NOBLNG Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 (edited) There are a few older threads on this subject, but it seems the closest to what I need is some photo etch items available. But...being me, I figure I’ll give it a shot on my own. Pics are self explanatory I think, and the wire is a .014” guitar string. This is a preliminary attempt and my only concern so far is the ability to glue or fasten this securely somehow to the model parts. Any advice or input appreciated.🤔 Edited April 21, 2021 by NOBLNG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglia105E Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 That is an excellent idea, Greg..... and I could well be using such a hinge design on my 1:24 scale Grand Piano ( 4 photos following ). Many thanks, David 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOBLNG Posted April 23, 2021 Author Share Posted April 23, 2021 (edited) I went and picked up some .005” brass yesterday in order to give this a more serious attempt. First, I remade my “jig” using 3/32” spacing instead of 1/8”. Then I slotted the brass and broke off every second tab on each side. I had to clean up the slots a tad with a square file.🤨 I used a piece of.023” welding wire during the fabrication, only this time I fluxed it up. Since I’m working with brass, I figured I would try soldering it. I tucked a 1/32” square of flattened solder under each tab and melted it in with my butane torch. I tried doing them individually with my electric soldering gun but it didn’t have the guts for it.😬 A little cleanup and it looks better. I also pulled out the .023” wire and replaced it with a .020” brass rod. It works great!👍 The loose pin allows one leaf to be reversed for different mounting possibilities. Edited April 23, 2021 by NOBLNG 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straightliner59 Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 Man, that is fantastic! It looks better than the one I made for my Midget/USAC sprint car/Big car from strip and brass tube. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarheelRick Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 Excellent work, when are you going into mass production? That could be a definite money-maker. Very well explained and presented, thanks for the idea and inspiration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldmopars Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 I like it. I can see this being very useful on both large scale stuff and big trucks. As for the mass production idea, he would have to charge way more than anyone would be willing to spend just to make a few bucks on these. To pay for his time, overhead, materials, etc. the cost would be $50 a hinge at least. But a great DIY project. Thanks for sharing. I will tuck this away in my memory bank for later. Great job and again, thanks for sharing and going to the trouble of documenting it for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted April 24, 2021 Share Posted April 24, 2021 That's nice work, Daniel! I used to get some real fine piano hinges from Great Britain but then the manufacturer stopped making them. Been out of luck ever since. Best I've been able to come up with is some real small brass tubing and some stainless steel wire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straightliner59 Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 3 hours ago, Chariots of Fire said: That's nice work, Daniel! I used to get some real fine piano hinges from Great Britain but then the manufacturer stopped making them. Been out of luck ever since. Best I've been able to come up with is some real small brass tubing and some stainless steel wire. Thank you, Charles! I think you'd agree--figuring out new ways to accomplish a modeling task is a lot of fun, and, once it's figured, it's about as satisfying as anything can be! I think Tripart used to make them, too. The last times I searched, I believe I came up empty. That's why I made this one! I really love what Greg has done, here. This hinge is gorgeous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89AKurt Posted April 25, 2021 Share Posted April 25, 2021 I'm impressed! I have a soldering iron for stained glass, would that work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOBLNG Posted April 26, 2021 Author Share Posted April 26, 2021 (edited) 22 hours ago, 89AKurt said: I'm impressed! I have a soldering iron for stained glass, would that work? I don’t see why not. Just make sure what ever surface you’re working on can withstand the heat. I warped my cutting matt real good.😬 Thankfully I have a couple of spares that I got on sale. The tabs could also be cut shorter and not soldered, which is how the photo etch hinge tutorials on here were done. Edited April 26, 2021 by NOBLNG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted April 26, 2021 Share Posted April 26, 2021 One thing to consider when soldering the brass would be to use a piece of aluminum rod or some other non-ferous material that would not become soldered to the hinge itself. After soldering is complete then the rod could be removed and be replaced with the rod section of brass or other material for additional strength. