Door knob grief

joe90mitch

Hi all

Feel like I'm doing stupid here, but could do with some advice. Bought a set on non-sprung knobs and heavy duty tubular latches to put on our existing doors and some reclaimed doors we purchased and got hung. Have been trying to put them on with mixed success. Every single one has had to be left with the screws not fully tightened to allow the latch to spring back, if I fully tighten them then the latch needs you to manually turn it again to make the latch spring out.

It's happened on all four doors and the hardware seems to have decent reviews on that site so I assume I am doing something wrong. They work like a dream when I attach one knob, then as soon as I attach the other side it starts catching. I have loosened some of them and they then start working - but they rattle ever so slightly when you grab them and I'm mindful it might just work the screws out?

On the last one I can't attach the other knob at all, not even screwing the screws halfway in - it just immediately catches again.

I've taken the latches out, used a sharpened chisel to widen the mortice, tried spraying with wd40, tried moving the screw holes around and re drilling pilots to allow for alignment errors.

When I've googled some pages suggest it's a binding issue with the spindle, but I feel like what I've tried above should sort it. Am new to DIY but am confused how I could get it wrong four times!!

Any suggestions for what I could be doing wrong. Is it really that difficult to put a tubular latch in?

https://www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk/product/altro-lined-mortice-door-knob-antique-brass-817237

https://www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk/product/altro-heavy-duty-tubular-latch-78mm-case-57mm-backset-florentine-bronze-148932

Ganga

Is the spindle not too long ? check the length .

joe90mitch

Ganga said:

Is the spindle not too long ? check the length .

Dare I ask a potentially simple question - how would I check? It's the one provided with the knobs, but I guess if the doors are thin that could factor in?

McKneff

We used our old spindles on the new handles, if that helps.

Alderbank

joe90mitch said:

Ganga said:

Is the spindle not too long ? check the length .

Dare I ask a potentially simple question - how would I check? It's the one provided with the knobs, but I guess if the doors are thin that could factor in?

Take one knob off. Mark the exposed spindle where it disappears into the door. Pull the spindle out and feed it into the knob you took off. Can you still see the mark?

Oldernowiser

is there a raised centre on the knob where the spindle passes through ?  I'm guessing this is the case due to you saying it works if the assembly is loosened. if so, make the diameter of the hole in the door larger to accommodate the 'proud' bit.

Le_Kirk

Oldernowiser said:

is there a raised centre on the knob where the spindle passes through ?  I'm guessing this is the case due to you saying it works if the assembly is loosened. if so, make the diameter of the hole in the door larger to accommodate the 'proud' bit.

That does annoy me when fitting new handles; why don't the instructions state a small counterbore is needed?  It is so much easier to do it before you drill the main hole, although I have overcome it by whacking a temporary filler in the hole to give something for the counterbore drill to bite into.