Gate Latches

 In the spring of '05 we fenced the back yard as phase 1 of a long project to make the place more comfortable. We live on a corner lot, and out back patio was readily visible from the street. Which meant I couldn't go out early in my boxers to drink coffee. A fence was required. And a patio gate, which required a latch.

Of course, I bought a nice, decorative latch, with springs and buttons, and all manner of niceties. And, it worked fine, right up until the time it didn't.  The little leaf spring broke and went away, the fasteners had rusted into place, and it served as a general aggravation until Belle asked me to fix, repair, or replace it.

Back in the '80s when I was building barns, I used a simple little gate latch I found a the Co-op. You could buy one for a $5 bill.  I owned several.  They were easy to install, simple as a shovel, and virtually indestructible. So, I went to my local Ace hardware and found one on the shelf.  Didn't even look at the price.

When I dropped it on the counter, I told the counter guy "When I bought these at the Co-op, they were $5."

He punched buttons on the register. "Well, here it is $6.

I paid his  toll.  I see that Wal-Mart has then for $4, but it's worth $2 for me not to have to go to Wal-Mart.

The latch is fixed, hopefully for another 20 years.