# Mid-century wall-mount



## DDDave (Aug 6, 2014)

I haven't seen enough 'older' stuff to know exactly what I'm looking at, usually.
Here, I want to do something comparable. It's my house, and the faucet's a little older than me, and I like it.
I already ad-libbed the rubber on the cold side and disabled it. Now the hot's leaking, and I need it. So I can't put it off/make it work any more.
Asking for a source so I can go look. Scrolled through Guillen's a bit.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Have you ever replaced regular faucet seats and washers? Can you get us some more pictures? Closer up, individual features such as the handles. Any name on it?


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

If you can remove the faucet, and you really want to refurbish it, take it completely apart and wash the metal bits in some ~20% Hydrochloric acid. You can get the HCl acid at a supply house. It's used for cleaning boiler coils and heat exchangers.

Be careful washing the handle/handles, they are almost always zinc/pot metal and can only get a quick rinse in the acid.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

You can get repair handles pretty cheap. These ones are solid brass.


















New SOLID CHROME, Cross Handle for Bathroom Faucet, EZ Tatch Hot & Cold, Vintage | eBay


Excellent Condition! These handles are made VERY heavy & solid! Secured by Set Screws to Adjust for Fit.



www.ebay.com





Hardware stores usually have a stem broach set to identify the brand or at least the broach. This will help you get new broached handles.


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## goeswiththeflow (Feb 24, 2018)

How tf do know all this shchit?


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

goeswiththeflow said:


> How tf do know all this shchit?


It's my job. I go to 3-9 houses/institutions a day and repair faucets, hosebibbs, toilets, sinks, etc. 

If it leaks, clogs, doesn't flow, cross connects, smells, freezes, or is too difficult to turn I'm your guy.


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## DDDave (Aug 6, 2014)

skoronesa said:


> Have you ever replaced regular faucet seats and washers? Can you get us some more pictures? Closer up, individual features such as the handles. Any name on it?


Oh wow. That's the thing-I went straight to "too crappy for too long to rebuild" in my head...I can do seats, etc. just thought I was going to hear it's impractical here. Especially because I'd like to keep it if you know what I miena.
Guessed male compression off the wall and universal-type width, 6"o/c. Pics coming, have to put dinner on


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

I have washers, seats, cartridges and o-ring for those that are popular around here... However no handles available.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

DDDave said:


> Oh wow. That's the thing-I went straight to "too crappy for too long to rebuild" in my head...I can do seats, etc. just thought I was going to hear it's impractical here. Especially because I'd like to keep it if you know what I miena.
> Guessed male compression off the wall and universal-type width, 6"o/c. Pics coming, have to put dinner on


Anything CAN be fixed, it's a matter of whether or not you SHOULD. If you like the faucet and your labor is free than what's 50$ in parts for a quality faucet?

I rebuild old faucets in my spare time as a hobby. Usually just the ones that still have a nice finish. When a friend needs a faucet I give them an oldie but a goodie.
*
The most difficult issue will be the handles.* I would check the stems to see if they are acceptable. If so find well fitting handles before doing any other work on it.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

loosen the packing nuts and try to pull the stem straight in and out, this will tell you if the threads are worn, assuming they are rising stems.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Tango said:


> I have washers, seats, cartridges and o-ring for those that are popular around here... However no handles available.


When we remove old fixtures we save the handles if they are in acceptable shape. We sell them for 15-30$/pair. We save almost all porcelain handles, one of a kind or not. If you have the room it's a real easy money maker that impresses "clients". What other plumber has mickey mouse handles kicking around for their 100yr old "Standard" shower faucet?


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## DDDave (Aug 6, 2014)

I haven't looked at any new msgs, just putting these up first.
Compression at the wall?WRONG HA. Anyway, What's the letters almost look hand-stamped


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

DDDave said:


> I haven't looked at any new msgs, just putting these up first.
> Compression at the wall?WRONG HA. Anyway, What's the letters almost look hand-stamped
> View attachment 131776
> View attachment 131777


It's not hand stamped, it's hand scribed. That's a cast brass part. You make the part in wax, surround it with sand, and then pour in molten brass which melts the wax.

Looks like P-P for Price Pfister. Probably a 1/2"-20 seat.


