If you are dealing with brass hinges there is an easier way to shine the hinge surface. As a former U. S. Marine, I am quite familiar with the polishing compound called BRASSO. Wouldn't put on my uniform without giving the brass a once over with Brasso!.
@@robertherzog2087 BRASSO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and then finish with Never Dull too - and use for occasional cleaning - non abrasive but takes the tarnish and grime off nicely
love you video's Matt. this is the first one i have not learned anything from as i have always done this with my hinges only difference is i squared the edges last as to avoid rounding over the corner's. only reason is i use a buffing wheel instead of elbow grease. i am a bit lazy with that sort of thing. keep up the good work
I do no woodworking, have no woodworking tools, nor even a workshop... and I just watched a 16+ minute video on hinges. Really is a testament to how well you present information!
Finally someone who clearly explains how to install hinges, and the pitfalls that come with it. I consider myself a fairly decent woodworker, but I was always struggling with hinges. So much so, that I was finding ways to avoid them altogether e.g. using magnets or a sliding lid. With the help of this video I finally succeeded in installing hinges with a perfect fit! Thanks so much, Matt!
Found your channel a few days ago and am really enjoying it. I am a hobby woodworker and am finding your instruction really clear and fun. I am a fan of Paul Sellers but I think he has a rival now. Great to see a younger craftsman keeping the skills alive for the future. Thank you.
Who'd have thought there was so much to a simple hinge. I've learnt a lot watching this and was surprised at how interesting it was. It also explains why some of my projects don't fit asa well as they should. Brilliant.
@7:00 not only is edge of the upper leaf not square, but the leaf is also longer than the lower leaf (basic trig). If the edges are not parallel to the knuckle, the hinge may bind when installed.
Makes you understand why quality workmanship can be so dear. Either you pay for more expensive hinges or spend skilled time preparing lesser ones. Didn't think I'd need to know so much about hinges until watching this. Love the jig(s) for the fargin' bastage file. Thanks for helping my work look and work so much better. Now am actually looking forward to installing the crap hinges I bought.
I just came across some jewelry boxes made by my great grandfather. He covered the hinge leaves with inlays, this does a really good job of filling the gap when closed.
Hi matt , to make the process a bit faster , ive found that a belt sander with a 120 grit belt or higher makes the process much faster than a file ... I built a very simple jig with just a piece of plywood and a fence where i can clamp the belt sander to and a small platform where i can place the hinges with a 90 degree fence ... The trick is to do VERY light passes as the sander is quick to remove material ... I check the progress of the sides of the hinges with a square and if they are not perfectly square i do another small pass and shim the fence as needed ... This really cuts down on the time needed to fettle with these hinges - you might ruin a few until you get the hang of it , but it's worth it !!
Great video - I have 18 hinges to prepare for a set of Georgian style shutters, can't say I'm looking forward to it but at least I can see an end result worth the effort. Thanks Matt!
Superb Matt. I'm very much a beginner in the world of woodworking (first time since I was about 16.... 34 years ago) I've watched a few of your videos and have to say they're a God send for me. I get so much from them. Great work please keep it up.
Thanks Matt you just greatly improved my dovetail boxes. The last one I tried to bend them straight after cutting them in and assuming they were square. I will be doing this from now on
This was a really helpful video. I'll definitely be putting these tips to good use. It makes me wonder what the procedure for installing hinges was like back when blacksmith made hinges were the norm.
Excellent tips on making the hinge square. For the final polish get some Simichrome, it has really fine abrasive in it that will take it to a really high shine, and also leave a coating that retards tarnishing. I'm pretty certain you don't need to take it to more than 320 grit before using it.
Brilliant work Matt. Really shows that the details matter on fine pieces. I personally prefer Garryson 240g abrasive blocks and a final polish with ‘brasso’ which also chemically impregnates the metal to maintain the shine for longer. Just remember to wash the metal after in clean water and then finishing spirit or meths to clean out any residual contaminants otherwise some light woods like sycamore can develop green staining. Really difficult to fix and not popular with clients.
