Possible to convert spring loaded sink valve to non spring?

[shmerls]

We live in a 1932 home. One of our guest bath sinks has spring loaded hot and cold valves each with a faucet like you see sometimes in public restrooms so people can't leave the faucets running when they leave.

Dumb idea for home use though. You can't run the water and let go of the valves so it's impossible do anything for more than a second before the valves close. Can't wash, can't wet a wash cloth or fill a plant watering can, etc. Dumb.

Is it possible to convert these vintage looking spring loaded valves to typical non-spring values that stay open when you let go and so we can keep the look of the bathroom. I'm sure we can find a replacement online, but I'm hoping it's an easy fix and I can simply remove the springs or replace an internal part and keep the outer parts and not change the look of the hardware with a complete faucet replacement?

I took off the top part which revealed an inner mechanism I've never seen before in the 3rd picture (3_0326). This mechanism doesn't unscrew or seem to have any intuitive way to remove it.

But in taking pics for this post, I see in #4 (4_0330) there's a large nut I assume can be loosened to get into the inner valve? But I thought I'd ask before blindly experimenting since this whole mechanism is totally foreign to me.

Thanks for any insights.

Regards,
Steven

 

[Mr_David]

Haws makes a faucet just like that. I think they make one that is not self closing if you're trying to keep that look. Or replace both with a single one hole mount mixing faucet in one of the holes and use the other for a soap dispenser. They make a lot of antique looking fixture that would look okay

 

[shmerls]

Hello Mr. David. Thank you for your ideas. The drain hole and depression in the sink between the 2 faucets does bar us from many faucets that span across the hot and cold faucet sink holes. Your single mixing faucet and soap dispenser if very out of the box, smart and we love it! We just need to find vintage looking hardware from the 20s, 30's 40s. I scoured Haws website and the sink faucets displayed many are drinking faucets and the one non closing faucet cost $219 each. Ouch.

Do you think it's not possible to customize the existing faucet bodies with non closing valves installed if we can even remove what's in there now?

Or, I wonder if it's possible to customize the valves in there now like removing the springs? Would that leave us with a non closing valve I wonder?

Lastly, I'll start searching more, but does anyone know if there are other manufacturers besides Haws that make affordable non closing sink faucets in this look. $450 is too expensive for us for our guest bathroom

 

[KULTULZ]

Are the faucets on an 8in spread?