Rae86 Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 So, I bought door hinges for the front door of my Orchid kit. What I'd like to know is: Has anyone here put hinges on doors before? What's the difficulty/easiness level of putting the hinges on if you've done so already? (Or any tips) Is it even possible to do depending on the kit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 So, I bought door hinges for the front door of my Orchid kit.Hoo boy, I wish you'd asked this question before you'd bought your hinges. Are they the ornamental kind that will go on the outside of your door and jamb, or are they the kind mounted between the door and facing? What I'd like to know is: Has anyone here put hinges on doors before?Me, several times before I threw up my hands in surrender and began using the sandwiched hinging method; you can also try pinhinging, which Peggi describes how to do in the Team Coventry Cottage building blog.What's the difficulty/easiness level of putting the hinges on if you've done so already? (Or any tips) Is it even possible to do depending on the kit? IMO the kit itself has nothing to do with it. Basically the wee brass brads ("nails") have very slightly rounded tops, so that the hinges will bind regardless of how carefully you countersink the hinges (if you're doing a traditional hinge mount). If you're mounting ornamental hinges on the surfaces of the door and jamb, apply minute amounts of superglue gel to the hinge and carefully place it where it's to go, and once the glue has set, install the brads. I describe my strip=hinging method in a couple of the team building blogs as well as in different threads. You can do a search on "chamois strips", as that is my preferred material for hinging, although I have also succdessfully used twill tape and otheres have uses other materials. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalesq Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 It is really difficult to hand doors with hinges after the house is built. It's best to do it during construction if you can. That said, I've done it using tiny shims to hold the door in place while glue dries (like Holly describes) and then carefully add the little nails. Be sure to glue in the nails too, but make sure they are flat tops (see Holly's post). I had to carve out space in the jamb to seat the hinges as well. You can do it if you work carefully and patiently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Debora, where did you get itty flat-head nails? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalesq Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Debora, where did you get itty flat-head nails? I honestly don't remember, and that house is gone. I built it over 20 years ago. And I'll never do hinges that way again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 I wasn't thinking of hinges, I won't, either! Too hooked on my sandwiched strips and too wanting to try pin-hinges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdlnpeabody Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 I hinge every one of my doors. I haven't had a nail head or hinge bind up either. I mark and carve out recessed spaces for the hinges. I have found that two part epoxy holds the hinges in place well and dries quickly. gluing the nails in is important too. I have 3 more doors and frames to build, so I'll start taking photos for a tutorial when I get to the door hanging part of it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 You must also have found a source of flat headed brads/ nails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdlnpeabody Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Nope. I use the rounded nails that come with the hinges. When the hinges are in the closed position, the two plates and their nails don't come within contact of each other. The plates are counter-sunk so there isn't a wide gap between the door and frame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollymmoore Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 I did something non-traditional once. It's in my gallery. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 When I countersunk my hinges the rounded tops of the opposing brads still caused the hinges to bind. That's when I went to the sandwich method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rae86 Posted November 11, 2012 Author Share Posted November 11, 2012 I'm not sure what kind they are. It just states on the packaging that they are "H" hinges. My front door is put together, however I've haven't gotten to the structural pieces of the house yet. What do you mean, HavanaHolly, when you talk about the hinges "binding"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 When the rounded nailheads make contact the hinge doesn't close properly, there's a space. The first couple of houses I trimmed material from the doors so they would still close within the doorframe, but it required so much countersinking of the hinges' leaves it just looked terrible. In 1:12 and smaller mounting hinges realistically and having the doors still work requires techniques I haven't figured out, so I prefer sandwiching strips of chamois or pinhingeing. I've seen several dhs that the hinges were mounted on the surface of the door and frame, and for some styles of hinge meant to be mounted that way in real life it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rae86 Posted December 1, 2012 Author Share Posted December 1, 2012 I'm feeling very frustrated now. I followed the instructions with the dollhouse and glued the two pieces of the door together. In anyone's opinion, will it look terrible if after I put the remaining parts of the house together, I just glue the door into the doorway? I feel in a way like its a cop-out, but this being my first kit, I'm really not sure of how this could be fixed to allow for hinges :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mesp2k Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 I'm feeling very frustrated now. I followed the instructions with the dollhouse and glued the two pieces of the door together. In anyone's opinion, will it look terrible if after I put the remaining parts of the house together, I just glue the door into the doorway? I feel in a way like its a cop-out, but this being my first kit, I'm really not sure of how this could be fixed to allow for hinges :-( Some of us glue the windows & doors in place...also you can glue a window or door in an open position or any position - why not? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More Minis Dollhouses Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 I have hinged several Greenleaf kit doors before using miniature hinges. The biggest challenge is getting the drop to open/close properly. Since they are not pre-hung doors, you have to sand quite a bit to get the door swinging without snagging on the surrounding trim and floor. Then you have to make sure you don't sand too much or you will be left with wide gaps all around the door when shut. It takes patience and constant dry fitting to get the door just right. The bigger the hinges, the better but of course that can clash with scale. Always make starter holes with a thumbtack so you don't bend your tiny nails and apply glue to the nails for extra hold. The thicker the door, the harder to hinge and the more probability of pulling out your nails. Some Greenleaf kit doors are made of multiple laminated layers so they can end up being quite heavy. On some you can reduce the layers but that will reduce details. Case in point, hinging doors has its challenges but its totally doable with some planning and patience. I can't think of any dollhouse model who's doors can not be hinged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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