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Fixing or Replacing Old Stuff: Where to Start

Posted on May 22, 2015 | 0 Comments

A Brief Introduction:

Your first experience visiting Hippo Hardware (or dealing with old stuff) can be a little overwhelming, as well as your second trip, or your thirty-second, so it's helpful to keep a few important things in mind.

You may have a clear, concise understanding of the thing you need that has compelled you to seek assistance from us. There are, however, a thousand other things almost exactly like yours, frequently differing in tiny, almost unseen ways. As a general statement, measuring and/or bringing it in are best.

It certainly varies, but below are some general tips on helping us help you.

Let's start with Plumbing

(maybe the most complicated, and my personal diaspora):

Not all handles fit all faucets. Let's get that bummer out of the way now. Many a customer would like to put some groovy porcelain handles in their shower in lieu of crusty plastic ones, and I can't blame them. In some cases, however, this is like trying to put a Rolls Royce key in a Hyundai ignition. No go.

The most sure fire way to find a handle is to:

1) shut off the water

2) remove the handle in question

3) loosen the hex nut revealed by the removal of your handle

4) unscrew the stem in the direction it naturally "turns on" or in the event of a cartridge, pull it straight out

5) leave the water off with a note for kids and granny and bring that stuff in.

When we find a nice fit, not at all loose, and not too tight, we've found your new handle! It all sounds complicated, I know, but this is for sure, the easiest and most accurate way to get you what you want and applies to almost anything in the store. Bring in what you want to fix/replace.

Now, our Lighting department:

We have globes for lights. Hundreds, maybe thousands of them. Please, please bring in either a match to your globe, the broken pieces of the one the neighborhood kid threw a frozen ham hock at, (where'd he get that thing?) the fitter that supports said globe, or at the very least, and accurate measurement of the globe or the fitter in question.

And then there's Architecture:

This is the department where we put big things. Sometimes, people call us and ask, "do you have doors?" (see above paragraph for likely response) We may ask you, once you are in the store, "What size is the door you are replacing?"

In all instances, when we ask, "what size is the ______ you are replacing?" the accurate response is never, "the standard size." To make sure you get something that'll fit, measure your door, and note which way it swings if you are installing it yourself and are not a seasoned door-hanger. Same goes with windows, standard-size be damned!

Last but not least, Hardware:

Now, with doors out of the way, how about the hardware that goes upon them? If you're looking to find a key you will have to bring in your lock.

There are no generic keys and even passage mortise locks (a very simple lock indeed!) only has a 30% success rate for the most common key. This is one case where a photo just won't do. That being said, folks bring in their locking drawers, their cabinet doors, and on rare occasion their house doors to try their luck with our old keys.

So in conclusion:

This may sound daunting, and I have dramatized it a bit in order to accumulate more web traffic, but truly, there are answers to be found, parts to be replaced, and fixtures to be rewired. We can do it, together.

As always, the most important thing to keep in mind (as our owner and founder Steve will heartily attest), if you get something home and it's not right, or your sweetie doesn't like it, or you don't think you got value for your money... Do not despair. We accept returns with a proper receipt.

We are aware of the dichotomous nature of a junk store that takes returns. But we are happy to embody that dichotomy. Keep your receipt, try to be expedient in your return transactions, and come get the right thing or a refund. As Steve says, his wife's still looking for the receipt for him.

How to Fix Antique Glass Door Knobs

Posted on May 01, 2015 | 16 Comments

A frequent question we get asked here at Hippo isn't so much a question as a look of panic and frustration. People come in holding lovely glass door knobs in their hands telling woeful tales of friends stuck in the bathroom or spouses trapped in the garage. They say their knobs are broken and they need a new set.

Octagonal and fluted (occasionally round or rarely other unusual shapes) glass door knobs are common throughout Portland as well as buildings from the 1920's - 1940's. And eventually, they fail. It's a remarkably elegant failure because the solution is fairly simple. Below we'll walk through the most common type of failure and how you can fix it rather than buy new knobs.

Step 0 (aka the problem) - Your knob spins or falls off in your hand

If your door knob just spins when you try to turn it or even 'skip's when you're turning, chances are your threads have worn out. Commonly, they either simply wear down completely

or the pressure of the steel will carve out a square shape where there should be a circle:

Before we dive in, there are other common problems that may cause your knob to spin or fall off though, so let's rule out a couple other scenarios first.

Scenario A) Your set screw is just loose. Find your set screw in the 'collar' or base of your knob, make sure it's sitting on the face of your spindle (not on a corner). To check, take out your set screw and look through the hole. If you see a corner, twist the knob a little further. Otherwise, tighten down the set screw and check to see if your knob still spins. If not, then you're already done! Victory lap!

Scenario B) Your door knob's glass has come loose from the collar. To test this, hold the collar, or base, of the knob, and see if the glass spins independently. If so, this will require some MacGuyvering with super glue (we recommend the super runny xylene based kind to really get in there and twisting the glass part around while it's wet to get all the crannies) or possibly just replacement.

Assuming neither scenario is true, let's move on to step 1:

Step 1 - Take both knobs off the spindle

This can be accomplished by unscrewing both set screws, unscrewing your knobs from the spindle.

(Tip: You won't need your set screws anymore, but if you have a whole house of the same knobs, we'd recommend keeping these little guys around because if one gets lost, they can be difficult to replace.)