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOBLNG Posted April 26, 2021 Author Share Posted April 26, 2021 (edited) On 4/25/2021 at 10:04 PM, Chariots of Fire said: One thing to consider when soldering the brass would be to use a piece of aluminum rod or some other non-ferous material that would not become soldered to the hinge itself. After soldering is complete then the rod could be removed and be replaced with the rod section of brass or other material for additional strength. Yes, care has to be taken not to solder the pin in place. That is why I cut the tiny squares of solder and tucked them under the tabs instead of heating the hinge up and touching the solder wire to it. It limits the amount of solder possible per tab. Also, the .023” steel wire used for the initial forming will not attract the solder near as easily as a brass pin would. Aluminum rod rod would work, but may be hard to remove when you need to. Edited April 21, 2022 by NOBLNG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOBLNG Posted January 4, 2022 Author Share Posted January 4, 2022 (edited) On a related matter, I made some Jeep hood hinges yesterday. Next time I do piano hinges I’ll combine these two methods. i made these from .016” brass with a .023” s/s pin. Initial tab length = (.023+.016)xpi=.123”….so I went a little shorter (.100”) since the tab won’t wrap completely around the wire. Then I bent the tab around the pin, making sure the pin stayed tucked tightly in place. I added a little solder flux and a very tiny chunk of flattened solder. Heated it with a butane lighter until the solder melted, which only took like 3-5 seconds. I then filed the excess solder flush to the “tube”, clamped it back in my vise and filed the slots down level with the inner edge of the tube for clearance. The same method was used for the double tabs, but I didn’t get pics. Some trimming and careful filing and they look pretty good. Now I just have to figure out the best way to mount them. I may attempt to file them down a tad more. They now measure .146”x.354” which is 3.65”x8.85” in 1/25 scale. Edited January 4, 2022 by NOBLNG 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misha Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 That is really slick! Another reason for me to add soldering to my skill inventory, as I have been rather skittish to try it. Yet I’m seeing more and more uses for it, perhaps I’m not an ole dog yet…😉 Cheers Misha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 Impressive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4mula1fan Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 I cheat. I use dollhouse hinges from HL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOBLNG Posted January 5, 2022 Author Share Posted January 5, 2022 2 hours ago, 4mula1fan said: I cheat. I use dollhouse hinges from HL. How small do those get? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straightliner59 Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 6 hours ago, NOBLNG said: How small do those get? Pretty small. I mix and match them (half each of a butt and a strap) to make throttle pedals. I also used them on the hood of my Mack. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4mula1fan Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 It says 1/12 scale. There are other styles too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarkmucker Posted February 2, 2023 Share Posted February 2, 2023 On 4/24/2021 at 12:56 AM, Straightliner59 said: I’m very curious about the louvers, do you have a thread about making them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugatti Fan Posted February 2, 2023 Share Posted February 2, 2023 (edited) The Dolls House industry has a lot of useable items in their catalogues. I obtained some piano hinges a while ago that were ideal for larger scale models. They come in different sizes and just need cutting to length. As for louvres making a punch and die set is one of the best ways to go. You will however need a press and a means to keep the louvres aligned perfectly on a jig whilst punching them. No easy way to make them unfortunately. Edited February 2, 2023 by Bugatti Fan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straightliner59 Posted February 2, 2023 Share Posted February 2, 2023 3 hours ago, Tarkmucker said: I’m very curious about the louvers, do you have a thread about making them? I do. Like Noel said, below, I had to make a die. I used a 1/4" chisel for the punch. The thread contains most of the process, including the very beginnings of the experiment. Here's a link to the thread: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarkmucker Posted February 2, 2023 Share Posted February 2, 2023 12 hours ago, Straightliner59 said: I do. Like Noel said, below, I had to make a die. I used a 1/4" chisel for the punch. The thread contains most of the process, including the very beginnings of the experiment. Here's a link to the thread: AHH that’s exactly what I was looking for. I made a punch a few months ago but didn’t make a die. I figured it would be the same as the full size tooling. Now to finish making the setup and reproduce the hood of my truck in scale. Only 374 louvers… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straightliner59 Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 8 hours ago, Tarkmucker said: AHH that’s exactly what I was looking for. I made a punch a few months ago but didn’t make a die. I figured it would be the same as the full size tooling. Now to finish making the setup and reproduce the hood of my truck in scale. Only 374 louvers… Oh, boy! That'll be fun!😄 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarkmucker Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 When that project makes it back on the bench that will probably be the more interesting part 17 minutes ago, Straightliner59 said: Oh, boy! That'll be fun!😄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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