Product Information
Page 1 of 30
Contents Table
Contents Table ...............................................................................................................2
1.0 Overview and History ..............................................................................................3
2.0 Manufacturing Facility.............................................................................................4
3.0 Methods of Manufacture and Finishes.....................................................................4
3.1 Raw Materials ......................................................................................................4
3.1.1 Extruded Brass/Aluminium ..........................................................................4
3.1.2 Injection Moulded – Nylon...........................................................................5
3.1.3 Pressed and Roll Formed Steel and Stainless Steel ......................................5
3.1.4 Zinc and Aluminium Die-castings ................................................................5
3.2 Finishes ................................................................................................................6
3.3 Telling the different materials apart.....................................................................6
3.3.1 Some hints/tips in telling the raw material apart; .........................................7
4.0 Parts of a Butt Hinge................................................................................................8
4.1 Butt Hinge Installation.........................................................................................9
4.2 Screw Fixing Patterns ........................................................................................10
4.3 Hinge Knuckle Types ........................................................................................11
4.4 “Linishing” of a Hinge Knuckle ........................................................................11
4.5 Brass Hinge Pin Variations................................................................................12
4.5.1 Fixed Pin .....................................................................................................12
4.5.2 Removable or Loose Pin.............................................................................13
4.5.3 Non –removable Pins..................................................................................14
4.6 Hinge Pin Tips ...................................................................................................15
5.0 Hinge Types…………………………………………………………………… 16
5.1 Plain bearing Hinges ..........................................................................................16
5.2 Washered Hinges ...............................................................................................16
5.2.1 Brass Hinge Washers ..................................................................................16
5.2.2 Aluminium and Die-casting Hinge Washers. .............................................17
5.3 Ball Bearing (within a ball race) Hinges............................................................18
5.4 Projection and Parliament Hinges......................................................................20
5.5 Lift Off Hinges...................................................................................................21
5.6 Rising and Falling Butt Hinges..........................................................................22
5.7 Flush Hinge or Non Mortice Hinge ...................................................................23
5.8 Counter Flap Hinge............................................................................................23
5.9 Back Flap Hinges...............................................................................................23
5.10 “H” Hinge ........................................................................................................24
5.11 Security or Dog Bolt Hinge .............................................................................24
5.12 Cranked Hinge .................................................................................................24
5.13 Storm Proof or Swing Clear hinges .................................................................25
5.14 Other Hinges in the WP Range........................................................................26
5.15 Customer Special Hinges.................................................................................27
5.16 Undrilled Hinges..............................................................................................27
5.17 Radius Corners.................................................................................................27
6.0 Sizing of Hinges.....................................................................................................27
7.0 The Effect of Door Closers on a hinge. .................................................................27
8.0 Specifying and Installing a Hinge........................................................................277
9.0 The Life of a hinge...............................................................................................300
Page 2 of 30
1.0 Overview and History
The original brand name for The Worcester Brass Co. was “SWING”, with the
manufacturing site based in King’s Norton, Birmingham. In the early 90’s the brand
name changed to “Worcester Parsons” due to amalgamation of a number of
Companies in the Newman Tonks Group. The SWING brand is no longer and can
only be found on the Worcester Parsons range of Nylon Hinges.
The Front Cover of the 1953
Abridged Edition of the
SWING Catalogue
WP Hinges continued to be manufactured in King’s Norton until 2001, when the
manufacturing site was located to Wolverhampton following the purchase of WP by
Basta in 1998 and then the purchase of Lathams and Gibbons and Arthur Shaw.
SWING and WP have consistently throughout the years shown quality through the
entirety of the hinge range and the same is true today. Most of the Hinge designs date
back over half a century, still using the same quality and design of both Brass and
Aluminium, ensuring WP remains the same.
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2.0 Manufacturing Facility
Basta Parsons has the facility to manufacture Brass, Aluminium and Nylon WP
Hinges. The hinges are manufactured using conventional machining by;
a) Cell Systems
b) Small Batch Methods
Since relocating to Wolverhampton the manufacturing operation has been improved
and developed inline with modern manufacturing methodologies, incorporating best
practice to succeed in the goals and objectives of quality, cost and delivery.
