My house, built in 1959, has a sliding door with no internal latch or lock mechanism or space for one. I'd like to replace the current "handle" (a bolt with nuts). Are there handles designed for a door like this? The simplest solution I have so far is to take two handles with identical mounting holes and put them on either side of the door, fastened with bolts and nuts. But a handle, and especially a handle with a lock, designed for this type of door would be great.
This is somewhat of a tangent, but 1959 is early enough that it's possible that tempered/safety glass wasn't used in the door. (Internet says 1964 is when that requirement went into place in America.) If it's using normal window glass and someone trips and falls through the door, they could be severely injured or die. With that in mind, I recommend checking the corners of the glass insert for any markings like "tempered". If there are no markings, I would recommend at least considering replacement of the whole door.
You could try to find the original equipment manufacturer's (OEM) latching handle, or adapt a similar one to fit the door.
A loop lock could also serve as a handle, and should be simple to install.
If you don't mind a separate locking mechanism, cabinet or drawer pulls might suffice. The latches on glass doors are usually flimsy, and can be defeated by lifting the door in the frame, so a separate lock is often used, anyway, such as one that clamps to the rail.
N.B. Be very careful drilling holes for the latch -- it is easy to crack the glass next to the hole!
You could do a computer search for "sliding door foot locks" which I have on my sliding doors or try "sliding patio door security locks".
Just to answer my own question, the handle that fit this was "Prime-Line C 1023 Gray Finish Sliding Door Handle Set".
