Strap hinges

[Don A]

I have been offered the opportunity to partner with a friend on a job to forge 6 strap pintle hinges. These will be mounted on an antique door that has hung in the past on standard mortised hinges. The door is actually two 18

[Strine]

Don, it is possible with 3" wide flat to roll it around a mandrel the same as you'ld start a scroll. Start by tapping it over the edge of the anvil into a scroll until the mandrel will stay in place. Obviously the mandrel is the same size as the pin. For 6 off, and a couple of practices you'll get it right fairly smartly. I hope we are on the same sheet of music with this!

[ThomasPowers]

The jig I've seen is to weld a piece of round stock the diameter of the pintal to the end of a piece of strap stock so that they lay FLAT on one side as you want the barrel offset to one side.

taper your stock thickness where it will be welded and bend it around the jig and true it up;

Remove jig and weld the barrel closed---should be a tad undersized and then drill or drift to exact size.

Thomas

[Don A]

Reckon a rig like this would do for hot work? :

http://www.savvyhomeadvice.com/WW/stills/hingebender.htm

Even if it would, it's a lotta work for 6 hinges, but what about more serious production?

Please don't hit me. I'm just thinking out loud.

[HWooldridge]

I would roll them by hand with a hammer (hot, of course) and then drive a drift thru the hole to make sure the pin fit. This is pretty fast once you figure out how much stock to leave to make the barrel.

[Glenn]

You may want to look at the following

BP0152 Hinge Eye Bender - Wayne Lewis aka Coalforge

[Strine]

Re: BP 150. Yes...that is a nifty way to do a hinge eye if you have to do them by the hundred. However for me there is no greater satisfaction than doing it by hand. Blacksmithing for me is only about self indulgence so I can take all day to make one eye. By all means satisfy your demands but at least give the old fashioned method a go. The skills you learn or improve on will stay for ever. You will be surprised at how quick the 'by hand' method can get as HW has already mentioned.

[Don A]

Thanks Glenn (BP0152). Can't belive I let that one slip by me. A really neat tool.

I took the advice of the purists and rolled a couple by hand this weekend. I had some 2" x .25" scap in the pile, so I decide to give it a try. Not nearly as intimidating as I had figured. I made a 1/2" drift to keep the barrels neat and as nears round as possible. I did find that a slight bevel on the end helps the barrel close up a bit neater. A few more dry runs, and we should be up to speed for real work.

Thanks for the input. It might be several weeks to completion, but I'll post some pics when we get done.

[ThomasPowers]

One thing I've noticed is that those seem to be set up to do a butted hinge eye, most of the old hand forged ones I have seen are forge welded together. The end is not butted but is bent out parallel to the strap and tapered and welded to the strap. These hinges were made from WI which is pretty soft and they saw a lot of heavy use in large barn doors and things.

What are you trying to do?

Thomas

[Strine]

And I've noticed over the years that the hinges were invariably made from old wagon tyres, which meant the face corners were nicely rounded, i.e. worn down after much use behind a horse.

Welded eyes in wide stuff, mmm....if I could do that I could at last make that froe I always wanted, er... sorry, needed luv;)

[Ed Thomas]

Welding flat stuff is surprisingly easy, especially since it is already in position. I mean, it isn't drop-tongs welding where you have to put things aright before you can hit them. And with hinges, you don't even need a good weld. If you bring the strap around the back and weld around a mandrel, that's plenty good enough because the bolt holes will penetrate the front and back pieces anyway. Once you snug the hinge against the door or frame, the bolts will hold it together even if the weld isn't secure.

I've got a bucketfull of old strap hinges and the welds are all rough and completely obvious. Of course these are utilitarian hinges rather than ornamental so speed was an issue, but still... the rough part goes to the back and is never seen once the hinge is installed.

The welded strap hinge probably isn't functionally necessary with any steel you use, but might be fun for you to try.

[Don A]

I will definitly be trying some welded hinges, but it is not necessary for the job at hand.

Again, by customer request, a divided 36" two panel door, 18" per panel, 3 hinges per panel. Hinges 3" at the barrel, 1/4" stock. The seam will be hidden on the back side of the pintle.

My friend is negotiating the price, and the example he has shown the customer is a "wrap and butt" barrel hinge; no weld.

But for the welded hinge: I have some books that illustrate the way to set up the taper for the weld. Would you leave the mandrel in as you make the weld? Or would you shape the barrel, remove the mandrel, make the weld, and re-drift the hole?

I know I can get a lot of this stuff by trial and error, but I've found it saves a lot of tools and material to ask first, then try it.

[HWooldridge]

I personally would not leave the mandrel in place while welding. Forge close to final fit and position then weld just enough to make the pieces join soundly. Won't take much hammering to do this - just close it up and get the stock to a consistent size. Afterwards, if the hole is not perfect, a drift can be driven thru or the hole bored out with a drill bit.