Basta Parsons operates to ISO9001:2000, working towards the business exceeding its
customer expectations in quality and service.
Basta Parsons also has a test house for testing hinges to the current standard,
BSEN1935.
3.0 Methods of Manufacture and Finishes
3.1 Raw Materials
Basta Parsons manufactures WP hinges in Brass, Aluminium and Nylon. Hinges can
also be manufactured in steel and Zinc and Aluminium die-castings.
3.1.1 Extruded Brass/Aluminium
Hinge sections are formed in long lengths by
forcing hot billets of metal through a die
forming the required shape. Then cutting to
size.
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3.1.2 Injection Moulded – Nylon
Hinges are formed by powder or pellet
material being heated to a plastic state
(semi-molten) and then injected into a
mould of the required shape, ejected and
left to cool.
3.1.3 Pressed and Roll Formed Steel and Stainless Steel
Hinge blanks (outline shapes) are
pressed from sheet material and roll
formed on formers/dies by pressure
from a press.
3.1.4 Zinc and Aluminium Die-castings
Molten material is injected into a die,
ejected out and left to cool.
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3.2 Finishes
Nylon
Self Colour
Brass
Aluminium
Die-Cast
Steel
WP
WP
As Special
As Special
Not WP
Polish & Lacquer
X
WP
X
X
X
Polish Chrome
X
WP
X
X
X
Satin Chrome
X
WP
X
X
X
Etch & Anodise
X
X
WP
X
X
Polish & Anodised
X
X
WP
X
X
Powder
coated
(various colours)
X
X
WP
WP
Not WP
Plated Brass
X
X
X
WP
Not WP
Plated Chrome
X
X
X
WP
Not WP
3.3 Telling the different materials apart
Once the hinge is complete it is sometimes difficult to tell what material it is
manufactured from, especially with all the different finishes available (for example a
Stainless Steel or die-cast hinge can be plated so that appears to be polished Brass).
This can be very important, as different materials have different applications and each
Manufacturing Method has its own advantages and disadvantages, which are often
reflected in the cost of production.
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3.3.1 Some hints/tips in telling the raw material apart;
a) Look at where the knuckle of the hinges meets the leaf. If the join is solid it is
likely to be Brass or Aluminium rather than steel. With a steel hinge you can
see the join where it has been rolled/pressed.
b) Pick the hinge up. Brass will feel heaviest, steel lighter, then Zinc die-cast,
Aluminium, Aluminium die-cast and Nylon being the lightest.
c) Feel the material. Brass and steel will be cold to the touch. Nylon and
Aluminium will feel warmer.
d) Nylon hinges will flex slightly.
e) Look at the design of the hinge. Almost all steel and Aluminium hinges will
have another material introduced to help take the load/forces – steel on steel
will wear very quickly, just think of a car engine running without oil! Brass
has better wearing properties and Brass hinges can be brass on brass, but some
do have other material to help take the load/forces. Nylon is used without any
additional material due to the self-lubrication properties of Nylon.
f) Look at the shape of the hinge. Brass hinges will tend to have thicker leaves
than steel, but steel hinges tend to have a bigger knuckle.
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4.0 Parts of a Butt Hinge
Knuckle
Pin
Leaf /Flap
(2 knuckle)
LOGO
Height
Leaf /Flap
(3 knuckle)
Countersunk
screw holes
Width
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All WP Butt hinges have 5 knuckles. There are some “cheaper” brass hinges on the
market, which are 6 knuckles. At first it may be assumed that 6 is better than 5. Hinge
is subject to many forces and so is the pin that holds the 2 parts of the hinge together.
A 6 knuckle hinge does not offer the support of a 5 knuckle due to the pin not be held
at the top and bottom of the hinge. On a 5-knuckle hinge the force is spread evenly
over the height of the hinge with forces counteracting each other. A 6-knuckle hinge
does not give the ability for the forces to counteract and consequently the hinge pin is
put under far greater stress during operation.
