Window handle threads have fallen out!

Mortgage_Moog

I was replacing a window handle and as I was screwing it in the thread that the screw tightens into fell out of the window frame. Now I can't screw the handle in on the one side and the thread fell down into the grooves of the window frame. I can pull the window shut but with only one screw on the handle it won't turn the lock. Is an espagne lock or wherever that word is.

Any ideas how I can repair this? The thread was in a round piece of metal that seems to have been glued into a circular hole. It's that piece of metal with the thread inside it which is now rolling around inside one of the grooves of the metal locking mechanism.

On a side note, the spindle length on the handles I had before was 12mm and now I can only find 10mm or 15mm. What happened to all the 12mm spindles?

Mortgage_Moog

Sorry I'm typing this on a phone so there are a few typos.

Aylesbury_Duck

You could just buy a new lock mechanism. They're only about £7-10. With the window open, remove the retaining screws, remove the entire mechanism and replace with the new one.

You can buy a 15mm spindle and hacksaw it to length then file off any blurred edges.

Mortgage_Moog

There's nowhere to screw the lock into. The threads in the window frame have fallen out.

tacpot12

If the metal bit is stuck inside the frame you may be able to retrieve it with a strong magnet and a paper clip, tweezers, or thin nosed pliers. I'm not familiar with any window design that has a threaded insert, but I guess they exist, as you have one.
If you can retrieve the threaded inset you can glue it back into the frame with a big wodge of Araldite or similar epoxy resin.

Would some wooden dowel fit into the hole and give you something to screw into? The dowel will need a pilot hole drilling in it to avoid splitting it as you drive the screw in.

Mortgage_Moog

I am trying to get the metal thread bit back. I had put some glue inside the hole and was attempting to stick it back in when it fell and I'm not sure if it's magnetic so I will try a paperclip.

It does seem odd to me that anyone would glue a tube with a thread inside it into a frame. I'm rubbish at DIY but I would have expected the thread to just be part of the metal inside the frame. I can post a photo on here if possible.

Jackmydad

Google "threaded insert" and see if you can find anything that will fit from the outside. I think the screws are usually M5 thread.

Mortgage_Moog

Jackmydad wrote: »

Google "threaded insert" and see if you can find anything that will fit from the outside. I think the screws are usually M5 thread.

That's great - thanks! Those inserts are exactly what fell out and I found some on ebay by searching for "M5 threaded insert plastic" that should fit back in the hole. I hope this thread helps someone else in the future :j