Hi all looking for some advice here. These Cockspur handles seem to have been in place for a long time. I need to swap them out, but what the heck is holding them in? Look like rivets?? How to remove?
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Rivetted handles?
- Thread starter cawright1
- Start date
Just replaced all my cockspur latches with MILA RMs.
With yours I would remove the head of one rivet, do this as above bit I suggest you start with the smallest drill you have apx 2-3mm max. only go up in dia. once you have drilled deeper than the outside of the frame. When the head of the rivet comes loose remove the drill then tap the rivet stem with a small diameter item (nail etc) to knock it inside the frame. Then you can check the size of hole in the frame to see if it will accept the normal screws used in these handles. If it does repeat on the other rivets.
Problems you could find
a) the holes in the frame are to large for normal screws so you will need to do a bit of searching.
b) the frame has been distorted by the pressure used to insert the rivet.
Either way its an interesting challenge but not an unsolvable problem,
Regarding the use of rivets should be a heads-up for uncovering other mickey mouse short cuts in future.
With yours I would remove the head of one rivet, do this as above bit I suggest you start with the smallest drill you have apx 2-3mm max. only go up in dia. once you have drilled deeper than the outside of the frame. When the head of the rivet comes loose remove the drill then tap the rivet stem with a small diameter item (nail etc) to knock it inside the frame. Then you can check the size of hole in the frame to see if it will accept the normal screws used in these handles. If it does repeat on the other rivets.
Problems you could find
a) the holes in the frame are to large for normal screws so you will need to do a bit of searching.
b) the frame has been distorted by the pressure used to insert the rivet.
Either way its an interesting challenge but not an unsolvable problem,
Regarding the use of rivets should be a heads-up for uncovering other mickey mouse short cuts in future.
Well I have done it.
Simply measure the depth to the pane then shorten the screw a few mm less, thereby leaving the end clear of the pane.
The use of a rivet can only be the correct for the installer, not the client.
Yes screws can and should be used and rivets are not the correct fixing in this case.
Simple mechanical engineering.
Rivets should only be used for permanent fixing, not for any part that may require removal or replacement.
In time cast aluminium handles will wear requiring replacement. A screw can be removed allowing the handle replaced. The opposite is true for a rivet.
Rivets secure by compression and expansion which if fine when used in solid materials but can cause cracks and material damage if used in low density materials like plastic.
The 5mm void between the pane and the frame is ample to permit the use of a shortened screws. I have done it.
Being a qualified engineer has its advantages.
A double glazing service engineer of 35 years trust me when I tell you that back in the day early 80s when Anglian and Everest were the the next big thing for aluminium double glazing cockspur handles on aluminium windows are almost always fixed with rivets because the frame walls are too thin to hold a screw thread effectively. While it might be tempting to use screws, the thin walls (around 2mm) of aluminium window frames do not provide enough material for a machine screw thread to hold securely. Over time the repeated force from using the handle would cause the screws to loosen. Rivets provide a more durable and secure mechanical fix for this specific application so regardless of what you think you might know the second picture of the OPs post shows the original flush countersunk or blind rivets still in place to this day, a machine screw would have pulled out long ago
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Being a condescending douche isn't really an advantage, you know. Thankfully the two traits are only circumstantially linked, and with a bit of work one of them could be set aside
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Except, in this case. The frame material is just too thin, to support the use of screws, they will soon rip out of the soft, thin alloy. Depending on how often the handle is used, the handles normally last, until the windows need replacement. I would suggest these windows have reached that age, and some.
If these handles, rather than the entire window, must be replaced, then the only long term repair, is to drill the rivets, and source the same length size and replacement rivets. Screws, will just rip out, given any use.
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