I have a Bristian 1901 kitchen mixer tap, which contains two rising spindle taps. The cold one was leaking between the spindle and the gland nut, so I opened it up and (stupidly --- yes, I know) scraped out the plastic seal, then went to the plumbing shop to look for a replacement. It turns out that you can't get them now because Bristan changed suppliers for the internal parts about 5 or so years ago., so I've been trying to repack the seal the old fashioned way, with plumbing hemp. So far, I haven't been able to get a satisfactory, lasting result.
Every time I try this, I end up a while later with some problem: the hemp leaks out between the spindle and the gland nut; water leaks out through the same gap; or the gland nut rotates with the spindle. I've tried plain hemp and (now) hemp rubbed with petroleum jelly, and I've paid attention to the direction of winding.
If anyone has succeeded in this, I would appreciate any tips.
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