Daffodils! Spring is here!
Years ago I planted a mix of yellow and white daffodils. I expected the yellow daffodils to naturalize and the weaker (I thought) white daffodils to gradually disappear. Just the opposite happened. The last yellow one bloomed 4 or 5 years ago, and since then the only ones that have come up are my favorites — the white ones!
Such cheerful, beautiful little faces!
That’s really odd to me because all of the naturalized daffodils along the roadside are the solid yellow ones.
I finally got out and got the first of the new cabinet latches installed. They are much better than the old ones.
I did, of course, run into a few problems.
First was removing the old bezel that was firmly wedged into the hole. I ended up using my Dremel to grind out enough so that I could pry the rest out with a screwdriver.
The old, broken latch.
Secondly, the new bezel is a little larger than the old one, so I had to grind out the hole a little to accommodate the larger size.
I also stuck glue and toothpick pieces into the old screw holes to give the screws new wood to bite into. And I coated the scuffed fake wood where the vinyl covering was worn off with a layer of glue to help protect it from moisture intrusion.
Then I mounted the new latch, closed the cabinet and pushed the knob — and it stuck tight. I finally managed to get it open, puzzled at why it could have worked so beautifully before I screwed it down, and why it jammed up now. With the cabinet door open, I pushed the knob again and it jammed again.
The old bezel
The only thing that was different between when it worked and when it didn’t was that it was screwed tightly to the cabinet door.
So I loosened the screws a half turn each — and the latch worked like magic. It has such a solid, sturdy feel to it now. A huge improvement over the old ones.
Old bezel out and hole slightly enlarged
If you want to order the new ones from Casita, specify the ones with the brown back. They are the newer, better fitting ones. The older ones have black backs.
I still have 5 more to go to replace the old latches that jam the worst. But I just didn’t feel like doing the rest of them today. That will be a project for tomorrow.
New cabinet latch installed.
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Tinycamper's Blog 
judilyn
/ March 10, 2014Good tips! ;->
Virtual hugs,
Judie
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tinycamper
/ March 10, 2014Thanks! You are such a great cheerleader! 🙂
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Anne H
/ March 10, 2014Nice work on the latch!
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tinycamper
/ March 11, 2014I’m glad I finally bit the bullet and got it done. And now that I know what I’m doing, the others shouldn’t be too difficult. (Hope those are not famous last words!) 😀
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Kim
/ March 10, 2014Oy! Why can’t things just be easy? Yay daffodils!
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tinycamper
/ March 11, 2014If I ever run into an uncomplicated, easy project, the shock will probably kill me!
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Gerri Jones
/ March 10, 2014Ok, I’m confused!! Our latches are horrible and they stick etc I haven’t liked them from the get go!! Are you saying the new ones don’t stick and open and close like they are suppose to?? I guess I just thought that was they way it was. This is so good to know!!!! Thanks!!!!
Your daffodils are just beautiful!!!! Our backyard has so many coming up. I didn’t plant them…they were there when we moved here. Love daffodils!!!!
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tinycamper
/ March 11, 2014Yes, Gerri. The new ones don’t stick. They work like they are supposed to. A nice secure solid click and release.
I still have 11 more of the old ones to change out after I get these 6 done. But I wanted to make sure there really was a difference before I spent that much money. They are $7.95 each. But there IS a difference!
Daffodils are so precious. They are absolute assurance that winter is over. And they are so tough and hardy, even though they look so feminine and delicate. And the fact that they naturalize and require no maintenance makes them all the more special!
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lynne
/ March 11, 2014Love your daffodils! Now I’m torn between posting pictures of mine and packing to leave.
I am such a procrastinator! Should have already had the blog completed.
Great work on the latch.
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tinycamper
/ March 11, 2014I doubt you are as big a procrastinator as I am. I put off doing that latch until a trip was planned. Still have the others to do. Still need to get haircuts, get the dogs groomed, get the taxes done, wash and touch up the Poliglow on the trailer…. the list is endless. Oh yeah… put a new back door on the house and redo the bathrooms that I planned to do months ago. They’ll have to wait a while.
I usually need deadlines to motivate me.
I’ve been watching your blog to see if you are home yet. 😀
Hope you have a fantastic time at Green Eggs & Ham, but I know you will. Wish I were so social! 🙂
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Jo
/ March 11, 2014OH the daffodils are so pretty. All the pansies I planted died and the other plants aren’t looking so good either. Oh well I hope they at least last until I leave. Then it won’t matter and there will be less for my daughter to take care of.,
Good job on the latch now like you said the rest should be easier.
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tinycamper
/ March 11, 2014Jo, I am so sorry those gorgeous pansies died. Hope the snapdragons made it!
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Horst
/ March 12, 2014I need to replace the latches in Ms Casita…so I appreciate you walking us through the process…great closeup of the Daffodils…spring is a great time of year…wish it would last longer here in South Texas!!…Horst sends
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tinycamper
/ March 12, 2014I wish spring would last longer here, too!
Glad you could use the info on the latches. I put if off until I couldn’t any longer. Fear of the unknown, I guess. 🙂
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