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We bought some used furniture to put up on the wall. Yesterday we tried to put it up but it became apparent that we couldn’t tighten the screw on one of the hangers to bring the cupboard close to the wall. Looking at the hanger in question we noticed that it looked different.

What the hanger looks like (What the hangers look like)

The bit for holding the screw is not attached to the metal plate and therefore the tightening of the screw doesn’t have the desired the result. We tried reattaching (twisting it in place) it but are not sure how to do it and it didn’t work.

The issue (The hanger that is broken (?))

A normal one (What the hanger usually looks like)

Is it actually possible to fix this?

More pictures: enter image description here (The part that came loose) enter image description here (The metal plate seen from the back, attached to the furniture) enter image description here (The slot that the part is usually attached to)

elevendollar
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2 Answers2

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That looks like a type of Rivnut that has pulled out of the hole it was pressed into.

enter image description here

You can get tools to crimp Rivnuts in place, like this one -

enter image description here

You would need to ensure that the Rivnut thread matched the screw that is currently in the hanger.

You may however be able to reinsert the existing 'Rivnut' and use a hammer to re-rivet the existing nut back into the hole (the hanger would need to be removed from the furniture first). If possible I would maybe even try adding some solder to the joint to give it some extra strength.

Following your latest comments, I would try supporting the threaded end of the 'Rivnut' on something solid, then gently tap the splayed end with the ball end of an engineers hammer to rivet it back in place.

HandyHowie
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In my estimation, this ring (identified by the green arrow) was supposed to be squeezed around the metal of the bracket to hold it in place.

enter image description here

If you cannot find a Rivnut with the correct threading as suggested by HandyHowie, you might be able to hold it in place with some epoxy.

It appears that you might be able to put this assembly back into the hanger then attempt to bang that metal ring back down into place with a hammer. A small socket, just slightly larger diameter than the nut itself, placed around the ring would give you something to hit to apply even force around the ring to bend it back down (and keep your fingers out of the way of the hammer).

Then, as you epoxy it in place, you'll want to make sure you keep the center clear to ensure that there is still a place for that screw to go. Otherwise, you'll have to drill the epoxy out.

FreeMan
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