5 knuckle hinge with forces
distributed
6 knuckle hinge with forces
causing stress on the pin
Force
Load
Bearing
point
Force
Force
Force
A 5-knuckle hinge has two lead bearing points.
4.1 Butt Hinge Installation
Due to the forces acting on a butt hinge during operation the 3-knuckle leaf wherever
possible should be attached to the Frame and the 2 knuckles to the door.
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4.2 Screw Fixing Patterns
A 3” 02040600 with
3 straight holes
Butt hinges are available in many different
sizes from 1” in height up to 6” in height.
As a general rule 3” height and below will
have 3 holes per leaf in a straight pattern (1”
will have two holes) and anything 4” and
above will have 4 holes per leaf in a Zigzag
or export pattern. Traditional hinges have a
Zigzag pattern.
If a hinge is to perform well, it must
obviously be fixed securely to both the door
and the doorframe. In softwood particularly,
it is advisable to avoid placing screws too
closely together into the same grain of
timber, as this would encourage the wood to
split. Where practicable, screws are
staggered and the hinge leaves prepared
accordingly. This is an ideal arrangement
for softwood.
All WP hinges are template drilled (to a drawing tolerance), so that all drill holes are
consistent between hinges. This allows the pre-preparation of steel and wood doors
and frames.
Caution must be taken as hole position can vary with manufacturer.
A 4” 02070900 with
3 Zigzag holes
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A 4” 04500505 with 3 ANSI
(export) pattern holes
4.3 Hinge Knuckle Types
Cranked Hinge
Uncranked Hinge
An uncranked hinge knuckle provides a flat back to the hinge when fully open. It is
most common in the manufacture of brass extruded hinges being traditional and is
common for back flap hinges, table hinges and parliament hinges. Some extruded
brass hinges can be found with a cranked knuckle. The cranked knuckle hinge is
usually found with a flat leaf rather than a tapered leaf found on most common hinges.
The advantage of the cranked knuckle is that less material needs to be removed from
the door and doorframe during installation. However, the leaf thickness of these
hinges is usually thinner and therefore not so robust.
4.4 “Linishing” of a Hinge Knuckle
Most Brass Hinges have some form of linishing performed on the knuckle during
manufacture, with the exception of more specialist application hinges, such as
Counter Flap Hinges, Centre Hinges, Butlers Tray hinge, Rising & Falling Hinges and
any brass hinge that contains bearings. The linshing provides a grain running the
length of the hinge and ensures all knuckles are matched exactly.
Traditionally Brass hinges were linished to hide any manufacturing defects. Today
Basta Parsons is able to produce hinges to a higher quality removing the need for
linishing. A hinge that has not been linished is in-fact a stronger more robust hinge as
the linishing process removes material, which weakens the hinge. However, a light
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linishing still remains as part of the manufacturing process due to aesthetic
appearance, history and customer desire.
Aluminium and Nylon hinges are not linished.
4.5 Brass Hinge Pin Variations
The hinge pin is usually fitted into one leaf so
that as the door moves, the lateral load created
by the weight of the door is supported by the
inside face of the other leave bearing on the
section of the pin within it.
The larger the pin diameter, the greater the inside surface area in contact, which
reduces the tendency to wear. However, increased pin diameter also increases the
frictional area of the two surfaces in contact with each other and therefore lubrication
of brass hinges and Aluminium DSSW hinges is important.
4.5.1 Fixed Pin
These are incorporated into most hinges used in the UK. The pin is inserted to join the
two hinge leaves together and to provide a suitable bearing area. The pin can be fixed
in two ways.
a) Spun Over
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b) Secured in the knuckle
Fixed pins are intended to be permanent and should not move however much the door
is used. WP butt hinges are not spun over they use the secured pin fixing.
The fixed pin can be secured in two ways. The pin can be “bulbed" at one end, which
secures it to the 3 knuckle, or the pin can have a knurled finish at one.
4.5.2 Removable or Loose Pin
The pin joining the two flaps is always inserted into the top of the hinge and is
designed to be pulled out to disconnect the leaves if required. This allows the door
leaf to be removed for maintenance or replacement, without the need to unscrew the
hinge from either the door or frame.