I wish the hinges I find in hardware stores in my country would be as “bad or cheap” as the ones you used for the video. Great video and good advice. Thanks a lot
Excellent video and information!!! I just applied these steps and improoved considerably the quality of an otherwise chep and low quality hinges. Nevertheless, I found that the parallelism between the hinge axis and the opposite face DOES matter. It probably depends on how far from parallel they are, but since it is not hard to correct, I added this further step to make the hinges near perfect.
I can see this becoming one of those 'rainy day jobs' when you've got nothing else going on...... Just get a podcast on and blast them out all day ready for when next needed. 👍👍
Great little tutorial! Will make those cheap and cheerful hinges look like they were bought at a jewellery shop 🥇Can’t wait to see you make a workshop cabinet where something like this could be used 👍🏼
The effort you put into attention to detail for shop furniture is amazing. I can't wait to see the finished shop! ( you're going ot need good solid locks on the doors then, or else someone is going to nick your kit and renovate their kitchen! ( what's your shop address again?)
Great stuff roll on the next video. Any chance of a series dealing with cabinet fittings please??? I know there's loads of them but much needed help. The locks are a nightmare for me cheers
I’ve used a strop with cerium oxide compound on cheaper solid brass screws. It really dresses them up. A polishing lathe also works well if you’re careful with the edges.
Amazing what I didn’t know about hinges! Great video. I always thought that gap was intentional so they could be fitted flush. Some butts also have tapered thickness leaves. Why? I don’t know, but they have to be fitted by chisel rather than router. I would do that for a modern piece but not all of it for a reproduction piece. What about buffing at the start instead of sanding at the end ? I buy my brass hinges cheap on eBay, although I have a high quality selection I bought decades ago whenever they were on offer. In the days when they were made in Birmingham. The commonest problem I find is the countersink holes often don’t match the screw heads and that has to be sorted.
Matt you are dead right about careful use of language today. That's robots for you. I've had a strike on a perfectly legitimate airgun video about a reolica classic Winchester and had to take it down without any explanation as to why. Keep up the good work. (Ps why not tune into my live session on designing at 9pm Sunday 24 March).
If you screwed the hinge down onto some (flat) scrap wood with the (brass) screws you intend to use on the final piece, I guess you'd be able to use a block as the hinge plate would be pulled flat and you'd get as close a match between the hinge and the screw heads too?
Would you say the amount of time you put into this offsets the amount of money you save buying cheaper hinges? Is it really saving that much once you consider your time?
Rewatched the beginning of the video for the names of the fancy hinges vs these. And it looks like Brusso and Andrew Crawford hinges are about 10x's the cost of the cheaper ones. (Butt hinges at $2-3/pair vs $25-30/pair) If you had a project with a number of doors you could be saving yourself $100 pretty quick, and I imagine that once you had the shooting board, vise/board/file situations sorted, you could probably tune up a handful of hinges in 45 minutes or an hour. So it probably comes down to a time vs money thing. But the savings are definitely there. If you're building a piano... buy the expensive hinges... If you're building some shop cabinets/boxes/etc. Tune up the cheap ones.
Mitch!, BRUSSO , (my choice where it counts), are $35 a pair! Matt said, " these are for boxes for the wood-shop".but priced right for that purpose..... and the tune up ....which I'll guess he can do in under 5 -7 minutes promises to insure the doors work perfectly, look awesome and install easier! I'ts well worth the effort. i
Perfect timing for this to come. I'm buying some hardware for a wedding gift box I'm making from quarter sawn walnut. Brusso you say? They don't seem to have lock and key. Any suggestions?
Hey Matt! Wow, that's a lot of work to go through for workshop cabinets. For the amount of time spent, I'd just get better hinges. Not top of the line, just better ones.
Hi, great video. When you say you mortise the hinge- do you traditionally mortise just the door stile or do you mortise both the cabinet and door stile but only mortise half the leaf thickness in both? Cheers
The smaller, cheaper HD or lowes (3/4” or 1”) butt hinges are a pain in the ass to mortise on a small box with 5/8”-3/4” thick sides, I’ve thrown a few at the ground trying to properly mortise small box hinges after having too many problems. Maybe some of this will help.Good info man! By the way, any recommendations for lid stays for small boxes (example 7” w x 5” d x 5”h) ??
