Latch handles for hinged wall panels.

Handy Person from Towson, MD

Nov 30, 2019 9:05 am

Hi,

Just moved into this house and the exterior wall has hinged panels that open up to a vent to allow air into the house. The handles are pretty old and beat up so I'd like to replace them. Don't see any manufacturer's markings.

Thanks for you help.
Todd

2 user uploaded images

4 Replies

Tom from SWISCO

Dec 4, 2019 9:52 am

You weren't kidding, Todd. This looks very, very old. I've actually never seen a panel that works quite like this.

We may not be able to get you this locking handle, but we'll certainly try our best. Before we do anything, we'll definitely need more information. First, I'd like to know the distance between the two screw holes, center-to-center.

I'd also like to see a photo of it fully removed. The reason for this is because it looks like it interacts with some internal lock mechanism. It will be important to know exactly how it interacts, be it through some kind of spline, hook, or whatever.

Handy Person from Towson, MD

Dec 4, 2019 4:50 pm

Tom,

Thanks very much for looking into this for me. The house was built in 1954 so expect the handles are at least as old. As you can see from the attached photo, the handle turns a square spindle that rotates the latch into a recess in the wall above the panel. The distance between screw holes is 1.75" c-c and the length of the spindle, including the part covered by the faceplate is 1".

I don't expect to find an exact replica - I'll take anything that will work with the existing hardware.

Thanks again,
Todd

1 user uploaded image

Tom from SWISCO

Dec 5, 2019 8:04 am

Hey Todd, thanks for getting back to me. That's exactly what I needed to see. My first thought is you take a look at the 40-150. This also has a hole spacing of 1-3/4", and it also interacts with the internal lock via a square spindle. Now the 40-150 can accommodate spindles that are both 3/16" and 5/16" thick. I'd measure the size of your spindle to see if it matches either of these measurements. If your spindle is 5/16" thick, you'll need to remove an adapter inside the 40-150 to accommodate it. See the video below for details. Let me know if you think this could work for you.