Hot water faucet handle stripped

Question

Is there anything I can pack into my reproduction bathroom sink hot water faucet handle to stop it from slipping/spinning? The teeth are stripped and I'd really prefer to not have to replace it.

Answer 1

There are manufactured solutions for your problem that will work way better than glue/epoxy or a bunch of work with saws and stuff.

Use a "fit-all" handle arbor that attaches to the stripped stem with set-screws. There are dozens of handle styles to choose from.

Will it prevent you from having to find a replacement stem or replace the whole faucet? YES

Will it work way better than other options and still be aesthetically pleasing? YES

Is it simple and easy and quick and relatively inexpensive? YES

Will you need to change both of your existing handles/knobs? YES

Answer 2

The easiest and best solution is to get the new knobs with the adapter but if it's urgent to turn it on and off take the knob off by removing the cap then remove the screw that was behind the cap take a straw cut off a half inch piece slip it over the end of the stem where the knob goes slide the knob back onto the stem use a little force if needed then install the screw back and put your cap back on it'll work for the moment if it's on the hot water side it'll work like new if it's the cold side sounds dumb but sometimes dumb just works

Answer 3

Epoxy should do, if you don't expect to need to remove the handle anytime soon. Otherwise you'll need to machine the handle or the post to accept an insert of some sort, and epoxy that into place.

Answer 4

try some steel wool with the epoxy. will help to grab

Answer 5

Cut a slot in the end of the post with a hacksaw, so it looks something like a screw head. Make the slot two to three times as deep as its width (the slot kerf width, not the post diameter).

Find or buy a piece of stiff wire, usually called piano wire, that exactly fits the slot. The natural width of a hacksaw cut varies between 0.030" (0.74 mm) and 0.063" (1.6 mm) depending on the pitch and set of the teeth.

Now turn the handle over and examine the hole. Cut a piece of the wire that is just too long to span the hole diameter but just short enough so you could force it sideways into the hole where it would become permanently jammed in place.

Then place the wire in the slot and carefully force the handle into place over it. If you want to remove the handle from the post, the wire will stay in the hole, and when you replace it you will turn the handle until you feel the wire drop into the slot.

If this doesn't seem strong enough then you can make the slot deeper and stack up two or three wires.

Instead of wire you could cut a rectangle from a matching gauge sheet steel but this is going to be a lot harder to fit just tight enough into the hole because unlike the wire it will not bend. You would probably need to make a jig -- essentially a mild steel copy of your faucet post, with a matching slot -- to drive the rectangle into place with a mallet.