Totally get why you have done what you have done. However, if you remove the top plate off a hinge. Is it not likely to rust really quickly, even inside a workshop?
Yesterday i did my first ever hinge setting for my moms birthday present and l could have needed this Video. but now i know how i should have done it so thank you anyway :D
The change in colour may be because you sanded/polished out the varnish that was on the original. Would you recommend a finish that will protect the brass from tarnishing?
What about when you apply the finish to the timber (linseed oil, wax etc) : do you remove the hinges when you do that ? I tried masking tape on the hinges but that was not successful.
Matt, I'm not familiar with your local tools but here files cut in only one direction. To increase the life of the file, ease off on the pressure on the return stroke.
I hate this video. You have added to my OCD and I will never look at a hinge the same way ever again. "Because even underneath, I'll know it's not right." Great job! Loved the vid.
A 16:29 video about a hinge? i thought - but crikey, you're right Matt. cheapo hinges are rather [another demonitizing word here] quality! BTW have you tried Brasso?
This works for solid brass hinges, but round here, the only cheap hinges are pressed steel with a brass colored coating on them. Anything that is solid brass is expensive. Just out of interest, where did you buy those cheap (for the next time I'm in the UK). Ta
You BASTARD why couldn’t you release this great video 5 days ago when I needed it most I’m clicking the bell so I can be notified as soon as you post the the hinge installation video
If you found this video useful, don't forget to press the *LIKE* button. It really helps me out!
Next stop: Installing these bad boys...
If you are dealing with brass hinges there is an easier way to shine the hinge surface. As a former U. S. Marine, I am quite familiar with the polishing compound called BRASSO. Wouldn't put on my uniform without giving the brass a once over with Brasso!.
@@robertherzog2087 BRASSO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and then finish with Never Dull too - and use for occasional cleaning - non abrasive but takes the tarnish and grime off nicely
This is something I’ve never even considered, but now, when I get the chance to fit some, I’ll definitely be giving this a try. Thanks Matt.
love you video's Matt. this is the first one i have not learned anything from as i have always done this with my hinges only difference is i squared the edges last as to avoid rounding over the corner's. only reason is i use a buffing wheel instead of elbow grease. i am a bit lazy with that sort of thing. keep up the good work
Liked...........and Subscribed 😎
Never thought I'd watch 16.00 min video on hinges and find it Interesting! ... Well done for that!
I do no woodworking, have no woodworking tools, nor even a workshop... and I just watched a 16+ minute video on hinges. Really is a testament to how well you present information!
ME TOO - LOL!! I thought I was the only crazy one!
Finally someone who clearly explains how to install hinges, and the pitfalls that come with it. I consider myself a fairly decent woodworker, but I was always struggling with hinges. So much so, that I was finding ways to avoid them altogether e.g. using magnets or a sliding lid. With the help of this video I finally succeeded in installing hinges with a perfect fit! Thanks so much, Matt!
Found your channel a few days ago and am really enjoying it. I am a hobby woodworker and am finding your instruction really clear and fun. I am a fan of Paul Sellers but I think he has a rival now. Great to see a younger craftsman keeping the skills alive for the future. Thank you.
I almost didn't watch this one, not necessary to do that, I thought. Watched it anyway, and I'm sure glad I did. Thank you!
Who'd have thought there was so much to a simple hinge. I've learnt a lot watching this and was surprised at how interesting it was. It also explains why some of my projects don't fit asa well as they should. Brilliant.
This is simply amazing. Completely different level of knowledge sharing in comparison to many other content creators!
I thought you completly lost your mind until I saw the finished result. Wow it looked so amazing!!
He's unhinged after the video!
Wow Matt, you think of details that others just pass by without notice. Great demo.
I use Brusso for my boxes but the hinge tuning tutorial was a valuable lesson for other projects! Thanks Matt, John, Pennsylvania USA
I dont add comments often but I gotta say, great work on explaining and on the quality of the footage.
