Hinges

[Ken Lutes]

Could someone guide me to any post on here on how people forge hinges. Especialy if they made any jigs to form the hinge. Thanks

[Glenn]

Use the site search engine

Your search for the term hinges returned 118 results

[Frank Turley]

There may be some tutorials on iforge iron that I don't know about. I'm sending a page from "Elementary Forge Practice" by Robert H. Harcourt. This is for a forge welded barrel. It has a "simple scarf" meaning a simple taper without upsetting. It is forge welded barrel down, scarf up, over the far radiused edge of the anvil, beginning with half-face blows. You're welding on the back of the hinge, so if a shut appears, it will be hidden when the hinge is installed. The barrel is welded with the I.D. slightly undersized; it is then drifted to size. This barrel is without knuckles, so it would be best united with a drive-pintle or bolt-pintle.

If knuckles are involved, they may be hacksawed, chiseled, and filed after the barrel is welded. That is my style. However, Manuel Guerra of Ecuador is shown on youtube rolling two unwelded barrels on the same strap. They have been previously cut to shape, and he is working hot. The small tapered peen on his hammer helps him to tuck the rolled barrels over the mandrel. See "The Manuel Guerra Lockmaking Shop" about one fourth way into the film. On knuckled hinges, the knuckles usually come in odd numbers; three and five are common. Standard store bought butts normally have five. On handmade hinges nowadays, for example, a 2" wide finished barrel will have a central knuckle of 1" and the outside knuckles will each be 1/2" wide. That would be 25%/50%/25%. Some of the old eastern U.S. colonial, dovetail hinges were closer to 30%/40%/30%. I don't know why.

I usually pin the knuckled barrels cold, leaving 1/16" more or less protruding on either end. Both upsets are done on the annealed M.S. pin while working on the hinge itself. After upsetting, the hinge is "frozen," and I use heat to ease it.

A strap hinge can have knuckles, if there is enough width to make it look good. A smaller, decorative "tail strap" can be attached to the large strap, so that it may be seen on the jamb when installed. Or it can be a plain leaf folded back at a right angle...becoming a half butt and inlet into a gain on the jamb. It would be hidden when the door is closed.

Donald Streeter in "Professional Smithing" shows a hinge barrel rolling device that he made, but I can't make head nor tails of his description.

There is more, but if you are a beginner, this will hold your attention for a while. What is not shown is the fine filing and fitting that is necessary.

P.S. In the United States, the more British related colonies had mostly forge welded hinge barrels. The Pennsylvania Germans and Hollander Dutch had mostly rolled unwelded barrels.

[bigfootnampa]

Being that you are a beginner at this I have to say that rolled (unwelded) barrel hinges are thoroughly adequate and much easier to succeed at. Nearly all modern manufactured hinges are made in this way. I usually start mine with a hook rolled on a radiused anvil edge and then curled with the hammer free-hand. I tighten them around a mandrel in the corner of my anvil step. It is not very difficult after a few practices. Try to curl the edge that will be on the inside corner of the barrel fairly tight at the beginning as that is the hardest part to get curled right. I will often thin (taper) that area, slightly, before I start the curl... especially when using thick bar for the hinges. I use up to 1/4" flat bar and think that 5/16" for larger hinges would work well also. Smaller hinges, use smaller bar stock.

[Frank Turley]

Here are a couple of pages from a 1938 British book, "Constructive Metal Work" by James H. Evans. The material here is 1/16" thick steel or brass, and the work is done cold except for possible brazing. There is lots of chiseling, sanding, filing, and drilling.

[Ken Lutes]

Glenn I must be doing something wrong on the search. I only come up with the present 4 post. Thanks for the replys. I have made a few hinges just looking to improve on methods. I have made strap and rat tail hinges. That is the main ones I am interested in at this time. I want to make all the hardware for chest and cupboards that I make. The ones that I have made were rolled and tucked no welding. I am thinking that there must be a jig that could be made to assist in this.

[Ken Lutes]

Glenn I went back on the search and it worked this time"????

[MOblacksmith0530]

I use a tool to roll the barrel of the hinges. It is simple device I use in the vice. I use 3/8 plate for the device and weld a piece of round stock the diameter I want the pin to be onto one side of the plate at one end that is parallel to the end. The pin/roundstock does not extend beyond the plate. P then put a 90 degree bend in the hinge stock with enough left to wrap completely around the hinge and also enough left for the weld eith the scarf already on the end. I then heat up the piece for the hinge and clamp it and the tol in the vice with the piece to be bent under the pin and clamped tight aganst the top of the vice jaws. I quickly bend the piece over the top if the tool and tap it down tight to the side and top of the pin of the tool. Take it out and reheat it with a mandril on hand, put the mandrel into the hinge socket and lay it over the far edge of the anvil and forge it down to complete the hinge socket. Then weld it if desired and drift teh hole.

[Ken Lutes]

Thanks for all the information and suggestions? I give some a try. Did I mention how gret this site is?

[Anvilfolk]

The difference in the search might be that sometimes the search will look in the current forum subsection, and sometimes it will look in the entire forum!

Just go the main site and search from there. That should give you a global search. These options are customisable in the search options.

Hope this helps!

[mat]

you tube has lots hears one with jigs

[Borntoolate]

see pinned post " how to search IFI"