Hinges.....

Happiness....!

I am Sure I have mentioned More than once, Dear Readers, how much I Love Hinges! But that does not necessarily mean they are easy to work with. My favorite hinges are not made for miniatures and are a tad oversized for most applications in 1/12 scale. They are 3/4 inches tall which would be 9 inches in dollhouse scale, and just under 3/8 inches wide including the hinge pin, the plate being 1/4 inch alone. But they are sturdy enough for enthusiastic and prolonged use, and really, I have seen hinges this large on many an old door. Certainly, for the Castle I feel justified in using large heavy hinges for the oversized frames needed for the heavy leaded glass windows! These hinges are designed for flat surface application, not as the more modern butt hinges which will close snugly in between the frame and the door. But in a pinch, they can be used in less conventional ways.
(True Medieval hinges were even more primitive.... being just the "strap" folded at the end around an "L" shaped pin attached to the framework.)

This is the flat profile.... with the plates both on a surface

 and the pin standing above the surface.

When fully closed there is a gap between the plates...

 a butt hinge would have the plates flush with each other....

so as to fit snugly between the surfaces being moved.

Folded the other way, these hinges only go so far.... 

but they form a 90 degree angle to each other

 which is useful if you apply one plate to the surface

 and one to the crack....

It is unconventional... but it allows the frame to close

 snugly against the plate inside the window frame.

Or it would if I could get the holes for the

 screws drilled inside this small frame.....

(I hadn't thought of this problem!)

 

Even using my mini hand held pin drill..... 

I couldn't get a straight on angle.

So the heads of the screws will not sit flush to the plate... 

(which they wouldn't anyway because they are

 applied to the wrong side of the plate)

But this could be remedied by gouging into the wooden frame

 far enough to accommodate the screw heads.

Which took many tries to get the fit right.

And the outside view again....!

Have I completely bored you with all these hinge details?

Not bored enough?

Good! 

Because we are just getting started with the shutters!

Oh, Look at all those hinges!

It helps to begin with the shutters as one piece

 to aid in the alignment and spacing of the hinges.

Once again, this is an unconventional use of the hinges, 

but it allows for the very thick shutters to be

 attached to the wall right at the edge of the window.

The face of the hinges is on the exterior face of the shutter...

here you see it open...

the only difficulty being the thickness of the shutter

 prevents it from opening fully

 (I have beveled the back edge of the shutter as much as possible)

Those bright brass hinges need to be painted black...

And the shutter cut into two halves.

And those sculpey "hinge straps" glued on....

And the shutters attached!

(It has gotten late so I needed the spotlight...!)

So you can see the window open!

And the shutters align perfectly!

Shall we turn on the lights....?

(or should I say light the torches?)

And close those shutters against the night!

(it is still chilly at night after all!)

In case you couldn't tell, Dear Readers,

Working hinges make me Happy!

I do Love Hinges!