What an outstanding teacher. That was really good man. Thank you.
Great video! The attention to details is what I liked, makes for a much finer product. As a beginner, I appreciate it!
Wow, just wow. Don't see very many people so detailed! You make great videos! Thanks!
@7:00 not only is edge of the upper leaf not square, but the leaf is also longer than the lower leaf (basic trig).
If the edges are not parallel to the knuckle, the hinge may bind when installed.
Makes you understand why quality workmanship can be so dear. Either you pay for more expensive hinges or spend skilled time preparing lesser ones. Didn't think I'd need to know so much about hinges until watching this. Love the jig(s) for the fargin' bastage file. Thanks for helping my work look and work so much better. Now am actually looking forward to installing the crap hinges I bought.
I just came across some jewelry boxes made by my great grandfather. He covered the hinge leaves with inlays, this does a really good job of filling the gap when closed.
Those old guys were smart!
Awesome. I love your detail and ways to work on cheaper hinges to make them great.
Hi matt , to make the process a bit faster , ive found that a belt sander with a 120 grit belt or higher makes the process much faster than a file ... I built a very simple jig with just a piece of plywood and a fence where i can clamp the belt sander to and a small platform where i can place the hinges with a 90 degree fence ... The trick is to do VERY light passes as the sander is quick to remove material ... I check the progress of the sides of the hinges with a square and if they are not perfectly square i do another small pass and shim the fence as needed ... This really cuts down on the time needed to fettle with these hinges - you might ruin a few until you get the hang of it , but it's worth it !!
Great video - I have 18 hinges to prepare for a set of Georgian style shutters, can't say I'm looking forward to it but at least I can see an end result worth the effort. Thanks Matt!
Superb Matt. I'm very much a beginner in the world of woodworking (first time since I was about 16.... 34 years ago) I've watched a few of your videos and have to say they're a God send for me. I get so much from them. Great work please keep it up.
Thanks Matt, I will never look at a hinge in the same way again
Thanks Matt you just greatly improved my dovetail boxes. The last one I tried to bend them straight after cutting them in and assuming they were square. I will be doing this from now on
Excellent topic. I'm starting to find it farther between vids that have something new to teach me. Thanks, Matt!
Watched some of your videos and enjoyed them a lot. Very informative with a bit of humor. 👍
I had no idea of this. Thank you for bringing light to this problem.
Thanks Matt, good info. I was hoping you would show a cure for sloppy pins. Have you tried to fix that issue ?
Never gave hinges so much of a thought! Great video.
Never really gave the hinges much thought very interesting and useful video - thank you
Hi Matt, just what I was looking for today. Very well presented. Thanks for sharing with all, keep them coming.
This has always been a mystery to me, but again your excellent tutelage makes it clear and easy to understand go a good level, thanks 👍🏼
Hi Matt. Another nice video. I never thought of cleaning and squaring up hinges like that before. Very educational. Thanks
Outstanding attention to detail, bravo sir!
Just getting ready to batch out some keepsake boxes...this was right on time!
Amazing advice. This is something I never thought of before. Thanks for this one!
This was a really helpful video. I'll definitely be putting these tips to good use. It makes me wonder what the procedure for installing hinges was like back when blacksmith made hinges were the norm.
Really good; I wouldn't have thought of improving the hinges like that, but they look much nicer, well worth it
Excellent tips on making the hinge square. For the final polish get some Simichrome, it has really fine abrasive in it that will take it to a really high shine, and also leave a coating that retards tarnishing. I'm pretty certain you don't need to take it to more than 320 grit before using it.
Very well done sir! Thank you for the knowledge.
Brilliant work Matt. Really shows that the details matter on fine pieces. I personally prefer Garryson 240g abrasive blocks and a final polish with ‘brasso’ which also chemically impregnates the metal to maintain the shine for longer. Just remember to wash the metal after in clean water and then finishing spirit or meths to clean out any residual contaminants otherwise some light woods like sycamore can develop green staining. Really difficult to fix and not popular with clients.