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## DDDave (Aug 6, 2014)

Grateful. Oh well, I thought I was going to have a shiny new fixture. I'm afraid it's only going to be perfectly functional when it's done. We'll see. Free time isn't 'free' lol

I still say the letters are stamped. They're too individually perfect


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## Blue2 (12 mo ago)

goeswiththeflow said:


> How tf do know all this shchit?


When you see the same things multiple times it does you good to pay attention and remember them. You will get there if you want to.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

DDDave said:


> Grateful. Oh well, I thought I was going to have a shiny new fixture. .......


There are other chemicals you can use to clean it, I just like HCl because it's extremely quick and effective. I wouldn't try using such a strong acid with it mounted to the wall.


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## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

DDDave said:


> Grateful. Oh well, I thought I was going to have a shiny new fixture. I'm afraid it's only going to be perfectly functional when it's done. We'll see. Free time isn't 'free' lol
> 
> I still say the letters are stamped. They're too individually perfect



Have it replated. I've dropped off more than one faucet, etc and had them replated and/or recolored.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

dhal22 said:


> Have it replated. I've dropped off more than one faucet, etc and had them replated and/or recolored.


I don't think he wants to take it off the wall.


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## DDDave (Aug 6, 2014)

dhal22 said:


> Have it replated. I've dropped off more than one faucet, etc and had them replated and/or recolored.





skoronesa said:


> I don't think he wants to take it off the wall.


Ph-k it, spent the extra 3 minutes and took it off the wall. Soaked in vinegar (apple cider) for an hour then cleaned on it for 10 minutes. Cold seat should be fine. Parts run tomorrow. Laughed at the RTV. I'm in the market for handles. Must match, with screws, and be mostly manly. You can invoice my PP.


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## jakewilcox (Sep 3, 2019)

I haven’t done a faucet repair on a two handle faucet in probably 10 years. So, bear that in mind while reading this. 

I think I have the same faucet in the shower up at my cabin. Yes. It’s that hacked. I didn’t put it in and frankly it’s serviceable for the three times a month that I use it.

If it’s the same faucet, mine is a Price Pfister, I think those stems are the same as the two handle PP lavatory faucets from the 80s- or they sure look like it. 

I think they’re a 1/4 washer. The handles may not exactly match but I think they’ll fit on the stem splines from those lav faucets, and you can order them from
Plumbing Master (pretty sure). I used to know the part numbers off the top of my head but I am completely drawing a blank right now.

I think you can also rebuild those stems pretty easily. If I recall the packing comes out easy and obviously the washer is not a problem.


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## DDDave (Aug 6, 2014)

jakewilcox said:


> I haven’t done a faucet repair on a two handle faucet in probably 10 years. So, bear that in mind while reading this.
> 
> I think I have the same faucet in the shower up at my cabin. Yes. It’s that hacked. I didn’t put it in and frankly it’s serviceable for the three times a month that I use it.
> 
> ...


The local 'Hank's' (this one's not called Hank's) is where I'm stopping tomorrow. Hanks-Hank's is 25 miles away and that has been there probly since the time they got their first streetlight.
This one's 25 years older but smaller,
If I find washers and o-rings, then I forgot to soak the stems! Oh well. lol


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

DDDave said:


> The local 'Hank's' (this one's not called Hank's) is where I'm stopping tomorrow. Hanks-Hank's is 25 miles away and that has been there probly since the time they got their first streetlight.
> This one's 25 years older but smaller,
> If I find washers and o-rings, then I forgot to soak the stems! Oh well. lol



Looks like this one;



Amazon.com


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## DDDave (Aug 6, 2014)

skoronesa said:


> Looks like this one;
> 
> 
> 
> ...












Used these, but I still appreciate the look-up.


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## DDDave (Aug 6, 2014)

Not happy with the resolution of this pic, the camera lens must be scratched/not focusing. Now the spout pivots yay? I do have a screw for the cold handle ha. 

Thank for the [email protected]


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## jakewilcox (Sep 3, 2019)

What did you wind up doing for the handle?


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## DDDave (Aug 6, 2014)

jakewilcox said:


> What did you wind up doing for the handle?


I'm in the market for handles. Must match, with screws, and be mostly manly haha. You can invoice my PP.
/
Using what's there in the meantime.


