Hinges! A tutorial on how to install them.

[@CarolHall-m3i]

Brilliant tutorial, just about to add shutters to a window so feel slightly more confident. Have fitted many hinges in the past and so am aware how tricky it is so thank you for your tips especially the sanding of the pins, don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it.

[@MakeMiniatures]

Good to hear it was helpful to you Carol. Thank you and best of luck with the hinges! 😃

[@bethgaither1214]

Well, this is a video I will be watching again and again! I think it would be somewhat easier if I first put the door into a vice so I'll actually have two hands to do the rest of the tedious work. All of the doors in my dollhouse are already installed except one. I will definitely give this a go with that one door. Then I really want to make kitchen cabinets with real hinges. Thank you so much Josje for this very informative video!!

[@MakeMiniatures]

You're welcome, Beth. Yes, a vice is very helpful for this. After I changed my workshop around 10 years ago, I never installed my vice back onto my workbench. So although I have a vice, I can't really use it. I should get that sorted because as you said, it does make certain jobs easier. When you start doing your kitchen cabinet hinges, make sure you figure out the best way to drill the holes and insert the pins first. On cabinets, the space to handle drills, etc is so limited!

[@bethrundle5560]

Thanks….excellent video. I’ve struggled with hinges…..you have been a great help!

[@MakeMiniatures]

You're welcome! Glad it helped 😃

[@coby9896]

Thank you Josje, I have only ever used pin hinges to hang doors but now that I can see how to do ‘proper’ hinges I will give it a go…….very slowly and carefully with lots of cups of tea😉

[@MakeMiniatures]

Yes! You can do it Coby! Keep that kettle boiling 😉

[@RichMiniatures]

I have just bought a new kit house (we have around ten houses but this will be my first new build) so you have inspired me to do my own hinges rather than the basic metal pin at the top and bottom. And thank you as always for your time (I have my own channel so I know the effort that is involved!) dankje 🙏

[@MakeMiniatures]

You're welcome, go for it! It's not so easy to do and can be frustrating sometimes, but it looks so much better than pin hinges I think. Lots of cups of tea are needed 😉

[@RichMiniatures]

@@MakeMiniatures oh believe me, ALL my videos and males begin and end with cups of tea (with the odd coffee thrown in!)

[@MakeMiniatures]

I can believe it. The same here 😃

[@maureenmartin1136]

Thank you for your clear, detailed instructions.

[@MakeMiniatures]

You are welcome! 😃

[@IZ4Cats]

"Be patient! Take your time!" YES!! I took my time to become INSANE!! First the super-glue run into the hinges and glue the knuckles to a big clumb. Then I tried to remove them very, VERY careful - they broke out and took some wood with them. I repaired the wood and tried again - new hinges, less super-glue - it sticked perfect .... on my fingers! Then I decided to be too stupid for this fiddely work! Not stupid enough, because I tried again a few days later. Oh, I was very proud, because I glued the hinges into the frame. Careful, VERY careful I closed the door - and because they were not evenly in line, the hinges broke again. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER again - I sweared. Okay, perhaps a last time - at least I will hear you laughing, Josje 🤣 And if I will fail again, my dollhouse will get curtains 🤣

[@MakeMiniatures]

Hahahaha! Sorry, I'm not laughing at your failed attempts at hinging, but at your funny description of your struggles. Trust me, I've been there too! I've heard one famous miniaturist once say that when he had to install hinges, he needed a large glass of whiskey to stay calm throughout the process 😂 You CAN do it! I am rooting for you 👍😃

[@IZ4Cats]

@@MakeMiniatures Two! I will take two big glasses - at least it will be funny then!🥰 And in the end perhaps I will have a coffee machine oder a hair dryer - who knows

[@MakeMiniatures]

😆 a secret technique for making miniatures.

