70 year old faucet handle replacement

[Tooltalk]

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to help an elderly neighbour get her shower working again. I believe the shower fixtures are original to the 1950s home and the knurling in one of the handles is stripped. So the handle just spins. I was able to get it working by wrapping a thin piece of copper sheet around the stem before pressing the handle on and tightening the nut, but I think this is temporary at best.

I have never seen a handle like this and neither have the local plumbing supply stores I've visited. More modern handles won't work, because there is no threaded hole in the end of the stem to receive a screw.

I've been looking online for a replacement, but not really sure what to look for or what this type of handle is even called. Does anyone know if replacements are available for a handle like this? If not, I guess the next step would be to remove the stem and see if it can be replaced with something that will accept a newer style handle. I'm reluctant to do that for a few reasons, so hoping to find a fix for the handle.

Here's a few pics. Thanks.

 

[Breplum]

If you don't have a good little old plumbing shop in your area that has specialty adapters (or a really good hardware store), then its going to be difficult.

There are aftermarket universal adapters that use screws from the sides and are a complete waste of time and don't last.
There are adapters available with a variety of broach selections with handles that work.

Replumbing from the back side is the best solution.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Tooltalk]

Thought I'd update this post with a solution I received from someone on another forum. The other person suggested "Find a nail that fits that slot in the tap top then with the top in place drill a hole through the shaft cut the nail to length, when you screw the back part on it will hold the nail in place."

I did this today and the handle feels very secure. Time will tell, but hopefully my neighbour can get a few more years out of this shower faucet. The 2nd pic below shows a couple thin copper shims in place as well. I thought this might help keep everything really tight, but it they made it hard to get the nut on. So I decided not to use them.

Anyway, maybe this will help someone in the future with a similar problem.