There can be many reasons for the need to remove a door regularly and in such
circumstances a loose pin is essential.
There are certain drawbacks to loose pin hinges,
which must be considered.
Loose pins tend to work their way up the hinge
knuckle and require pushing back regularly. This is
unsightly and could be damaging.
Loose pins can be removed by anyone and
therefore should not be used in hinges fitted to
outward opening doors where security is involved.
A lock would quickly become ineffective if the
door could be pulled away from the hinge side by
removing the hinge pins.
Loose pin hinge should not be used on a Fire Door
for the reason that if the door is removed it is not
doing the job it should do in the event of a fire.
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4.5.3 Non –removable Pins
Fixed pins are intended not to be removed but if the hinge is fitted to an outward
opening doors it is possible to tap the pin out from below. WP has an added security
butt hinge. With the aid of a small pin inserted into the side of the knuckle, which
passes through into the pin. This small pin can only be seen with the door open and
ensure that the hinge pin cannot be removed.
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4.6 Hinge Pin Tips
WP offers finishing or decorative tips to the hinge pins. These are purely for aesthetic
reasons. On loose pin hinges the tip provides an easy purchase point when removal is
required.
a) Button Tipped 4”, BH 0430005**
b) Finial Tipped 3” BH0471003**
c) Ball Knobbed 4” BH0451005**
e) Clock Hinge BH15202**
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5.0 Hinge Types
5.1 Plain bearing Hinges
Plain bearing hinges are by far the most
popular for door situations where the duty
required and the door weight are not
excessively heavy. Hinges of different
materials and construction have different
materials and construction have different
performance levels and it is essential to
exercise extreme care when specifying.
Plain bearing hinges rely on metal to metal
contact only and there is no other material
introduced to reduce friction and improve the
wearing properties.
Please note: Brass and nylon hinges can be plain bearing, Aluminium, die-casting and
Steel need to have another material introduced to minimise friction.
Similar hinges of different gauge, given a similar application will perform differently.
A thicker gauge material will out last a thinner gauge. This is due to an increase of
metal contact and therefore more bearing surface to carry the load. Similar hinges of
softer or harder material will also perform differently.
5.2 Washered Hinges
Washered hinges are designed to be an improvement on plain bearing hinges. The
principle is to introduce between each section of knuckle a relatively thin wafer of a
different material to the hinge, selected for its high wearing properties.
5.2.1 Brass Hinge Washers
Brass hinges normally have two stainless steel
or Phosphor Bronze washers introduced. WP
only offers Phosphor Bronze washers.
Phosphor Bronze is preferred to stainless steel
for two reasons;
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1. Phosphor Bronze has natural lubrication properties. Phosphor bronze has been
used for many centuries to reduce wear even before the recent manufacture and
the development of steel. Phosphor Bronze grease is used in certain applications.
Steel washers need to have another material introduced otherwise they will wear
very quickly – Oil/Grease, just like a car engine.
2. Phosphor Bronze is similar in colour to Brass. Often Brass hinges are polished/
plated. With Steel washers the polishing and lacquering process has the result of
the steel washers standing out in appearance due to the difference in colour and
can look unsightly
All Brass WP hinges have double washers and are considered to be an improvement
over single washers. The washers are fixed to prevent they rotating about the hinge
pin, thus ensuring that any potential wear occurs between the washer surfaces.
Phosphor Bronze washers on WP hinge are in a “D” shape, which fits into a machined
section of the hinge knuckle ensuring the washers do not rotate.
5.2.2 Aluminium and Die-casting Hinge Washers.
Aluminium uses both Nylon and double stainless steel
washers. The advantage of Nylon is due to the material
properties, as it has natural lubricating properties. They
are joined to the hinge knuckle by two different methods.
Stainless steel washers are in the form of a circular
Page 17 of 30
washer, but have an extra part protruding giving the name, tag washers. The tag part
of the washer fits into the leaf of the aluminium having had a small hole drilled into
the leaf. This prevents the washers rotating ensuring the washer-to-washer friction
occurs. Stainless steel washers must be lubricated.
