The original rear “cat flap” door handle broke off one dark and rainy night, likely due to a long-time stress crack in the collar. The break traveled through the retaining pin hole and across the base of the lock, leaving the handle and most of the collar intact. Being some sort of “pot metal” alloy there was little prospect of a repair being anywhere near strong enough. However, as the interior handle had been lost decades ago, replaced with a stack of washers and a cotter pin, this incident provided an opportunity to replace it while waiting for the exterior replacement to arrive.
Putting some blacksmithing skills to work, the lock was removed and a bronze bushing fit to the opening, filed square to match the shaft, pressed in place, and drilled for a split pin. Once the exterior replacement arrives and is assessed the pin may be up-sized for strength. For now, the rear door can be opened and closed from the inside at last!