5:20 We might one day look back at this and wonder why we let it happen...
That finish looks amazing!
I wish the hinges I find in hardware stores in my country would be as “bad or cheap” as the ones you used for the video. Great video and good advice. Thanks a lot
Excellent video and information!!! I just applied these steps and improoved considerably the quality of an otherwise chep and low quality hinges. Nevertheless, I found that the parallelism between the hinge axis and the opposite face DOES matter. It probably depends on how far from parallel they are, but since it is not hard to correct, I added this further step to make the hinges near perfect.
Yet again, brilliant mate. So grateful!
I can see this becoming one of those 'rainy day jobs' when you've got nothing else going on...... Just get a podcast on and blast them out all day ready for when next needed. 👍👍
Superb! I absolutely love your videos nice and simple explanation you can lear so much from it. Best Regards Pawel
Some really good tips, nice one.
Excellent tutorial!
Very interesting Matt, I have not seen or read this anywhere else. Thank you!
He's the main man ;)
Great little tutorial! Will make those cheap and cheerful hinges look like they were bought at a jewellery shop 🥇Can’t wait to see you make a workshop cabinet where something like this could be used 👍🏼
Excellent video Matt appreciate it.
Superb video, thanks.
The effort you put into attention to detail for shop furniture is amazing. I can't wait to see the finished shop!
( you're going ot need good solid locks on the doors then, or else someone is going to nick your kit and renovate their kitchen! ( what's your shop address again?)
So glad I subscribed! Though I still like seeing functional shop improvement builds most.
Hi Matt, Your class room is way to far for me, so I opt for the on line experience. VERY educational and enjoyable at the same time. keep it up.
Glad I stopped to watch this at your recommendation from the hinge installation video. I did not anticipate my hinges being out of square!
Great stuff roll on the next video. Any chance of a series dealing with cabinet fittings please??? I know there's loads of them but much needed help. The locks are a nightmare for me cheers
Thanks Matthew.
I’ve used a strop with cerium oxide compound on cheaper solid brass screws. It really dresses them up.
A polishing lathe also works well if you’re careful with the edges.
Fantastic content Matt.
Amazing what I didn’t know about hinges! Great video. I always thought that gap was intentional so they could be fitted flush. Some butts also have tapered thickness leaves. Why? I don’t know, but they have to be fitted by chisel rather than router.
I would do that for a modern piece but not all of it for a reproduction piece.
What about buffing at the start instead of sanding at the end ?
I buy my brass hinges cheap on eBay, although I have a high quality selection I bought decades ago whenever they were on offer. In the days when they were made in Birmingham.
The commonest problem I find is the countersink holes often don’t match the screw heads and that has to be sorted.
congrats on 100k Matt, here's to next 100K
Hello , can you guide me on choosing hinges for bifold windows and doors
Amazon Video mart i lesen es a Lot thx .
Greetings form germany
Matt you are dead right about careful use of language today. That's robots for you. I've had a strike on a perfectly legitimate airgun video about a reolica classic Winchester and had to take it down without any explanation as to why. Keep up the good work. (Ps why not tune into my live session on designing at 9pm Sunday 24 March).
Never knew hinges were that bad. Thanks for the video
Very helpfull video, Matt, thanks a lot.
Great job! Thanks.
If you screwed the hinge down onto some (flat) scrap wood with the (brass) screws you intend to use on the final piece, I guess you'd be able to use a block as the hinge plate would be pulled flat and you'd get as close a match between the hinge and the screw heads too?
Would you say the amount of time you put into this offsets the amount of money you save buying cheaper hinges? Is it really saving that much once you consider your time?
For people who have time but not money or don't see the value of spending $35 on a little box hinge, the time value is certainly there.
Rewatched the beginning of the video for the names of the fancy hinges vs these. And it looks like Brusso and Andrew Crawford hinges are about 10x's the cost of the cheaper ones. (Butt hinges at $2-3/pair vs $25-30/pair) If you had a project with a number of doors you could be saving yourself $100 pretty quick, and I imagine that once you had the shooting board, vise/board/file situations sorted, you could probably tune up a handful of hinges in 45 minutes or an hour.