Nylon Washers are shaped like a top with a projecting grove along the length of the
washer. Part of the washer its into the aluminium extrusion which has a corresponding
groove, which ensures the Nylon Washer does not move.
Most of the WP range of Aluminium Nylon washes are double washer. However, due
to the size of WP’s smallest Aluminium hinges there is not a enough space on the
knuckle and therefore these smaller hinges have single nylon washers.
Projecting Grove on
Nylon top hat
Die-cast hinges tend to use nylon bushes that can take many different forms.
The hole in the bush can be offset from the centre allowing for adjustment of the
hinge when fitting to the door
5.3 Ball Bearing (within a ball race) Hinges.
Ball racers are commonly used in steel hinges. WP has a range of Brass hinges, which
use 2 and four ball race. Ball bearings, because they reduce friction dramatically, also
improve the general efficiency of the door and hardware.
It should be noted that with a 2-ball race hinge only one ball race is taking the load.
Therefore a 4-ball race hinge is preferable over 2.
Where a ball race is located simply between knuckles it can only assist in reducing
vertical wear. If however, the hinge is designed so that the bearings are embedded
within their respective knuckles and cannot therefore move horizontally, it will also
be able to support the lateral forces, which are imposed upon it.
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Load Bearing Point
a) Double Ball Race BH026608**
Page 19 of 30
b) Button tipped Ball race BH027002**
5.4 Projection and Parliament Hinges
Projecting hinges are used for doors, which when fully opened are required to clear
projections. The pivot point is set away from the door face and the screw holes are
grouped toward the edge of the hinge leaves.
These hinges are produced with different projections. Parliament hinges are also
projection hinges. Projection hinges are commonly used on an open-out conservatory
door.
Door Frame
Door
Projection
Page 20 of 30
5.5 Lift Off Hinges
A lift-off hinge enables a door to be removed by lifting the door off the hinge pin
without the need to unscrew the hinge from the doorframe.
The hinge pin is permanently secured into one hinge leaf, which is fixed to the
doorframe, whilst the other leaf is fixed to the hanging door. The inside diameter of
the knuckle on this leaf gives clearance to allow it to slide over the fixed hinge pin.
LIFT OFF HINGES ARE THEREFORE HANDED
Care must be taken to ensure that there is sufficient clear headroom above the door to
allow it to be lifted off the hinges. Some hinges are manufactured with shorter pins to
allow to allow the door to be raised slightly for removal.
Looking down onto a Lift Off hinge a clockwise closing is a left hand. Anticlockwise
is right hand. Try holding the hinge in your hands. Determine which is the fixed pin
leaf , which will locate on the fixed frame. Take the hinge apart and 9 times out of 10
individuals tend to have the fixed leaf in the left hand for a left-handed hinge and their
right hand for a right-handed hinge.
a) Left Hand Lift Off
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b) Right Hand Lift Off
5.6 Rising and Falling Butt Hinges
Rising hinges are also lift off hinges, but the bearing face is ramped which provides a
rising or falling action. The rise or fall action can raise or lower the door by 6 mm
over the 90 degree it is opened or closed.
WP manufacture both Brass and Aluminium Rising and Falling Hinges. The
Aluminium use steel cams and the Brass use Phosphor Bronze.
A RISING HINGE RISES WHEN THE DOOR IS OPENED. Once opened the door
will self close under gravity. This is useful on toilet or cubicle doors. The action of the
door lifting will enable it to clear carpets or slight obstructions providing these are not
too close to the door. Special preparation is required at the head of the door toward
the hanging edge. This is to allow the door to clear the head frame as it opens and
rises. Due to this rising butt hinges should not be specified for use on fire resistant
doors.
A FALLING HINGE FALLS WHEN THE DOOR IS OPENED. They can also be
sued for toilet and cubicle doors. A bolt or latch is required to hold the door in a
closed position.
Because Rising and Falling hinges are also lift off they are also handed.
