Finding suitable door handle

[The Gauge]

Need some help please finding a suitable (longer) door handle for my carport external door.

The handle sometimes pulls off when the door is stiff to open (swells in winter), the screws making the holes larger each time they rip out. I can only use short screws at the top of the handle as they would otherwise foul the mortice lock. Ideally I need a handle with a longer fixing plate so the screws can be longer and not foul the lock. Even better would be a handle that used bolts that screw into each other rather than screws, clamping the inner and outer handles together. However the places I've been to all seem to sell handles that are the same standard length as mine.


(I appreciate these photos may also be suitable for the 'Life's been a bit draining lately' )

Edited by The Gauge on Monday 19th February 15:18

[blueg33]

I would be inclined to plug the holes in the door and re-use the existing handle

[B'stard Child]

Have you got handles both sides of the door?

if it does

Some short M3.5 Hex standoffs - drill a suitable hole to put them on one side of the door and some suitable length electrical socket screws from either side should solve the issue (effectively you've bolted both handles together)

Edited by B'stard Child on Monday 19th February 15:56

[The Gauge]

I've previously shaved matchsticks in half and pushed them into the holes to allow the screws to bite again, but the problem is because the door sticks it needs a good tug!!! but the short screws soon pull out. Whenever I plane the edge of the door it makes a larger gap during the summer and swells back again in the winter, despite painting the planed edge.

B'stard Child said:

Have you got handles both sides of the door?

if it does

Some short M3.5 Hex standoffs - drill a suitable hole to put them on one side of the door and some suitable length electrical socket screws from either side should solve the issue (effectively you've bolted both handles together)

Yes handles both sides.

Not sure I quite understand, how would electrical socket screws pass through to the other handle when the lock is in the way please?

Edited by The Gauge on Monday 19th February 16:30

[Ladders]

Not sure what they are properly called, but could you use something like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DAJMAIEZ-Connecting-Sleev...

Where they would secure each handle to each other (had this type supplied with a handle I recently bought)

[B'stard Child]

The Gauge said:

B'stard Child said:

Have you got handles both sides of the door?

if it does

Some short M3.5 Hex standoffs - drill a suitable hole to put them on one side of the door and some suitable length electrical socket screws from either side should solve the issue (effectively you've bolted both handles together)

Yes handles both sides.

Not sure I quite understand, how would electrical socket screws pass through to the other handle when the lock is in the way please?

Sorry it looks like there is a reasonable clearance above and below the lock unit to pass screws all the way across perhaps it's just the picture distorting the situation

What's the height of the lock unit and what's the distance between the handle screw holes?

[Hol]

B'stard Child said:

The Gauge said:

B'stard Child said:

Have you got handles both sides of the door?

if it does

Some short M3.5 Hex standoffs - drill a suitable hole to put them on one side of the door and some suitable length electrical socket screws from either side should solve the issue (effectively you've bolted both handles together)

Yes handles both sides.

Not sure I quite understand, how would electrical socket screws pass through to the other handle when the lock is in the way please?

Sorry it looks like there is a reasonable clearance above and below the lock unit to pass screws all the way across perhaps it's just the picture distorting the situation

What's the height of the lock unit and what's the distance between the handle screw holes?

I was thinking along the same lines as above and using some M4 studding and some brass domed nuts to bolt through both handles.

If you thread locked one end of the studding into that sides nut, it would effectively become a fancy bolt.

The only difficult part would be in cutting four bits of studding.





BSC’s solution was to bolt four of these to the back of one handle, so that the bolts from the other side could reach them and thread in. (I think).

Edited by Hol on Monday 19th February 17:10

[The Gauge]

B'stard Child said:

...what's the distance between the handle screw holes?

It's a 15cm long backplate. Using the attached photo the distances are...

Center line to top screw holes line = 32mm approx (which needs to be another 10mm to mis the lock)
Center line to key hole line = 54mm approx (and needs to remain the same)

I can find handles with longer backplates, but struggling to find their dimensions between handle/key hole & handle/top screws. So basically for the top two screws to miss the lock I need them to be about another 1cm higher up.

Edited by The Gauge on Monday 19th February 17:11

[B'stard Child]

What about a UPVC door handle with fixings above handle and below lock

https://www.homesecureshop.co.uk/blogs/news/how-to...

[Fatboy]

How about a bit of stainless steel flat bar longer than the lock with nuts welded on to suit the handles screw hole positions ( or just use 6mm flat bar and tap the holes, then through bolt the plates together above and below the mortice mechanism?

[The Gauge]

Fatboy said:

How about a bit of stainless steel flat bar longer than the lock with nuts welded on to suit the handles screw hole positions ( or just use 6mm flat bar and tap the holes, then through bolt the plates together above and below the mortice mechanism?

Good idea, but I can't weld and don't know any welders.

I thought it would be as simple as getting a pair of new handles with a longer backplate, but though they exist they don't seem to have a greater distance between the handle spindle and the top screws, the longer measurement seems to be between the spindle and the lower screws.

[Fatboy]

6mm flat bar will be plenty thick enough to tap and screw into for you, no need to weld - M4 will be more than strong enough, but you can measure the holes in the handle and just pick the thickest thread that'll fit through.

[wolfracesonic]

Google ‘long back plate door handles’, they’ll be something suitable out there and if you want to bolt one handle to the other look for ‘inter screws’.

[The Gauge]

wolfracesonic said:

Google ‘long back plate door handles’, they’ll be something suitable out there and if you want to bolt one handle to the other look for ‘inter screws’.

The problem with the longer backplate handles is the distance between the spindle and the top screws looks the same, it's the bottom screws that are lower down.

Might try plugging the screw holes in the door and screwing the handle back on and fit a pull/push handle just above it, then 'train' the family to turn the normal handle but use the pull/push handle to pull the door open when it's stiff..

[andy43]

Drill a new hole right at the top of the handles so a threaded bar will clear the top of the lock, then add those brass dome head nuts shown above. Same at the bottom.

[Freddie Fitch]

And before you do any of the above get your sander out and free the sticking door! Please.

[QuickQuack]

Freddie Fitch said:

And before you do any of the above get your sander out and free the sticking door! Please.

If it only sticks in the winter when it swells, it's because the wood isn't sealed. Here's what you need:
To sand off the old paint and roughen up a bit:


Decent primer:


Paint brush:


Than the door will never stick again come winter or summer, and you don't need any weird long backplate door handles or try to find someone who can weld to manufacture a bizarre contraption or add a second handle to the door and train the rest of the household to use that when the door is stiff.

Just sort the door paint properly (take it off its hinges and do the underside as well, ideally when it has shrunk back to its dry size) and you won't need any of that nonsense!

[andy43]

QuickQuack said:

Freddie Fitch said:

And before you do any of the above get your sander out and free the sticking door! Please.

If it only sticks in the winter when it swells, it's because the wood isn't sealed. Here's what you need:
To sand off the old paint and roughen up a bit:


Decent primer:


Paint brush:


Than the door will never stick again come winter or summer, and you don't need any weird long backplate door handles or try to find someone who can weld to manufacture a bizarre contraption or add a second handle to the door and train the rest of the household to use that when the door is stiff.

Just sort the door paint properly (take it off its hinges and do the underside as well, ideally when it has shrunk back to its dry size) and you won't need any of that nonsense!

This is PH. At least direct him to a carbon fibre door supplier as used by McLaren, or someone who can handmake a new hardwood door for less than 12 grand?

[CoupeKid]

Google door handle fixing screws or look them up on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Handle-Fixing-Screws-Escu...