When you look in your knob's collar, it will probably look torn up, flattened, and mostly square instead of mostly round. This is another good indicator that your threads have done their duty and are no longer functional.

Step 2 - Acquire a new spindle

The easiest way to do that at Hippo is to bring in your knobs. If your threads are damaged enough, you can use a spindle with no threads, and only straight tapped holes. However, most of the time it's easier to use a spindle with both thread and straight tapped holes. This way, the knob will screw on so you don't have to battle the remaining thread.

Most knobs fit on a 20 thread spindle but some do not. If you come into Hippo, we can trouble shoot with you in person. If you can't bring it in here, you can take your knob or spindle to a local hardware store and find out the thread.

We sell offer a 'spindle kit' which includes the spindle, two set screws, and 6 washers. Spindle kits can be purchased here (Note we have some updated information on spindle kits - read more about them here)

f you purchase your spindle elsewhere, make sure you also get two straight tapped screws which will screw directly into the spindle, and many small washers that you will use as needed to keep the knobs from sliding back and forth in your door.

Step 3 - Attach one knob to the end of the spindle

Screw on knob onto the spindle and keep screwing until you get as far down as possible and have the set screw hole over the hole in the spindle. It's easiest to screw it down as far as possible and then back up the nearest hole. Screw in the new set screw (through the knob, into the spindle). Your knob should feel tightly attached to the spindle.

Step 4 - Put the spindle through the door

Assuming your door, latching mechanism, and plates are still attached (if not, attach them now), put one or two washers on the spindle and slide them down to the base of the door knob. This is an estimate and will likely need to be tested and changed a few times to get it right. If, even with all six washers, the spindles are still too long for your door we suggest you cut down your spindle instead of continuing to stack washers.

These washers should nestle between the base of the knob and your door plate. Then push the spindle through your door.

Step 5 - Attach the second knob

Now, place one or two washers on the end of the spindle poking through the door. Again, use your best guess as to how many washers you will need based on the length of the spindle and the depth of your door plus plates.

Install the other door knob, following the same tactic of screwing down as far as possible and then backing up to the nearest spindle hole. From this point, you can see where your knobs will sit and if your washers are correctly placed. If you need to add or remove washers, now is a good time to do so.

Once your washers are set, screw down the second knob, screw in the set screw, and voila! Your beautiful original door knobs once again are working like champs! Victory lap!

Welcome to our new website!

Posted on February 27, 2015 | 1 Comment

It's here! We are all very excited about the new possibilities this website will open up for people outside the Portland area and/or people who would like to stay in their inside-only pants.

That being said, we do have limited hours, hands, and brains and cannot get our entire store online. Or even a large percentage. So, enjoy the website as a fun window into the store and please don't hesitate to contact us if you don't see what you're looking for.

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About Us

Hippo Hardware is an eclectic building salvage store specializing in hardware, lighting, architecture and plumbing from 1860-1960. We also offer assorted collectibles, trinkets, whatnots, and whoziwhatsits depending on what we get in. The spirit of Hippo Hardware is to rejoice in the individual, the unique, and the original.

Hippo Hardware was officially established in 1976 after the founders Steven Miller and Stephen Oppenheim decided to turn a life of swashbuckling adventures into a second life of swashbuckling adventures. We live in the local, even for our customers far away. That means you will probably hear a story about burying a Porsche in a state park while you are asking about a faucet or see photos of our cashier's Saint Bernards while you're paying for a light fixture. We strongly support community projects, teachers, artists, adventurers, dreamers, and one-man-bands.

If you're looking for a hard to find hardware pattern or can't find the match to your lamp shade, we'd be happy to tell you if we have it, seen it, or know where you could get it.

To make sure you get what you need, we offer the following services:

Customizing - We do our best to make sure it looks just right. Our lighting shop can customize length, finishes, plating, and configuration. Our plumbing department will coordinate refinishing with local companies. The hardware department is able to darken, refinish, clean, and rebuild. Our services can vary depending on staff so please contact us with your project details.

Returns - Accepted for any reason. That means if it doesn't fit, if your sweetheart doesn't like it, if it doesn't match your paint scheme. Receipt required. Returned to you the way you paid. Shipping refunded only in the case of defective items.

Trade in - Bring in what you have and we will offer you in store credit or cash. Email pictures first if you'd like to talk about it before you get here.

Hippo Hardware has three glorious floors and 30,000 sq feet of building salvage to explore. Our inventory, and staff, is divided into four departments: Hardware, Lighting, Plumbing, and Architecture. We do our best to highlight our inventory full of unique items and reproductions on our website, but most of our stock is not online yet. Please contact us if you're looking for something you don't see here.

We donate to: NARAL, Planned Parenthood, Portland Women's Crisis Line, Benson High School, Sunnyside Environmental School, Junk to Funk Recycled Fashion Show, SE Works, Vision Northwest, Multnomah Playschool, Union Gospel Mission, Community House, The Friendly House, Marylhurst Childhood Center, Portland Lions Club, Sabin Elementary School, Oya No Kai supporting the Japanese Magnet Program, Lee Owen Stone Preschool, Public Interest Law Project, Jefferson High School for the Performing Arts Theater Department, imago Theater, Reynolds High School, David Douglass High School, and Milagro Theater.

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