Dollhouse Door Hinges

[MiniMaven]

I'm wondering how you guys make the holes in the wood and what you use to pound in the pins? Also, do you use any glue at all in the process? Finally, at what point in the process do you typically put in doors? Thanks!

[Sable]

What type of hinge system are you using?  

Are you attaching metal hinges or trying to pin it from the top into  the frame?  

[havanaholly]

6 hours ago, MiniMaven said:

I'm wondering how you guys make the holes in the wood and what you use to pound in the pins? Also, do you use any glue at all in the process? Finally, at what point in the process do you typically put in doors? Thanks!

I used to use strips of chamois to hinge doors (setting those wee brass hinges to hang like a RL 1:1 door jut does not work for me) but now that I make my own doors I pin hinge them.  This involves making a box to hang the door in, so I install those suckers after I've done all the decorating except trims; once the box is glued into the opening I cut the trims to fit and finish with them.

[Dalesq]

I’ve hinged some of the doors on my houses, and it’s a crazy challenge in half scale (1:24). It is a task accompanied by many many magic words and time outs.

When I do install hinges, I shave a notch for the hinge plate and use E6000 glue between the plate and door or jam. I don’t sink nails, but paint the “heads” in the holes. At half scale it’s really fiddly work and takes a lot of patience.

I've also used thin narrow ribbon  as hinge material and it works well.

When it’s possible, I prefer to pin hinge the doors. It’s far easier and many times more effective.

[fov]

 

Quote

It is a task accompanied by many many magic words and time outs.

 

I am in agreement!

If you're talking about regular hinges, I usually super glue the hinge to the door first, then use the electricity pilot tool to make holes through the holes in the hinge, and push the pins into those holes using the other end of the pilot tool, or the end of a screwdriver, or something else sturdy and flat that can push the pin in all the way. It's much much easier to hinge the door into a frame than directly into the house.

Similar process for pin hinging, but in that case I might use the micro drill to make the holes since the pins tend to be a little bigger than the nails that go in the door hinges. I don't use any glue with pin hinges.

Here are some blog posts I've done about hinging, maybe they'll help you visualize:

http://www.emilymorganti.com/blog/?p=4873
http://www.emilymorganti.com/blog/?p=5763
http://www.emilymorganti.com/blog/?p=7002
http://www.emilymorganti.com/blog/?p=10126

[wormwoodz]

I don't have enough strenght to nail the pins in with 'my bare hands' so I ask my husband to do that for me, he manages to do it with just the nail and a plier. I tried another method of using a pin to 'drill' the hole but on some woods I just can't, a micro drill works but I still rather have hubby do it as the fit is a lot sturdier than my clumsy methods. Sometimes I add a bit of glue to the hinge to help hold it in place. I've also heard some people sugest using larger hinges (like the hardware used on jewellery boxes) for houses that will be played with, these use larger nails and can take a lot more stress from regular use than the standard 1:12 miniature hinge. As for point in the process, I usually add the doors after I finish the walls, ceiling and floor, and just before I add the trims and door frames.

[havanaholly]

Ashley, I tape the door in its box and clamp the assembly end up in my bench vise and use the steel headed dressmaker's pins.  I hammer one in about halfway, clip off the excess and gently hammer the rest of the pin flush with the top of the box; then I turn it over and put it back in the vise, CAREFULLY noting which edge I nailed the first pin, and nail the second pin in opposite, then clip and hammer flush as before.  To make the box I trace the door opening onto a piece of graph paper and use 1/4"X1/8 strip wood to make the box to fit, then I trace inside the box to make my pattern for the door.  I like to use 1/8" basswood for the door and 1/16" for the paneling & framing.

[abloom]

I just got up the nerve to try my first pin hinge door, and I used the little drill bit that came with the Cir-kit basic wiring kit to drill the holes. The holes were a little bigger than a sewing pin, so I cut a piece of a large paper clip as the pin. It worked pretty well. 

[havanaholly]

I have some needle-size rill bits I have to pad with painter's tape to fit in my pin vise's chuck when I drill starter holes.  It's a PIA, but the holes are the right size for the dressmaker steel pins.

[Dana Anne]

Correct me if I am wrong, but we can basically hammer the pin hinge into the wood? 

[havanaholly]

7 hours ago, Dana Anne said:

Correct me if I am wrong, but we can basically hammer the pin hinge into the wood? 

Or use screws.