Brass hinge woes

[gs.davies]

Anyone had any success with sorting out a splayed out brass hinge. Here's what the worst one of mine looks like.

[mk1]

Ouch, that is a sad looking hinge.

I have to say that if it was mine I'd use new ones & forget they are not brass once the paint goes on.

I also appreciate that my answer is not very useful.

M

[gs.davies]

Well that's definitely an option, and of course I've still got to source the appropriate threaded screws and studs for these..

[mk1]

The screws & studs shouldn't be a problem, they are just 1/4 UNF.

M

[gs.davies]

I thought they were an obscure British Standard Brass size?

[mk1]

Don't think so, but I could of course be totally wrong.

M

[woodypup59]

I thought they were an obscure British Standard Brass size?

IIRC the A panel threads are 0BA, but the British Association threads are based on the metric measurement system.

0 BA is very close to M6 with a similar tpi so guess what I did ................

Cast brass is lkely to be brittle, so a bit of heat may help while you're gently bending the splay back.

[360gts]

Agree with Mark...get some good original steel hinges...they are superior and as Mark said....once painted....they are the same. Then, take your brass hinges and put them on the wall in your shop as relics.

[GraemeC]

or straighten them as best you can and stick 'em on ebay for the vultures.

[gs.davies]

What are the MiniSpares alloy ones like?

[ManyMiniCoopers]

I concur with 'woodypup'. Add a little heat to aid in straightening them back out if you reuse them.
I have found the mini spares alloy ones to be an excellent alternative.

[ianh1968]

I thought they were an obscure British Standard Brass size?

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=11133
Deja-vu, n'est pas?

Ian

[mk1]

OBA is pretty easy to get hold of.

I still use a lot of BA sizes here & there on Mini, & other stuff.

http://www.stainlessautomotivefastening ... ath=117_56

With regards to heating the hinge up to help you straighten it without cracking. the biggest problem is that if you heat it up hot enough to do that, you have also heated it up enough to anneal it & make the brass go soft, meaning it is FAR more likely to droop shortly after fitting. If you are determined to use the original hinges, bend them cold. They may crack & break, but if they don't they will be stronger than if you heat them. I have already said what my preferred option would be so won't re state that.

M

[sr001]

I had two brass hinges in a equally distorted shape when I rebuilt my '60. I eased them back in a vice carefully, using no heat, and no damage occurred. Five years on they still look as they should.

[Frogeye61]

Sounds like partial annealing is the way to go
http://pictures.bisonballistics.com/bra ... ure@2x.png

[gs.davies]

I thought they were an obscure British Standard Brass size?

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=11133
Deja-vu, n'est pas?

Ian

Ha, yes I forgot I'd been on this path before!