Brass piano hinges

[Chariots of Fire]

I'm looking for some brass piano hinges that when open would be 5 mm wide.  I used to be able to get them from the UK but no longer.  Does anyone know if there any out there of that size?  I use them for vehicle door and hood hinges.  I'm grasping at straws trying to find some. 

[Patrick Matthews]

I was gifted some of those, and used them on my Pilar model. Wonderful stuff, I measured it at 3/16" wide (= 5mm). Can't find it anywhere, not even a  mention of who made it before.

 

[Bob Cleek]

I've looked for these without success, as well. The smallest ready-made miniature piano hinges around are 7mm open width.

 

You'll hate me for saying so, but this is probably something you will have to fabricate yourself. I'd suggest buying some brass tubing of suitable thickness and some brass strip of the suitable width. Mark the strip with the widths of the hinge tubing and "spot solder' every other space marked out with silver solder. Then cut the unsoldered sections of tubing free with a jeweler's saw at the marked spaces (keeping track of which loose piece came from where, so they all fit back perfectly.) Then reassemble the cut pieces by running a piece of brass wire down tube as the hinge pin. Then "spot solder" the loose sections of the tube to the other piece of brass strip of suitable size and gauge to make the other leaf of the hinge. Tedious, yes, but simple enough. A jig made of a length of wood with a groove cut in it for the tube to lay in and strip holding "fences" so that the brass strips fetch up against the side of the tube at the right height and not move around will make the soldering assembly go much easier.

Edited July 31, 2021 by Bob Cleek

[Charles Green]

Woodcraft sells them, plated brass:

 

96mm x 7mm #158427

 

115mm x 9mm #158429

 

200mm X 9mm #158428

[Roger Pellett]

MicroMark offers a miniature piano hinge.  I don’t know the dimensions.

[Bob Cleek]

Guys, he's looking for 5mm wide hinges (the distance across the hinge when open.) 7mm and up are commercially available. It appears that 5mm hinges are not. If 7mm works for him (maybe he may want to file them smaller,) those are readily available. They have a wide price range. As usual, MicroMark is far and away the most expensive. The best prices will be found from dollhouse miniatures parts supply houses on line.

[Charles Green]

Sorry, I missed the 5mm vs 7mm part.  The 7mm Woodcraft hinge, #158427, selling for $3.00, is a 90 deg. stop hinge.  Judging from the photos and listed dimensions, there is about 1 1/2 inch between the mounting holes.  If the hinge in question could be of length or shorter, each side of the cut-off could be narrowed by 1mm and new, possibly smaller, mounting holes drilled closer to the center.  Or, mounting holes and screws may not be necessary. 

[Chariots of Fire]

Thanks for the responses everybody.  Guess the search goes on.  The hinges I mention used to be available in the US but no more.  They came from the UK but when I tried a re-order I was informed the person who was making them no longer was.  Here was my solution.  Non-ship model related but the idea is there.  I ended up using several Micro-Mark H style hinges with small brass rod spacers in between.  Once painted It won't be that noticeable I hope.

[henrythestaffy]

Looks like I missed the boat, but have you considered 3d printing the hinges?

[Patrick Matthews]

3d printing, even in metal, is no substitute for fine brass work. 1/32" [.8mm] is about the smallest dimension you can print, and that's too fragile to be practical. And it looks nothing like the polished brasswork on the engine hatch of a Hackercraft!

[henrythestaffy]

I wasnt suggesting a substitute but an alternative if the brass hinge isnt available. I believe the hinge required is 5mm wide . when open, meaning each part would be about 2.75mm wide. Not sure where .8mm comes into it but the mentioned size is well within the capabilities of a resin printer and with a coat of brass leaf paint you have a hinge. Certainly worth considering.

[wefalck]

'Chariot', have you tried ebay-shops (usually Chinese) selling hardware for jewellery-making and associated stuff ? The variety of items there you may have never seen or heard off before is quite amazing ...

 

Otherwise, a DIY-process as Bob suggested may be the only solution ... check out the building logs of Michael Mott and KeithAug, if I remember correctly, at least one of them has done such small hinges.

[michael mott]

(Chariots of fire)?  You could try something like this.

Michael

[Captain Shaun]

I have used these piano hinges. they are nickel/silver and you need to assemble them. opened dimension is about 4mm.

 https://www.modelcargarage.com/eshop/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=28

Edited November 12, 2021 by Captain Shaun

[Patrick Matthews]

On 8/2/2021 at 2:34 AM, henrythestaffy said:

...Not sure where .8mm comes into it but the mentioned size is well within the capabilities of a resin printer and with a coat of brass leaf paint you have a hinge...

The .8mm refers to feature size, like wall thickness. More applicable at commercial printers like Shapeways. With my new home resin printer and high strength resin, I'm comfortable with 0.5mm (0.020"). Any smaller might print but is too delicate to handle.

I just tried printing a short piano hinge, about 1/4" wide (open), with 0.020" wall thickness. The biggest problem is that holes tend to fill up, and there's no practical way to drill them out beyond about 1/2" at either end. Even if I had a long drill bit (with 0.025" diameter), it goes off center after drilling a couple eyes.



 

[wefalck]

Looking at this, I was wondering, if one could make sort of 'snap-on' semi-functional ones, by designing one half with shallow dimples and the other with cone-shape protrusions - the two halves then could be fit together cautiously starting from one end - very much like a zipper ...

[Patrick Matthews]

I'll let you wonder! Based on my experience with such hinges on plastic boxes, and the fragility of these tiny parts, I'll pass on trying it.

[mtaylor]

Do you have a drill press or milling machine?  Pretty easy with one of those to drill holes where you want them.   If using a Dremel, do a search for their press.  Be careful on those though as the ones with plastic parts are basically useless.

[No Idea]

Is this any good?

 

https://www.dollshousemania.co.uk/brass-hinges-12-pcs-5-x-10mm-when-opened-up-diy96801.html

[Patrick Matthews]

4 hours ago, No Idea said:

Is this any good?

 

https://www.dollshousemania.co.uk/brass-hinges-12-pcs-5-x-10mm-when-opened-up-diy96801.html

Nope, it is 10mm wide, I'm after more of the 5mm wide stuff.

[Patrick Matthews]

5 hours ago, mtaylor said:

Do you have a drill press or milling machine?  Pretty easy with one of those to drill holes where you want them.   If using a Dremel, do a search for their press.  Be careful on those though as the ones with plastic parts are basically useless.

??
Yes I do have a mill, but I think you're thinking of the wrong holes. I'm talking about through the "knuckles" or barrels, where the hinge pin goes. That would take at least a 3 inch long drill bit of only 0.025" diameter, and even if such exists, it wanders off center as it goes deeper. 

[mtdoramike]

Check out www.Dumas.com they have small model scale brass hinges.

[Patrick Matthews]

As discussed above, the hinges from Dumas and Micromark are a good bit bigger than what what we're searching for.

Thanks, PM