[@danamontroy8178]

Thank you! I haven’t tried this yet, but I know I run into it eventually. You make everything seem so doable! 🥰

[@MakeMiniatures]

You're welcome, Dana. It can be a challenging and frustrating job sometimes. But take your time, keep everything straight and use the super glue sparingly. You can do it! 👍😃

[@maryclasen9168]

This was VERY helpful! Thank you so much. You calmed me right down, too!

[@MakeMiniatures]

You're welcome, Mary! 😃

[@johnrobinson1020]

Couple of pointers for your viewers; If you want to mark the front of the door, you only need to mark one side of the door with the letter "F" and no need to write on the other side of the door because it will obviously be the back if the front is marked with "F". A more inportant little tip to make life so much easier is to make the cut out for the hinges on the part of the frame that is to house the hinges before you assemble the frame; so easy to line up the hinges with the door and drill the holes straight in the frame section. You can glue and pin the hinges in place to both the door and the single frame piece of timber; then it is an easy task to attach the rest of the door frame to the part of the frame already attached to the door. This makes it easier to get a good fit of the frame because you can custom make the top cross section of the frame to accommodate the door accurately; This is how we make them in the real world. The part that stops the door from going too far in when closing is called a door jamb or some call it a door stop. Good video; well done.

[@MakeMiniatures]

Great tip! Now why didn't I think of that? That does make hanging the door much simpler. Thank you John! 👍 😃

[@arliceyoung1043]

Your work is amazing!!!

[@MakeMiniatures]

Thank you so much! 😃

[@gailenepowell6613]

What a lovely culmination of door and related videos! I was interested to see that you used joinery techniques that would have been implemented in a full sized door build. The only thing you wouldn’t have to worry about is grain direction. I wouldn’t think the timber would expand or contract enough to warp. Or would it? By the way, in lieu of using a vise you could use two spring clamps on either end and they should be able to hold the door upright. Two free hand would make the job easier.

[@MakeMiniatures]

Glad you enjoyed it Gailene! Oh, I've been surprised in the past with how much even small pieces of wood can warp. It actually happened to me yesterday. I cut some walnut from a lovely straight board to make something (next week's video) and one of the pieces I cut is completely warped. And while I was writing this I decided to show you the warped piece I cut in next week's video. I have just filmed a little clip about it. And I mention you, I hope you don't mind. Yes, you are so right! I should have clamped the door in some way to keep it upright. I was a bit lazy there.

[@gailenepowell6613]

I’m delighted that you mentioned me! Btw, I am attempting to flatten a thin warped piece of hardwood by boiling it and then leaving it under weights. I’ll let you know if it successfully retains its’ shape.

[@MakeMiniatures]

Glad to hear it! I'd love to hear whether your attempt to flatten the warped wood works! As it is possible to bend wood this way, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to bend it back so it is straight. An interesting test!

[@gailenepowell6613]

I boiled 3 pieces and have them under weight and clamped. When I checked 2 of the 3 still were not completely flat…but they still also had lots of moisture. I will try again with a worse board but boil the pieces separately and longer. The wood loses colour and gets very rough through the boiling process. It may be several weeks until my experiment is done but I will let you know one way or another.

[@iedutch1239]

Hi Josje, At the end the bit of doorframe that keeps the door from overextending the hinges is called a door jamb. It also keeps out drafts…. The only thing I do differently is that I use a superglue activator after putting in the pins, this keeps things much more stable and even keeps the doors in place if small hands try to open them, when they shouldn’t have been touching anything…. Idske

[@elishamaxson]

That particular bit in the middle is the stop.

[@MakeMiniatures]

Thanks, Idske! I will have to buy superglue activator and try it, I've never used it before. I think it may be particularly useful when installing hinges on small cabinets and difficult angles. Those are the hardest to do I think.

[@MakeMiniatures]

Thank you Elisha!

