Making vintage cabinet hinges
#1
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Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 89
Making vintage cabinet hinges
The last cabinet I acquired has three doors, with 6 hinges needed. All that was there were 2 halves. I couldn't find anything close to what they looked like so I thought I would try making some from scratch. I happen to have a mill which helps, but you could do just as well with a file.
I started with some 1/16 brass stock.
Then I annealed it to make it soft and easy to form. This is done by heating it to cherry red and quenching in cold water, just opposite of carbon steel. Then I marked the start of the hinge loop.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]606826[/ATTACH]
Then bend to 90 at the line.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]606827[/ATTACH]
Next, bend it back over a lip that is half as high as the hinge pin will be.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]606828[/ATTACH]
Lay the hinge pin in the half loop, and hammer it around the pin to finish the loop.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]606829[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]606830[/ATTACH]
Now mill or file the two halfs to make one complete hinge.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]606831[/ATTACH]
Put in the pin and peen the ends to keep it in place.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]606832[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]606833[/ATTACH]
Now drill and counter sink your holes and you are almost there!
[ATTACH=CONFIG]606834[/ATTACH]
The hinge is ready, but looks like a new hinge.
I aged them in a warmed solution of equal parts vinegar and hydrogen peroxide.
Install and they look like they have been there for decades!
[ATTACH=CONFIG]606835[/ATTACH]
I hope this inspires someone to give this a try!
Jim
I started with some 1/16 brass stock.
Then I annealed it to make it soft and easy to form. This is done by heating it to cherry red and quenching in cold water, just opposite of carbon steel. Then I marked the start of the hinge loop.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]606826[/ATTACH]
Then bend to 90 at the line.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]606827[/ATTACH]
Next, bend it back over a lip that is half as high as the hinge pin will be.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]606828[/ATTACH]
Lay the hinge pin in the half loop, and hammer it around the pin to finish the loop.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]606829[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]606830[/ATTACH]
Now mill or file the two halfs to make one complete hinge.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]606831[/ATTACH]
Put in the pin and peen the ends to keep it in place.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]606832[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]606833[/ATTACH]
Now drill and counter sink your holes and you are almost there!
[ATTACH=CONFIG]606834[/ATTACH]
The hinge is ready, but looks like a new hinge.
I aged them in a warmed solution of equal parts vinegar and hydrogen peroxide.
Install and they look like they have been there for decades!
[ATTACH=CONFIG]606835[/ATTACH]
I hope this inspires someone to give this a try!
Jim
#10
Very nice! Too late now, but I have almost a full set of hinges for that type of cabinet. I ended up with one that was in super bad shape so I took the hardware off and tossed the wood. I could not save the spring bar, when I took it off, it came apart and there was not getting it back together. Guess I would have needed to somehow stabilize it before removing to keep it from going "boing" when the tension was released. Though right now everything is out in the storage bin or machine shed - along with way too much other stuff!
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