So it probably comes down to a time vs money thing. But the savings are definitely there. If you're building a piano... buy the expensive hinges... If you're building some shop cabinets/boxes/etc. Tune up the cheap ones.
EJ Thompson more like £50 a pair for the 2” butt hinges I needed. Not going there.
Mitch!, BRUSSO , (my choice where it counts), are $35 a pair! Matt said, " these are for boxes for the wood-shop".but priced right for that purpose..... and the tune up ....which I'll guess he can do in under 5 -7 minutes promises to insure the doors work perfectly, look awesome and install easier! I'ts well worth the effort.
i
Nice video. I was wondering if it would be worth the hassle to use Tormek?
Perfect timing for this to come. I'm buying some hardware for a wedding gift box I'm making from quarter sawn walnut. Brusso you say? They don't seem to have lock and key. Any suggestions?
excellent what a pro
Great video, thank you
Very helpful video
Hey Matt! Wow, that's a lot of work to go through for workshop cabinets. For the amount of time spent, I'd just get better hinges. Not top of the line, just better ones.
ozzy6900 its not the results, its the journey
hope you've got some nice looking screws to match. wouldn't fancy sanding them up
Hi, great video. When you say you mortise the hinge- do you traditionally mortise just the door stile or do you mortise both the cabinet and door stile but only mortise half the leaf thickness in both? Cheers
Man! More to this than bi thought
The smaller, cheaper HD or lowes (3/4” or 1”) butt hinges are a pain in the ass to mortise on a small box with 5/8”-3/4” thick sides, I’ve thrown a few at the ground trying to properly mortise small box hinges after having too many problems. Maybe some of this will help.Good info man! By the way, any recommendations for lid stays for small boxes (example 7” w x 5” d x 5”h) ??
got any tips on how to do like a few practice goes
building a big chest and want to know what im doing before I work on the real project
Totally get why you have done what you have done. However, if you remove the top plate off a hinge. Is it not likely to rust really quickly, even inside a workshop?
Luckily, Brass doesn't rust 😅
Yesterday i did my first ever hinge setting for my moms birthday present and l could have needed this Video. but now i know how i should have done it so thank you anyway :D
The change in colour may be because you sanded/polished out the varnish that was on the original. Would you recommend a finish that will protect the brass from tarnishing?
A bit of hard wax (eg, carnuba) buffed with a soft cloth works excellent if they're not handled too often after.
Brilliant
What about when you apply the finish to the timber (linseed oil, wax etc) : do you remove the hinges when you do that ? I tried masking tape on the hinges but that was not successful.
Matt, I'm not familiar with your local tools but here files cut in only one direction.
To increase the life of the file, ease off on the pressure on the return stroke.
Check out the video of This Old Tony on his die filer. The automatic filer does no such thing and the files are fine with it.
Once you square up the hinge there is a good chance that the screw holes are at different distances from the long edge. That would trigger my OCD
4:24 Has square grid mat for alignment, cuts the paper at an angle - triggered lol
I hate this video. You have added to my OCD and I will never look at a hinge the same way ever again. "Because even underneath, I'll know it's not right." Great job! Loved the vid.
A 16:29 video about a hinge? i thought - but crikey, you're right Matt. cheapo hinges are rather [another demonitizing word here] quality! BTW have you tried Brasso?
thnx for sharing
Real interesting that dude
This works for solid brass hinges, but round here, the only cheap hinges are pressed steel with a brass colored coating on them. Anything that is solid brass is expensive. Just out of interest, where did you buy those cheap (for the next time I'm in the UK). Ta
From brass to bronze 👍
my next door neighbour in his army days used brasso and card board to clean brass up
You BASTARD why couldn’t you release this great video 5 days ago when I needed it most
I’m clicking the bell so I can be notified as soon as you post the the hinge installation video
I just had a great idea for shop furniture without having to do this. No doors :D Haha! just kidding. Nice video. Informative!