Welcome to my life . . . .

This is a blog about my passion: dollhouses and miniatures. This particular blog was started to follow my miniature dream: to create a Victorian Mansion. But work on my Mansion is slow. Very slow. Sloth slow. Ice Age glacier movement slow. Why? Because I am easily distracted by other personal miniature projects (I have 50+ roomboxes and 15 dollhouses in various stages of incompletion) and because I work for a miniature shop and am often up to my elbows in miniature projects that aren't mine! So, I thought, some artists work in a particular medium (woods, watercolors, clay, oils, etc.), I work in progress . . . .

Saturday, May 21, 2016

Small Hinges for Doors (Lost Cause Being Finished Up!)

I am intimidated by installing large hinges that hold dollhouse panel walls (I'm always convinced the hinges will never support the weight of the wood wall!).  So I usually avoid anything to do with hinges.  But small hinges I can manage!  Well, with glue assistance anyway.

This is just a quick blog entry regarding small hinges.  Attaching a door to hinges is easy if you glue them in place first:
Got all my necessary supplies.

Glue is on the edges of the hinge (keep it away from the working parts of the hinge though!).

All hinges are glued in place.

Using a push pin/thumb tack, I make starter holes for the tiny "nails".

Insert the nails/screws.

Push in as far as you can.

Done, repeat for other hinges. If any don't push flush with hinge, use a flat edge of a screwdriver to push them in more.

Apply glue to the edges of the other end of the hinge to put in place in the door frame.

Just as was done on the door side of the hinge, once glue has set on the door frame side use a pin/tack to make starter holes, and push the nails in.

Door opens/closes!
So doors are being put on the Lost Cause dollhouse today (French door is in, obviously, as photos above show, but front door is still waiting for a second coat of paint, doorknobs, and hinges).  I still have to attach the balcony, paint the flat rooftop, and glue trims on the exterior so it will be done Tuesday morning (I was hoping to finish it up today but personal reasons are keeping me from obtaining that goal). Next blog post will be about the whole process with before/after photos!

8 comments:

  1. Hello Lori,
    Great job! Each time I glue hinges the nails never cooperate...much swearing is the result!
    Big hug
    Giac

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    1. Do you use a push pin or thumb tack to make starter holes?

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    2. Do you use a push pin or thumb tack to make starter holes?

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    3. I thought the nails were just cute but for looking at only after I tried so many times with needle nose plyers ! after getting one in an hour I just decided to glue only and took a black skinny nose marker and just colored in the nail holes lol I mean no one was going to open and shut it enough times to have the glue come loose!! lol...............Melissa

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  2. Hello Miniatue World. I'm thinking of making my own kitchen cabinets to fit the space and hopefully save money. Do I need hinges for the cabinet doors? I haven't seen cabinets with hinges. How do they open?

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    1. Doors with no visible hinges are usually held in place with a "pin hinge." There's a good description with pictures here: https://www.thespruce.com/make-glass-front-upper-kitchen-cabinets-2366365

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  3. Where do you get the hinges at.i have looked everyplace

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    1. Most miniature shops carry them. Try www.ministores.org to find a shop near you or just send your online miniature supplier an email and ask if they have them. My shop (Happily Ever After) carries a wide variety of them, but we don't list them online yet (with over 17,000 products in the shop it's hard to even keep track of the 4,000 we have listed online).

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