3D printer success story

This is the old handle that was on the screen door portion of our slider door. It had probably been there since 1992, and it was very broken. You can see it had been re-screwed in place a time or two. The inside (not pictured) was so broken, there was nothing left to hold onto to open or close the door. The only way to open it was to use a pair of pliers to grab a little piece of plastic remaining at the bottom. It was going to be just a matter of time before that broke off, too.

I made inquiries at a hardware store, and learned this type of handle was no longer available. I would probably have to buy an entire new screen door in order to replace the handle. What a bother! And what an expense!

I grumbled about this to local librarian @jacobtothe, who suggested using a 3D printer to make a new handle. The area library system owns such a printer, and it is currently located at a library not far from where I live. He found what I needed on Thingiverse, downloaded the file, and printed it for me at the library. It only cost $4.45, minus a $3 coupon he gave me, and it fits beautifully and works just fine!

Even though I have no understanding of how a 3D printer works, I enjoyed watching it work on my new handle, and am very pleased with the results. Hurray for the library and for its programs and services!