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## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

Is this a cast iron utility sink?


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## DDDave (Aug 6, 2014)

Yum.


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## Plumbus (Aug 4, 2008)

PP lever handles are readily available. 
I'm surprised you didn't put new escutcheons on the wall. 
BTW: Were the old nipples galvanized? And, if so, did you replace them?
Pretty weird waste set up. It looks like the vent is upstream from the p-trap.
Most CI laundry sinks are a lot deeper than that. Have you ever experienced splash or overflow when the wm hose dumps?


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Plumbus said:


> PP lever handles are readily available.
> I'm surprised you didn't put new escutcheons on the wall.
> BTW: Were the old nipples galvanized? And, if so, did you replace them?
> Pretty weird waste set up. It looks like the vent is upstream from the p-trap.
> Most CI laundry sinks are a lot deeper than that. Have you ever experienced splash or overflow when the wm hose dumps?


The 90 toward the wall on the horizontal goes into a tee, I assume that's the vent. It's difficult to see in the shadow.

The galv coming on a 45 into the trap is a standpipe for the washing machine discharge, it isn't a vent. You can see the black corrugated hose that goes into that standpipe on the right of the sink rim.


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## DDDave (Aug 6, 2014)

Plumbus said:


> PP lever handles are readily available.
> I'm surprised you didn't put new escutcheons on the wall.
> BTW: Were the old nipples galvanized? And, if so, did you replace them?
> Pretty weird waste set up. It looks like the vent is upstream from the p-trap.
> Most CI laundry sinks are a lot deeper than that. Have you ever experienced splash or overflow when the wm hose dumps?


I'm busy so I treated this 'job' as a challenge. How short/inexpensive would it be, I thought? So to answer--
I'd like to put 'new' handles on it, but haven't received any replies to the two mentions of 'being in the market' that I made🙃.
I'll run across some replacements sooner or later.
Escutcheons and would've been nice, but I didn't even want to start this 'job' till I had to. I was prepared with new nipples, but the old ones didn't come out when I took the faucet off the wall. And there wasn't room to add trim on the hot side I thought.
And I wished they had come out, because they are gal even though the incoming is copper.
Changing the nipples meant more time, so 'nope'. I judged they wouldn't leak and they don't.
See the vent in the picture here..









Yes the sink backs up when the wm lets go. Gotta clean the sink.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

DDDave said:


> ..............
> I'd like to put 'new' handles on it, but haven't received any replies to the two mentions of 'being in the market' that I made🙃.
> I'll run across some replacements sooner or later.
> .........



If I run across some handles I will mail them to you. 

Canopy handles would be nice but those repair handles I linked to would work just as well. The stems you got were chrome anyway, correct?


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## DDDave (Aug 6, 2014)

"If I run across some handles I will mail them to you. "

Cool. Camera needs replacement.










Focus you ph-k!


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

DDDave said:


> "If I run across some handles I will mail them to you. "
> 
> Cool. Camera needs replacement.
> 
> ...


If you get some nice handles and feel motivated I'd highly suggest replacin those galv nipples as was mentioned and do a dilute acid bath. You don't need to take the whole thing apart to acid wash it, but that is preferred. just make sure to rinse well so there is no residual acids.


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## Plumbus (Aug 4, 2008)

Where does the line off the wye on the tail piece go?


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## DDDave (Aug 6, 2014)

Plumbus said:


> Where does the line off the wye on the tail piece go?


That's the standpipe for the washing machine


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## Plumbus (Aug 4, 2008)

DDDave said:


> That's the standpipe for the washing machine


Like a continuous waste. My code wouldn't allow that. The sink and washing machine would have to be served by separate traps. However, it would allow the discharge hose to discharge into the sink as long as it was a standard laundry tray of at least 12" depth.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

Plumbus said:


> Like a continuous waste. My code wouldn't allow that. The sink and washing machine would have to be served by separate traps. However, it would allow the discharge hose to discharge into the sink as long as it was a standard laundry tray of at least 12" depth.


That's funny because our inspectors won't allow a washer to discharge into anything other than a standpipe, no matter how big the sink is. They'd probably allow the same setup Dave has though.


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## DDDave (Aug 6, 2014)

skoronesa said:


> That's funny because our inspectors won't allow a washer to discharge into anything other than a standpipe, no matter how big the sink is. They'd probably allow the same setup Dave has though.


