Kit Jackson wrote:

Are there any tricks to fixing door handles? I've been putting new door
handles in the rooms. I've had several where the catch won't spring back
properly once both handles have been installed. This is because I
haven't got the handle absolutely square and there's enough friction
between the connecting rod and the handles or the lock so that the spring
can't return the latch properly.

This isn't helped by the fact that the handles are round and the handle
itself is a larger diameter than the plate that screws to the door so
it's difficult to get the screws to go in straight. They are all at a
very slight angle.

The handles need to be accurately positioned, even 1mm too high too too
low is sufficient to cause the lock to bind. So are there any tricks for
getting the handles accurately positioned and fixed?

I found that friction, plus the lack of a return spring on knobs (which
are apparently what you are using) meant that they were nearly always
unsatisfactory with standard door latches. You can get especially
strong latches with a sufficiently strong return spring to overcome a
considerable amount of friction. An example which proved satisfactory:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Euro-Spec-...bi6Eh12pmR3y-Q

Two disadvantages I could warn you about, firstly they only turn one
way, which actually helps if the knob on only one side of the door is a
bit too near the frame for one's knuckles; and secondly they were a
small Imperial unit of measurement bigger than the existing ones. This
may be just because the old ones were old, but possibly they are a
millimetre or two bigger then the standard.

Solved the same problem when I suffered it.




--

Roger Hayter