jonocarroll
uıɐbɐ ʞunɹp ɯ,ı
I finished making my new tap handles just in time for the SA case swap and I thought I might post the step-by-step guide here for others to see how easy it is to make your own tap handles and replace the cheap resin ones that come standard (and are prone to losing their thread grip) . This pretty much follows the guides you can find around the net, but with locally sourced parts.
Equipment:
- Ballustrade or chair leg (half the number of handles you want to make)
- Saw
- Various grades of sandpaper
- Wood stain
- Estapol (or varnish)
- Drill
- Spade bit/drill bit
- Nuts - mine worked perfect with M10 nuts from Bunnings.
- Superglue
- Tap-in-need-of-a-better-handle
STEP ONE: Get a ballustrade or chair leg that you think is turned nicely and will suit your setup. I ordered mine from a woodturner, but some of the big sheds do stock a small range of these. Mine worked out to under $7 per (eventual) handle, delivered. Now cut the wood in half to produce two (roughly) matching handles.
STEP TWO: Sand the wood with progressively finer sandpaper to remove any chips or unsightly marks.
STEP THREE: Stain the wood with your choice of colour -- I went with Jarrah -- and leave to dry.
STEP FOUR: Coat with Estapol or varnish to protect and give it a nice shine.
STEP FIVE: Drill a hole the width and depth of the nut (I used a #16 spade bit) in the end to be attached to the tap bolt (yeah, yeah, next time I'll find the middle properly). Drill a little deeper with a normal bit to allow room for the top of the bolt. I put a bit of superglue in before the nut to make sure it stays put, but it was a nice tight fit - one tap with a mallet and it was locked in place.
Equipment:
- Ballustrade or chair leg (half the number of handles you want to make)
- Saw
- Various grades of sandpaper
- Wood stain
- Estapol (or varnish)
- Drill
- Spade bit/drill bit
- Nuts - mine worked perfect with M10 nuts from Bunnings.
- Superglue
- Tap-in-need-of-a-better-handle
STEP ONE: Get a ballustrade or chair leg that you think is turned nicely and will suit your setup. I ordered mine from a woodturner, but some of the big sheds do stock a small range of these. Mine worked out to under $7 per (eventual) handle, delivered. Now cut the wood in half to produce two (roughly) matching handles.
STEP TWO: Sand the wood with progressively finer sandpaper to remove any chips or unsightly marks.
STEP THREE: Stain the wood with your choice of colour -- I went with Jarrah -- and leave to dry.
STEP FOUR: Coat with Estapol or varnish to protect and give it a nice shine.
STEP FIVE: Drill a hole the width and depth of the nut (I used a #16 spade bit) in the end to be attached to the tap bolt (yeah, yeah, next time I'll find the middle properly). Drill a little deeper with a normal bit to allow room for the top of the bolt. I put a bit of superglue in before the nut to make sure it stays put, but it was a nice tight fit - one tap with a mallet and it was locked in place.