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Hi,
I hope someone can help me with this one. I recently won a lovely little Edwardian Aspreys swing tea strainer,the type that has a kettle-shaped drip tray with a long ebonised handle. The strainer swings above this. As it was a 'local auction' but some distance away,I asked for a condition report which came back saying it was in good condition. Unfortunately the handle proved to be loose,not massively, but with a 1 cm play. There is a silver pin that goes through the short silver arm that keeps the wooden handle in place. Can these be easily repaired or do you think that it is going to be an expensive job? Many thanks.

Dear Mariok

I suggest to add some pictures. You want competent advise and for this some pictures help a lot.

Regards

Jörg

Hi Jorg,

I had completely forgotten how to upload,then I realised that imageshack was no longer free,but hopefully I've managed to link to some photos.

Many thanks

It shouldn't cost much to repair. I would personally just do it myself. I would get a nail punch which is a tool that has a concave point. They come in different sizes, so it would be nice to find one that fits the pin. Both ends of the pin aren't necessarily the same size. If one end is narrower, that is the end you should push from. Sometimes it helps to just try both ends. In any case if you are lucky the pin won't be too tight. Otherwise you have to support the handle with an open vice or anything that can be padded and still leave a hole so the pin can be driven out. So you may have to use the nail punch and a hammer. If it is too tight you better take it to a professional, and you could hurt the handle. After you get the pin out, the old way to fix it is to wrap the end of the handle with a little string and soaked in glue, but I am sure there are many methods to make the handle a little bigger.
You then have to line up the holes and put the pin back in. Obviously you have to avoid scratching the silver.
As you can see it is not rocket science so if you have a professional do it, the cost should be minimal.
Maurice

Hello Francais,

Many thanks for that and it's good to hear that it's not going to be a difficult job; I really had no idea how the the pins in the handle was connected (soldered etc). I have nail punches, but all too big, but I think I know where I can get one.

Thanks again

Mario

Just be careful don't force anything and use pads, I don't want to be blamed for damage.
Maurice

Francais wrote:Just be careful don't force anything and use pads, I don't want to be blamed for damage.
Maurice

No problem, I won't, I will and I wouldn't

Many thanks

Francais wrote:Just be careful don't force anything and use pads, I don't want to be blamed for damage.
Maurice

Hi Francais,

I managed to remove the handle quite easily following your advice. I simply pushed the narrower end of the pin in,until it was flush, which exposed enough of the pin on the other side to get a good grip with a set of small pliers.

If all goes well I'll post some pics of the finished item.

Thanks again

Hi Francais

The repaired strainer.

Many thanks

More fun than paying for it, did you use string soaked in glue, or what?
Maurice

Francais wrote:More fun than paying for it, did you use string soaked in glue, or what?
Maurice

Indeed, and the cost was virtually zero.What I used was the very fine plumbers tape and glue, which worked a treat!

Many thanks for giving me the initial confidence to do it.