[@Experimentshorts5673]

From where you buy small hinges please reply

[@MakeMiniatures]

Hi. I buy them from several sources. I search online for the size hinge I need, and I usually find some at dollhouse shops or model shops (search for miniature hinges for models). I also buy them at dollhouse fairs, I usually buy a few packets when I see them as I always seem to run out. Pay attention to the size before you order them, the smaller ones are harder to find.

[@jan-willemwijnbergen9586]

Goodmornig Josje, thanks for all your wonderfull video's. In one of your video's I saw that you are the lucky owner of not one, but two table-saws! At he moment I'm planning on ordering the Proxxon (rather expensive because I want the one with the tilting saw-blade) but you seem very satisfied with the Byrnes aswell. The only problem is that the one (with tilting table) they have, is currently unavailbale. In your opinion; is it worth waiting for it? Thank you in advance for anwsering this (difficult?) question! Greetings, Jan-Willem

[@MakeMiniatures]

Goedemorgen Jan-Willem! Yes, the Byrnes table saw is fantastic! I would definitely wait for that if you can. However, the Proxxon is also a good saw, and it has served me well for more than 15 years now. It all depends on what you want to do with it. For fine work the Byrnes is unbeatable, it is so precise and smooth. But as you mentioned the tilting saw blade, I must say I rarely use it. For fine work, it gets really difficult to guide it steadily past the blade. For bigger pieces, the tilting blade on the Proxxon would work fine as well. And then the price difference (including the shipping and import taxes if you're not in the USA) would be a pretty big factor in choosing the Proxxon. In conclusion, it all depends on what you want to make and the size of your budget. Maybe you can get a second-hand Proxxon saw while you're waiting for the Byrnes saw to come back into production? I don't know if my answer helped you or made it even more difficult to choose... Groet, Josje

[@jan-willemwijnbergen9586]

@@MakeMiniatures Goedemorgen Josje en thank you so very much for your elaborate answer! It definitely helped because I hadn't thought of a second hand Proxxon! I will start my search now... Thank you again and have a wonderfull day! Greetings, Jan-Willem

[@jojosmumdorothy2829]

🎉 hi hun I need your help please I'm trying to put hunger on the front of my dollhouse they are a funny L shape a d I can't figure them out . Do you know how to do it? X🎉

[@MakeMiniatures]

Hi Dorothy, I was trying to imagine what type of hinges you were talking about, but I'm not sure what you mean. All the advice I can offer you is to do test fittings with some offcuts until it makes sense, and maybe google them to see if you can find any pictures of the installed hinges. Maybe looking at some photos will help you figure out how they should go. Best of luck! You got this!

[@jojosmumdorothy2829]

@@MakeMiniatures I googled but couldn't find anything. I will try your idea 💡 see if my brain will cooperate lol 😆 thankyou hun xxxxxxxx

[@MakeMiniatures]

I hope you can figure it out! 👍😃

[@jojosmumdorothy2829]

@@MakeMiniatures I've given up and brought some piano hinges so much easier haha 😄 x

[@MakeMiniatures]

Ah, smart! Those work very well. 😃

[@melissaverhoeven7633]

Where can you buy the screwdriver?

[@MakeMiniatures]

I've had mine for many many years and can't remember where I got them from, but they're called Archimedean drills, or Archimedes drills, spiral drills, Archimedes Jewelry drills, micro drills, etc. Usually, jewelry supply stores sell them, or eBay, hobby shops, etcetera.

[@PetrikNZ]

I had hoped you were going to be making hinges. Working in another scale where there's no off the shelf products everything needs to be made.

[@MakeMiniatures]

Ah sorry, Petrik! I'm sure I'll get to show you how to do that someday. I just need time to fit everything into my schedule which is hard sometimes. I hope you can figure out how to cut them yourself. The hardest part is making the knuckles, which you can make by soldering thin tubes to the leaf or bending round interlocking fingers on the leaf, so to speak.

[@keiramorgan5052]

What detail

[@MakeMiniatures]

Thank you!