If you try to think of rising and falling, left hand and right hand all together then the
issue becomes very confusing. The best way to determine the hinge that is required is
to firstly determine if the application requires a Left Hand or Right hand lift off hinge.
Then determine if it is a rising or falling hinge. Bring the two together and you have
the required hinge.
A LH Rising
Hinge
A LH Falling
Hinge
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The installation of these particular hinges is very important. If the frame is not
completely horizontal in all planes the hinge will not operate correctly. The hinges
need to be installed on the frame and door in the correct position also. A poor
installation could result in the application not operating correctly and could damage
the hinges in severe cases.
5.7 Flush Hinge or Non Mortice Hinge
Both flaps are faced fixed and when
closed are flush within the gap between
door and frame.
It should be noted that these hinges have
3 knuckles and are most commonly used
on furniture.
5.8 Counter Flap Hinge
These are designed for use with bar type
counter situations and have a tumbler
(double pivot) joint, which allows a
flush surface when the counter is in
place. These hinges open completely flat
at 180 degrees.
5.9 Back Flap Hinges
Back flap hinges are used in those
situations where there is insufficient
timber to fix normal butt hinges. They
are not usually found on swing doors but
are of importance on sliding/folding
doors and sliding round-the-corner
doors. For this and similar purposes they
are usually flat backed (uncranked)
knuckles. They are also surface fixed
and extended leaves give extra screw
fixing.
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5.10 “H” Hinge
These are often used on furniture as they
provide a traditional decorative effect.
5.11 Security or Dog Bolt Hinge
A security stud (metal) is mounted on
one hinge flap. When the door is closed
the stud engages in the hole making
removal of the door almost impossible,
even if the hinge pin is taken out, thus
adding to the general security of the
doorway.
Often security studs are required when
loose or removable pin hinges are used
and, additionally, they are very
worthwhile as an extra security device
for outward opening doors (knuckle on
outside).
It is not unknown for a potential thief to hacksaw through each hinge knuckle and
enter a room by pulling open the hinge side of a door. The WP dog bolt rotes making
it almost impossible to hacksaw through.
5.12 Cranked Hinge
There are many situations where a standard butt
hinge, projection hinge or a swing clear hinge can
not suite the application. Cranked hinges enable a
door to be open to almost 270 degrees. They can
also be used for the same purpose as a projection
hinge to clear any obstacles. Some times when the
doorframe is in the middle of a thick wall cranked
hinges can be used as a means to project the door
allowing the door to open past the 90 degrees that it
could only achieve with a standard butt hinge.
Page 24 of 30
5.13 Storm Proof or Swing Clear hinges
Swing clear hinges have become more popular in recent years. With the introduction
of new legislation requiring that buildings have disabled access it is a cost affective
way to increase the door width for better access for wheel chairs etc….
Door Frame
Door
Page 25 of 30
5.14 Other Hinges in the WP Range
Card table hinge. These allow a flat opening of 180 degrees similar to a counter flap
hinge but are narrower and have a different design.
Centre hinges or Swivel hinges allow each
leave to rotate over 360 degree and are
used in certain furniture designs and
display cabinets.
Desk Strap hinge. These are similar to a normal butt hinge but are very narrow. They
are used in certain furniture applications when the furniture might open up to reveal a
work surface or desk for example.
Butlers Tray Hinge. The hinge is
completely flat (180 degrees) but when
opened locks at 270 degrees using a small
spring mechanism.
Table Hinges have the countersunk holes
on the opposite side. One of there many
applications might be used on a horizontal
shelf, which can be opened as access is
needed underneath the shelf.
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5.15 Customer Special Hinges
WP is able to provide its customers with special designs of hinges. Such designs
might be old hinges that need replicating or where a new design is required. In both
instances Price and volume dictates whether it is possible.
WP provides customer specials in Brass, Aluminium, die-cast with a variety of
different finishes.
5.16 Undrilled Hinges
WP offers many of its standard hinges undrilled. In certain applications a customer
might chose to place countersunk holes in different position to the standard hinge. The
hole positions on standard hinges are position in the best location to ensure secure
fixing to the frame and door or the application being used.
