[Bah] Oh, what a surprise ...

[dancefloorlandmine]

Shock and wonder - the cistern for my loo requires a non-standard flush handle. Neither of the two local 'sell-everything' hardware shops stock one which would work, and neither does the bathroom shop within walking distance - although he suggested that it might need a handle from the specific manufacturer.

Of course, the cistern states "British Made", but not the manufacturer. The bowl? Completely blank. It's of a set with the basin and bath ... but they also don't say. [sigh]

In the meantime, I might be able to bodge a stand-in, using the remaining ¾ of the broken shaft.

And so the search begins.

[sigh]

This post brought to you by the "pointless minutiae" school of LJ posting.

EDIT: Have achieved a bodge solution, so it now works again, although I may be looking for a replacement in a bigger shop for when it fails again.

Comments

[swiftangel.livejournal.com]

There's a bath/plumbing store in Redhill (Raffles). You could try calling them. They might have what you need.

[d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com]

The local small bath/plumbing store didn't have one. Next stop is one of those big warehousey things.

[rich-r.livejournal.com]

What doesn't fit - the bar cross section? The diameter of the hole in the ceramic? What exactly has broken, the bar that goes from the handle to the arm that pulls the release valve?

Given it's only a simple lever, you should be able to adapt a generic handle to fit- either by cutting or adding shims.

[d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com]

Yep, it's the shank which comes out of the back of the handle, and has the arm clamped to it. Or had ... the end has snapped off, with the arm (a rather nice brass one, as opposed to the usual modern plastic).

Basically, because it mounts through the curved face of the cistern, there are a pair of curved shims which provide parallel ends to the hole. However, the end result of these is that the overall length of the tunnel through the ceramic is longer than the standard length of the threaded sleeve through which the bar passes - so the retaining nut doesn't actually meet the thread. I need one with a threaded sleeve that's about an inch longer than standard.

My interim plan is to hope that there's enough bar left to remount the arm slightly further down, without impairing the pull action.

[rich-r.livejournal.com]

Is it possible to rejoin the ends with epoxy putty? If you're not familiar with the stuff, it's like a stick of plasticine with a layer of different coloured plasticine wrapped round it. You cut off a section and squidge it in your hands until it's mixed up. Then you use it to fix whatever's broken - in 15 minutes it sets rock hard, like metal. I've heard stories of it being used to fix cylinder heads in cars, it's that strong - and you can even drill it and fix bolts into it. It's also used (and I have used it in this capacity) to fix pipes that you might have accidentally put a nail through for example...

You should be able to rejoin the bits with a decent blob, and it'll last years. Halfords and B&Q type places sell it.

Failing that, I'm sure it can be welded or drilled so it can be bolted through a plate on either side.

Might be easier and cheaper that searching for some weird unusual part that probably isn't made any more. But try a big Plumb Centre anyway...

[d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com]

It's also used (and I have used it in this capacity) to fix pipes that you might have accidentally put a nail through for example...
[grin]

They're a bit buggered for putty - it's a messy shear through what looks like a cheap alloy. However, as it was only the final half-inch or so which had fallen off, relocating the arm further down the bar did the trick. Although I did have to take a hammer and chisel to the arm mounting to remove the broken end of the bar¹ - the grub screw unscrewed fine, but enough scale had built up around the bar to weld it into the brass slot.

¹ As an interestingly shaped bit of brass, I might have taken some macro photos before it went back into the cistern.

[d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com]

(I will be looking in a Plumb Centre for a spare, though - I'm not sure how long the bodge will last.)

[drpete.livejournal.com]

Is the manufacturer stamp under the lid of the cistern?

[d-floorlandmine.livejournal.com]

Nope, just a manufacturing year. [sigh]

However, my interim bodge did the job, and it flushes again (without having to reach into the cistern).