When they have a wash basin in the laundry area, new (20 yrs-ish? and newer) homes' w/m's are commonly run from/to an outlet box separate frome the basin.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

DDDave said:


> When they have a wash basin in the laundry area, new (20 yrs-ish? and newer) homes' w/m's are commonly run from/to an outlet box separate frome the basin.


Same here. Anything from the past 40 years, done by a real plumber, on a new build, is a separate standpipe on a trap for the washer, usually in the wall with a washer box.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

@DDDave Here is a brand new, in the box WB utility faucet similar to yours. I had bid 65$ on it, not sure I want it more than that.



















Vintage Antique Double Laundry Faucet Wolverine Brass Works New Old Stock | eBay


Heavy quality construction.



www.ebay.com


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## DDDave (Aug 6, 2014)

skoronesa said:


> @DDDave Here is a brand new, in the box WB utility faucet similar to yours. I had bid 65$ on it, not sure I want it more than that.
> 
> 
> View attachment 132076
> ...


NOS w/cool box, too. Sold for 85.
Question- On fixtures that you see this old or older especially, which has aged better, nickel plating or chrome?


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## goeswiththeflow (Feb 24, 2018)

Even the box was good quality back then. I'd be concerned that the seals have dried out and cracked. It will probably be easy to take it apart since it hasn't been exposed to water and corrosion, but are the guts washers or O rings, or stems, and if stems are they still available?


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

goeswiththeflow said:


> Even the box was good quality back then. I'd be concerned that the seals have dried out and cracked. It will probably be easy to take it apart since it hasn't been exposed to water and corrosion, but are the guts washers or O rings, or stems, and if stems are they still available?


I doubt it has any o-rings. Would need new faucet washers though. The Teflon, Asbestos, and Graphite packing material will be just fine, even after all these decades. 

Those stems will never wear out in his kids lifetime. Barry Walter and Crest Good will duplicate just about any stem you send them with a turn around time of ~2 weeks.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

DDDave said:


> NOS w/cool box, too. Sold for 85.
> Question- On fixtures that you see this old or older especially, which has aged better, nickel plating or chrome?



I would say pre-war the nickel was usually better. Post-war it's chrome, hands down. 

I think the biggest factor is the quality of the plating process. Nickel plating is easy to get right. Poorly chromed metal will flake easily. After WW2 chrome plating methods had gotten much better.

It can depend partly on the base metal. Cheap yellow brass stuff doesn't hold either plating well, it's too soft. Red brass/harder brass/bronze-like faucets hold up really well, get less nicks/dings.

How the homeowner cleans is important. The best care is a daily wipe down with a warm, wet rag. Cotton is more than abrasive enough. If the homeowner thinks a scotch brite or metal scrubby pad is okay, then that finish will disappear real quick. Or they might try an aggressive chemical to remove mineral buildup which will corrode the brass underneath and allow the plating to flake off.

Water quality makes a big difference too. If the stems/spout seal have been leaking and there is lime build up, that can easily ruin the finish when they scrub it into the faucet. Lime is rock. Acidic water can de-zincify the brass, undermining the bond between the base metal and plating. Just like rust under paint.

I am sure that WB faucet will hold up quite well. The winner of that auction is lucky.


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## DDDave (Aug 6, 2014)

skoronesa said:


> I would say pre-war the nickel was usually better. Post-war it's chrome, hands down.
> 
> I think the biggest factor is the quality of the plating process. Nickel plating is easy to get right. Poorly chromed metal will flake easily. After WW2 chrome plating methods had gotten much better.
> 
> ...


I'll be minding details like these as we scout our 'retirement' property. The wif and I both love the craftsman influence, the place is probably going to be old. Here at our current place, I'm repairing/maintaining to preserve value. Keeping the next person in mind, no hack work. But I spent $20 and the same hrs on this faucet here, vs. 70ish to get something nicer but will be leaving behind. I don't know what the next people will want or care about.


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

DDDave said:


> ......... I don't know what the next people will want or care about.


Unfortunately the next people will almost certainly not care about antique anything.

Antique stores are dying left and right. People spend too much time staring at screens to care about the aesthetics of home furnishing.


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