Handle escutcheon installation
I suspect we've all had some difficulty trying to push the door handle or window crank escutcheon in far enough to remove and then replace the pin that holds the handle to the shaft. I have the Drake tool but it's a bear to push the escutcheon in far enough to get the pin out. Even worse is trying to get the pin back in when replacing the escutcheon or pulling the door panel. I figured a little mechanical advantage would make the job a lot easier.
See the photos to understand how the brace across the opposite door opening works along with the cross brace that lines up with the handle in need of service. I fit a vertical for height adjustment, a block to catch the expanding clamp and two spring clamps to hold the Drake tool. After lining everything up it was easy to expand the clamp and move the tool against the escutcheon and drop the pin in. Total construction time was about a half hour, all parts were on hand.
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