Freestanding bath fixing bolts

[kristoffer10]

Hello,

A quick and hopefully easy question. I have a back to wall freestanding bath with chrome ball and claw feet. The fixing bolt (if that is the correct term) on one of the feet has snapped off at the head that balances the bath on the floor. After searching online for a while, I can't find any replacements, other than buying a new foot. Does anyone know the best place to get them and what the correct name is for them?

Many thanks in advance,

Kris

 

[JohnD]

you mean a new bolt?

post a photo, with it lying on a (preferably steel) measuring rule or tape.

both the broken pieces

The precise dimensions are essential.

measure the length and the diameter, and count the number of threads per inch.

With luck it will be a metric size.

but also measure it in fractions of an inch in case not.

Was the old one stainless steel?

Do you know the manufacturer?

 

[kristoffer10]

Thanks for replying, much appreciated.

Yes, a new bolt, but starting to think it might be built into the foot as I can't remove it to take a photo.

Not sure if it is stainless steel, and unfortunately don't know the manufacturer.

I have attached some photos that will hopefully help.

Many thanks again.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Take the foot + base metal pad and bolt along the an engineer/machinist - I would suggest they should be able to drill, tap and a splash of weld the bolt back into the metal pad (ball). It may need a longer section of threaded rod.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

What he said.

 

[JohnD]

it does look to me like it might be stainless steel. That is in many ways an excellent material, but it is most often bought from China, where it has been cheaply manufactured for customers who want a cheap product, with poor materials, and is very weak and liable to fracture.

I don't see what would have made yours fracture, unless it was tightened or adjusted when seized (stainless needs a special anti-seize "grease") or into a poor-fitting accessory.

test it with a magnet, see if it is attracted (a) at all (b) more weakly than other steel.

if you find an engineer to repair it for you, they will probably be able to identify the reason for fracture and use a better material in the repair.

Consider replacing the other feet, or at least treating them with a stainless anti-seize and screwing them in and out a few times.

 

[ETAF]

i have had a lot of success with this glue - having seen it at an ideal home exhibition in the early 90's , used on a lot of materials and now on my 3rd bottle
I have managed to glue bolts and nuts to items and lots of plastics
Never used with stainless steel, but maybe worth a call to them, i have used a few years back about a plastic and they where very helpful

http://www.hafixs.co.uk/onlinestore/desc/pg02-2.html

 

[opps]

i have had a lot of success with this glue - having seen it at an ideal home exhibition in the early 90's , used on a lot of materials and now on my 3rd bottle
I have managed to glue bolts and nuts to items and lots of plastics
Never used with stainless steel, but maybe worth a call to them, i have used a few years back about a plastic and they where very helpful

http://www.hafixs.co.uk/onlinestore/desc/pg02-2.html

Wow, what an awful website. They tell you nothing about the product and offer no material safety data sheets

Sorry, I am not knocking the product, I haven't used it. That said, the bottle looks like it was sourced from the same factory as many of the other brands of "super glue" (read: cyanoacrylate glue) that I have purchased in the past.

A quick search on Google suggests that it is indeed a "super glue", that said, although very expensive, it seems to be better than cheapo superglues.

Personally, I would not want to bond steel using a super glue. I have never tried though.

 

[ETAF]

Yep, it is an awful site - and it is a superglue
I keep a bottle in the fridge and when i want to use it , I allow to get to room temperature
Never got into the specs etc, The demo at the show and my experience using it has demonstrated to me its better than other superglues I have purchased in the past.

And used on many different items and all but 1 type of plastic has worked. may be I would not used on any metal machinery high speed moving parts - but never had the need.

 

[opps]

If you remove the black silicone/rubber pad from the base of the foot, would you be able to feed a new threaded bolt through it? Possibly using a nut in the underside of the domed base?

My only experience of visiting a local metal engineers was 10 years ago. I needed a polished stainless steel washer, approx 4mm thick, at least 58mm wide and with an internal hole no larger than 30mm.The sizes were fairly nominal. It cost me £75 (cash). If I kinda knew a guy who drinks in my local pub, I would have guessed a max of £30. Sorry, that is a clumsy way of saying, that sometimes you may get lucky, other times you may have to pay full whack (ie more than the cost of asking the manufacturer for the fitting).

 

[jj4091]

https://www.rosscastors.co.uk/m16-x...MIuYeT5fas8QIVroODBx3PRwqzEAQYECABEgLIFfD_BwE with a nut each side of the hole?

 

[opps]

Yep, it is an awful site - and it is a superglue
I keep a bottle in the fridge and when i want to use it , I allow to get to room temperature
Never got into the specs etc, The demo at the show and my experience using it has demonstrated to me its better than other superglues I have purchased in the past.

And used on many different items and all but 1 type of plastic has worked. may be I would not used on any metal machinery high speed moving parts - but never had the need.

Thanks for the feed back. I am happy to accept that it is a premium grade cyanoacrylate glue. To date I guess I have only used the cheaper ones. Tnx

 

[lostinthelight]

If one of the legs is in a less visible position you could make that a modified one.
Use suitable nuts and bolt and drop a Chrome cover similar to the ones on a car aerial to hide the head..