5.17 Radius Corners
Some furniture door manufactures use modern CNC equipment to route out (remove
material) where the hinge is to be fitted. The CNC tooling requires that the hinge has
a radius on all its four corners, so WP can provide radius corners on the hinges as a
customer special.
6.0 Sizing of Hinges
Hinges are always measured Height then Width. However, the Parliament Hinge is an
exception – Height * Internal Dimension * Width.
7.0 The Effect of Door Closers on a hinge.
Fitting a hydraulic door closure imposes addition stress on the hinges and it is
generally accepted that the weight of carrying capacity of the hinge should be
increased by 20% when a self-closing hydraulic door control is fitted to the door and
up to 100% with a back check closer.
8.0 Specifying and Installing a Hinge
With so many different types, sizes and finishes available it is not easy to lay down
hard and fast ‘rules’ but as a specified one must at least adopt certain principles:
a) A hinge must be strong enough to carry the weight of the door.
b) A hinge must be robust enough to work efficiently whatever the traffic.
c) A hinge must suit opening requirements (normal swing, swing clear,
projecting).
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d) A hinge must be durable enough to last a reasonable amount of time according
to the duty required.
The use of the door closers increases the loading on door hinges and the rate of wear.
It is usual to increase the door weight by 20% when selecting hinges if a door closer is
present
It is usual for three or more hinges to be used with door closers. Some specialist
manufacturers fit very substantial hinges that perform satisfactorily with door closers
when only two hinges per door are fitted.
The following factors should always be considered when selecting hinges:
a) Height, width and thickness of the door
b) Door weight including its hardware
c) Construction of door frame, i.e. timber, metal
d) Fire resisting requirements
e) Door closers fitted to doors
f) Frequency of operation
g) Angle of opening required, e.g. 180° opening
h) Internal or external application
i) Security requirements
j) Environmental conditions
k) Special applications, i.e. Loose Pin Lift Off, Rising or Falling, and hand of
hinge, if applicable
l) Quality, finish and price.
Hinges should be spaced equidistant from the centre of the height on external or
internal door leaves. On doors exceeding 20kg in weight, a third hinge should be
provided on the centre line.
Internal door leaf height is stated as 2040mm and 926mm in increments of 100mm.
External door leaves are stated at 1994mm with widths of 806mm and 906mm.
The fixing positions for the upper and lower hinges has been determined at 250mm
from the top and bottom of the door.
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When advising on installation remember that the bottom hinge tends to take most of
the vertical thrust (weight) on the shear of the screws. The top hinge takes most of the
lateral thrust (pull) which relies on the screw threads into the timber. Therefore, with
heavy doors, there is a good argument for fitting the third hinge closer to the top hinge
as recommended by some manufacturers as is popular in continental Europe.
Fitting a third hinge in the centre helps to counteract any tendency for the door to
warp, e.g. hollow core doors and half and fully glazed doors. On fire and smoke stop
doors it is essential and will greatly increase the effectiveness of the assembly and
should always be specified.
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9.0 The Life of a hinge
In severe cases of hinge wear the leading edge of the door will drop and begin to drag
upon the floor. This poses additional problems such as possible damage to the bottom
of the door and the floor. The door could fall from the frame and fail to close,
dislocation of the latch or latch/bolt from the keeper or striker plate resulting in costly
maintenance.
A hinge will occasional squeak (particularly plated hinges) before fixing. But once
fixed and lubricated correctly the squeak will stop.
Over a period of time during application black dust might appear around the hinge
knuckle and can be seen when the hinge is in the open position. This is quite normal
and requires a wipe with a cloth to remove the dust.
All WP hinges have an information sheet in every box saying the following;
“These precision hinges are supplied non-lubricated. It is recommended that
they are lubricated on installation and then at regular intervals thereafter”
“Regular maintenance and lubrication of these hinges will enhance their
lifespan and performance. It is recommended that SA*) min lubricating oil be
used.”
“In certain applications dry film lubricants should be used e.g. dusty areas or
areas that are regularly hosed with detergent solutions.”
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