
Kitchen tap lever
The Challenge
The client has arthritis and finds the hot tap of her kitchen mixer tap very difficult to turn, as it is very smooth. The ideal solution would be to replace the entire mixer with something having lever taps, or at least replace the knobs with levers. Researching replacement levers revealed it was nigh impossible to find the correct one without numerous trial and error visits.
The solution
It was decided to make a clamp-on lever to the existing knob out of GRP. The knob was carefully measured and traced. A hardwood copy was turned to act as a mould. This was wrapped with Sellotape prior to laminating with GRP, to facilitate release of the cured resin.
A lever was cut from pre-formed GRP sheet and incorporated with the strap wrapped around the plug mould. The finished moulding was painted and an M5 bolt used for clamping.
Handle in position.
Handle being formed on mould
Wooden mould
Other solutions to be considered: This design of tap allows holes to be drilled and levers added.

The innards of the taps can be replaced by lever-operated mechanisms fairly cheaply:
The benefit
The client is now able to operate their kitchen taps easily and without discomfort.
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