue going upwards when closed the spring is sort of important! Just for reference purposes the latch is 32 mm square and the tongue is approximately 8 mm wide, but obviously if I can find one with different dimensions I can live with that. If anyone has a latch they can let me have (or point me in the direction of where I might pick one up), I'll be mighty grateful. Don Ricardo PS sorry about all the "latches", "hatches" and "detaches" in this post. Almost felt I was writing poetry!  |
|
|
|
Post by kaybee on Jan 23, 2014 6:25:52 GMT 10
Hi D/R , might be a good idea to add the dimensions......when we got sick of trying to find something good amongst all the rubbish on offer at Bunnings and similar places, we discovered this place, Hughes Renovators Paradise,17 Franklyn St. Huntingdale.....they have loads of original hardware they've salvaged over the years and it's possible they will have what you need...but allow yourself a bit of time as the place is massive....cheers, Colin.
|
|
|
|
Post by akeepsake on Jan 23, 2014 7:14:18 GMT 10
Don i am fairly sure I have seen screw in knobs on later model barrel bolts ( chromed) maybe you could drill out the old broken shaft tap it and screw another knob in? Just a thought???  |
|
|
|
Post by seeshell on Jan 23, 2014 7:14:41 GMT 10
Hi DonRicardo Kaybee's right, and we were going to suggest the same. If you have no joy there, there's a place in Castlemaine that has a lot of house hardware (and you might find such a latch amongst the kitchen fittings they have). Alternatively if you have no joy, I've seen a similar but not identical latch from a marine supplier - screws fix from behind though I think. www.justboating.com.au/Barrel-Bolt-Square-Line-Cast-Stainless-Steel-90mm-193030.htmlCheers Seeshell |
|
|
|
Post by Franklin1 on Jan 23, 2014 13:30:40 GMT 10
G'day Don Ricardo, This lock is getting close to what you want, but unfortunately it isn't spring loaded, nor is the tongue tapered.  This one is an option, but again isn't spring loaded. The smaller one of these two would go close to being a good substitute for your original one. Spring loaded. See the dimensions table down the bottom of the page. Width is 33mm vs your 32mm, but length of the barrel is 60mm. As you can see, all these locks are located in the US, which means hefty postage costs. But at least you know what to try and track down closer to where you live. And just by-the-by, if your second photo is of a second lock on your van, I'd be taking the trouble to unscrew the lock and pump a smidge of oil into the barrel to keep it working nice and free. Otherwise you might end up with another broken example. cheers, Al. |
|
|
|
Post by Franklin1 on Jan 23, 2014 14:49:56 GMT 10
Just thinking about this a bit more, Don Ricardo (while I'm waiting for some glue to dry  )... If you think the back part of a public toilet door lock would work, I know they have some of the old chrome-plated locks over in the second hand Shed near me (or at least they did about a week ago). The locks aren't spring-loaded, but if all else fails it might be a viable (and cheap) option...  Send me a PM if you want me to try and get hold of one so you can at least see if it's worth a try. cheers, Al. |
|
|
|
Post by Rattles on Jan 23, 2014 15:12:26 GMT 10
Don
Did the knob snap off or did it just pull out of the latch part. If it just pulled out you may be able to remove the latch from the cupboard and silver solder it back into place, If it snapped off drill out the latch and knob and silver solder a plug into the knob then silver solder both into the latch, If you silver soldering with the knob in a vice you may not burn the chrome.
Rattles
|
|
|
|
Post by humpyboy on Jan 23, 2014 18:36:05 GMT 10
It amazes me sometimes with what I can find in my shed.   |
|
|
|
Post by humpyboy on Jan 24, 2014 11:37:12 GMT 10
|
|
|
|
Post by Franklin1 on Jan 25, 2014 11:21:35 GMT 10
humpyboy, he might be in hospital getting treated for shock because somebody actually had one!
|
|
|
|
Post by humpyboy on Jan 25, 2014 11:53:54 GMT 10
humpyboy, he might be in hospital getting treated for shock because somebody actually had one! Now that thought hadn't crossed my mind, I do hope he recovers in time to be able to use it. Or it could be that the one I have isn't chrome plated, some people are so hard to please  |
|
|
|
Post by Don Ricardo on Jan 25, 2014 21:35:31 GMT 10
Hi everyone, Thanks for all the replies to my post about the spring latch, and for all the suggested options - it's that kind of terrific response which make the forum such a great place to be!  Apologies for being slow to respond to your posts - since I posted originally we have been on the road (more about that later), and I haven't had a chance to reply until we got home. I think all of your suggestions would assist me one way or another, but not being very mechanically skilled at this stage I will take Humpyboy up on his offer - the 'off the shelf' solution one might call it...  Thanks Humpyboy. It amazes me what you've got in your shed as well! I'll be in touch with you by PM re the logistics. Franklin1 - re lubricating the barrel: There are actually four of the spring latches in the van. All of them are actually very free moving, which is pretty good after all this time. I think the problem with the one with the knob that broke is that for time immemorial (ie 64 1/2 years) we have been closing the door hatch by simply pushing it into place. The angled part of the tongue in the latch means that the tongue is pushed back into the latch, and then when the hatch is closed the tongue springs back into place...and the knob then snaps upwards hitting the top of the slot it moves in. The result is that after a few thousand times, the force of hitting the top of the slot caused the knob to break off. And the lesson to be learned from this - always pull the knob back and release it gently by hand!! Thanks again to everyone who responded to my appeal for help. You're all a bunch of V V legends!  Don Ricardo |
|
|
|
Post by Rattles on Jan 26, 2014 13:02:33 GMT 10
I was in Bunning$ to day looking fo a cupboatd catch for my 2000 vintage Caravan no luck however they had a very similar latch to yours in Crome and Gold however the handle was Round in profile where yours one is Square and of course I was unable to tell if the screw hole are the same centres.
Rattles
|
|
|
|
Post by humpyboy on Jan 26, 2014 20:48:10 GMT 10
Hi everyone, I think all of your suggestions would assist me one way or another, but not being very mechanically skilled at this stage I will take Humpyboy up on his offer - the 'off the shelf' solution one might call it... Thanks Humpyboy. It amazes me what you've got in your shed as well! I'll be in touch with you by PM re the logistics. Don Ricardo Now where did I put that thing  had it here the other day  Oh well it'll turn up again one day. |
|
|
|
Post by Don Ricardo on Jan 27, 2014 17:58:22 GMT 10
Hi Rattles, Thanks for the additional info about the latches available from Bunnings. I tried Bunnings in Canberra with no success. Obviously, different Bunnings carry different stock! I apprecaite your tip and will follow it up. I'm hoping to receive the latch from Humpyboy - if he can find it again... But given that they are obviously a bit vulnerable I certainly wouldn't mind having one in reserve! Don Ricardo |
|
|
|
Post by Rattles on Jan 28, 2014 6:10:55 GMT 10
|
|
|
|
Post by humpyboy on Jan 28, 2014 19:30:52 GMT 10
|
|
)...
had it here the other day 
Oh well it'll turn up again one day.