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I have a widespread lavatory faucet of unknown make and vintage. The handles turn a quarter turn, both in the same direction, clockwise to close. There's a 16-point brass spline for the handle. The chrome escutchen does not appear to turn nor have a set screw. I assume I need some sort of tool to engage the flats of the nut to remove it, but I don't know what. Moen makes a tool like that but the cartridge doesn't look like a Moen. Anyone have ideas?
I can post a picture of the whole handle. The chrome cap on the top comes off, exposing a screw. Taking the screw out and the handle off exposes what's in the first picture.
It seems unlikely to be an obscure Japanese faucet.
You asked us to give your faucet a name. I suggested Matilda. It could be another name if you prefer. Bob is a nice name too. My faucet is named Goldie. The one in the other bathroom is "Stu" (short for stupid - I do not like that faucet very much it was hard to install). The downstairs bathroom faucet is simply "Old Man" because it is from 1906. The two in the basement bathroom do not have names, but since seeing this post, I have decided to name them Bob and Matilda.
Are you trying to figure out what brand it might be?
If so, take it apart and take a picture of the insides and we might be able to tell you. Some like Moen with their impossible to remove replaceable cartridges can be identified from the guts. However for more types and without seeing the insides, all anyone can do is give you a list of the major faucet makers and tell you it might be one of those. Very few are sufficiently distinct to tell you with certainty.
If you want to guess at the maker, best odds are that it is Delta, Peerless or one of the other fifteen or so Masco brands. They are the most commonly used.
In our house Bob and Matilda are clearly common Delta faucets. "Stu" came form Home depot or lowes, so it is probably Peerless or delta. Goldie is from a fancy Italian company. It is coated through a process where they combine chrome and brass molecules in a vacuum and then cause them to bind with the metal of the faucet. The finish is guaranteed for life. I cannot remember the name of the company, their stuff is outrageously expensive. That faucet is over $1,000 (but I got it for free - long story). Old Man is likely from a manufacturer that no longer exists. It is made of nickle.
Last edited by Coldjensens; 08-04-2017 at 09:06 AM..
I have a widespread lavatory faucet of unknown make and vintage. The handles turn a quarter turn, both in the same direction, clockwise to close. There's a 16-point brass spline for the handle. The chrome escutchen does not appear to turn nor have a set screw. I assume I need some sort of tool to engage the flats of the nut to remove it, but I don't know what. Moen makes a tool like that but the cartridge doesn't look like a Moen. Anyone have ideas?
at least 3 possibilities:
1. Adjustable "crescent" wrench
2. Adjustable "Channellock" pliers
3. "Open end" wrench that fits the flats
Measure across the flats, go to hardware store, get one or more of the above.
Remove the cartridge, then go back to store with it (and the pictures), and see if they can match it.
If it is, getting that cartridge to break free is a bear. I soaked it repeatedly with WD 40, tapped it with a hammer, and even heated it up with a torch I think. Still I had to pull so hard I thought I would pull the stud right out of the wall.
I wanted to know the brand so I could get the right tool to take it apart in the first place. I managed to improvise something to grip those flats, and it doesn't budge. I think it might be "f- it, I'll replace the whole faucet" time.
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