Brass grub screws for old door handles

[Doki]

I'm after some grub screws for door handles, they hold the handle still on the square threaded bar. The door handles are 100 or so years old though, and the current ones are made of brass, with what's apparently a 7/32" thread, no head as such, more like a bit of threaded bar with a rounded top and a slot cut into the top.

Has anyone any idea where I can find some more? None of the local hardware shops have them or any clue of where they can be found, and I'm getting a bit sick of not being able to open any doors.

[Sump Plug]

I doubt if it will be easy to get the exact ones from any shop. I used to just put a brass screw or rod of the correct thread in, screw it tight in, make mark with junior hacksaw to get right length, uncrew a couple of turns, cut off with hacksaw, cut a slot in the end with same hacksaw and use a thin screwdriver to screw them back in and finish off with a round file to make them flush with handle.

regards

cg

-- Can't think of good sig at present.....maybe later --

[Doki]

I'd thought about that, but it seems either the local hardware shops are particularly useless or it's a very rare thread, as none of them suggested it.

[Dave Plowman]

Find a suitable machine screw, cut a piece off the thread, and hacksaw a slot in the top of it?

[John Armstrong]

I have seen cheap plastic handles with the same type square bar + grub screw fitting, so you could buy these, throw away the handles and use the rod+matching screws.

[Dave Liquorice]

Nice idea but the thread is normally part of the knob not the bar. If the OP can't find some suitable threaded rod (yellow pages, engineering supplies or similar) then any small engineering firm or a proper local garage should be able to turn some up from plain rod.

Another posibilty, get some larger thread rod an a matching tap and drill-out/re-tap the holes in the knobs. However there might not be enough space on the knob to allow that.

[John Armstrong]

Could be right. I know the brass ones I have now fix through the bar into the other side of the knob, but am fairly sure the old bakalite ones had threaded holes in the bar. Haven't looked that closely at the modern plastic version, but wouldn't have thought a threaded hole in the plastic would be strong enough.

[Roger Mills]

Are you sure that they're 7/32? I would have expected them to be 1/4" Whitworth.

Roger

[Sump Plug]

yes, you're right, and the modern plastic variety are usually a copy of the old bakelite ones with holes through the bar. the beauty of having the actual spindle (bar) threaded is that you can adjust the knobs easily for the width of the door without reverting to big washers to pack everything out to make the knobs a snug fit.

cg

-- Can't think of good sig at present.....maybe later --