Vintage Tub Filler Valves
Here are a pair of vintage tub filler valves that have been separated from their standing waste assembly and tub. They are of the "Fuller Ball" type of faucet. They have been disassembled and had their packing and gasket surfaces cleaned. The fuller ball seats have been honed. I made new fuller balls for them using 60 durometer neoprene. I cut new gaskets for the caps out of heavy flange gasket material. I packed the stems with my own packing string. Both the packing and gasket are of the swell when wet types of material. Both valves have been pressure tested at street pressure.
Here are several more photos of the valves, starting with photos I took during the work.
The valve body and service cap before cleaning. Note the old gasket material clinging to the gasket faces. Also note the curved surface of the fuller ball seat.
After cleaning and honing. The threads have also been cleaned.
Here are the original ball, removed from this valve. Left.
A new old stock 3/4" ball, useful only as an model for sizing and shaping due to the staleness of the rubber which is so bad at this point that the surface has begun to craze and crack. Center.
My new 60 durometer neoprene ball, made for this valve at the time. Right.
Here are the upper and lower stems. The eccentric on the end of the main stem acts like a crankshaft while the lower, horizontal stem acts like a piston. Packing material was cleaned from the main stem and old fuller ball rubber was cleaned from the ball stem.
Fresh faucet grease was applied to surfaces where brass will rub on brass.
The new ball and gasket in place, ready for assembly and testing.
Here are the photos of the valves as they are, assembled and tested.
With these valves I received their tub spout yoke. It and others similar to it are also available.
The handles of these valves now turn 360 degrees with no difficulty. There is some friction from the compressed packing material. When the handles face away the water is stopped. The 60 durometer neoprene compresses into the seat to stop the flow of water, allowing the handle to swing beyond the point of no flow so that the brass is never under strain or duress. This is the reason that a properly serviced fuller-ball valve goes on and on, almost never needing to be serviced and why the brass of these valves was in such good condition.
These ready to install valves are available for $950 each or $1750 for the pair.
If this valve is the same as yours, ship yours to me after you install these valves in their place and I will return $100 each as a core charge, or deposit.