Part 3

Pompeian bronze Copper Sage-green bronze Nickel Royal copper bronze Silver Ormolu metal Gold Boston finish Bower-Barff Enameled White enamel Japanned Gun-metal brown White metal Verde antique Brass Statuary bronze Bronze Olive bronze

HINGES, HINGE BUTTS, AND SPECIAL HINGES

=20. Strap Hinges.=—The common wrought hinges used to apply on the surface, for hanging doors, etc., and generally used in connection with rough work, such as bins, sheds, barns, etc., where a strong, serviceable hinge that may be easily applied is required, are known as =strap hinges=. They are constructed of wrought metal of various weights, according to the size of the hinge, and are stamped or cut from sheet metal, with _knuckles_, or sockets for the pins, formed on the strap; the pins passing through the knuckles are well riveted. There are two kinds of strap hinges; namely, _light-strap_ and _heavy-strap hinges_.

The =light-strap hinge=, which is shown in Fig. 12 (_a_), is so termed because of its light construction and narrow joint. This hinge is made in inch sizes, varying from 3 to 16 inches in length. By inch size is meant the longest dimension when the hinge is closed; thus, a 6-inch strap hinge is 12 inches long from end to end when opened. They are listed and sold by the pair.

The =heavy-strap hinge=, which is shown at (_b_), is similar to the light hinge, but is made from heavier metal and has large dimensions at the joints, or knuckles. This type of hinge is used where a strong, substantial hinge is required. The heavy-strap hinge is made in inch sizes, from 4 to 16 inches in length. The 4- and 5-inch sizes are listed and sold by the pair, the 6-inch and larger sizes being listed and sold by the pound; the larger the hinge the lower the price per pound.

As shown at (_c_), the heavy-strap hinges are also made with corrugated knuckles, which give additional strength where the construction is weakest. These are termed =corrugated-strap hinges=.

All of the hinges described are also made in plain steel, japanned or galvanized, and may have brass pins or rivets.

=21. T Hinges.=—As will be seen from Fig. 13, =T hinges= are so called to distinguish them from the strap hinge, as well as because of their construction, which is in the form of the letter =T=. The =T= hinge is used for practically the same purpose as the strap hinge, but is superior to it in strength, from the fact that its knuckle is wider than that of the strap hinge. =T= hinges are made in light, heavy, and extra-heavy grades, the former and latter types being shown in Fig. 13 (_a_) and (_b_). In arranging the sizes of =T= hinges, the measurements are given for the length of the strap only; the leaf of the hinge forming the =T= with the strap is not considered. Thus, a 6-inch =T= hinge measures 6 inches from the pin to the end of the strap leaf. =T= hinges may also be obtained in stamped metal, with corrugations, as shown at (_c_). These hinges can be had in all finishes. The light and heavy grades, as well as the 4- and 5-inch extra-heavy grades, are sold by the pair, while the larger sizes of extra heavy are sold by weight.

=22. Hinge Butts.=—In the selection of hardware for building purposes, no other article deserves more consideration, and probably receives less, than the =hinge butt=. This type of hinge is used for the purpose of hanging all of the exterior and interior doors of buildings, and is usually secured to the edge of the door and to the hanging stile of the frame with screws, the greater part of the appliance being thus unobtrusive and partly hidden from view. The hinge butt supports the entire weight of the door, and, ordinarily, is constantly in use, so that it is subjected to excessive strain and considerable wear. It is evident, therefore, that great care should be exercised in selecting hinge butts, so that proper sizes and qualities suitable for the purpose intended may be obtained.

=23. Cast-Iron Hinge Butts.=—Hinge butts made of cast-iron are used extensively in the cheaper class of buildings built for speculative purposes, in which cost is usually the controlling factor. An ornamental type of the =cast-iron hinge butt= is shown in Fig. 14. Butts of this type are not extensively used at present, but may be obtained in various finishes to imitate bronze or brass, and may likewise be obtained without ornamentation. As the genuine Bower-Barff finishes are produced with equal facility on iron or steel, a large number of the better grade of cast butts are finished in this manner.

While the cast-iron hinge butt is not so durable as the steel butt, being more easily broken when subjected to excessive stresses, it wears somewhat better at the joints, or knuckles, than the ordinary steel butt. Therefore, the extra-heavy types of cast-iron are becoming more popular for entrance doors, etc., where a good wearing butt is required, and where economy is the essential feature. The heavier grades of cast-iron butts can be procured with steel bushings inserted into the joints.

=24. Steel Hinge Butts.=—In recent years, the =steel hinge butt=, which is shown in Fig. 15, has been substituted for the cheaper cast-iron butts. The better grades are made with ball tips, as indicated in the figure, and these are now almost universally used for medium-class work and for the better class of interior work. Owing to the fact that they are made up with smooth surfaces, the steel hinge butts are adapted to the various buildings and finishings without grinding or buffing. These butts are stamped and formed by machinery, so that their cost is reduced to a minimum; they can be sold for less than cast-iron butts, and also possess the advantage over the latter in that they are practically unbreakable. The ordinary grades are not suitable for large and heavy entrance doors that are constantly in use, for they are made of soft steel and wear readily at the joints. Thus, in time, they will allow the door to sag and thereby necessitate readjustment, or the planing of the door at the sill. For such class of work, steel hinge butts should be used that are provided with ball bearings, as shown in Fig. 16, or with hardened-steel washers inserted at the joints, as shown in Fig. 17.

These steel butts are also made in smaller sizes, and for bookcases, cupboard doors, and light work of this kind in ordinary building operations, they are used almost exclusively, having practically forced the small cast butts for this class of work out of the market.

=25. Cast-Bronze and Brass Butts.=—All types of =brass= and =bronze butts= are made in several grades and qualities, and it is difficult to determine the grade after they have been placed in position. It is therefore advisable for the architect or building superintendent to make a careful inspection of this hardware, to determine whether it is furnished according to specification. Brass and bronze butts are made in light, or commercial, heavy, and extra-heavy grades, and in all cases should be steel-bushed, self-lubricating, and provided with five knuckles. The high-grade butts are now manufactured with ball bearings at the wearing joints. The construction of a solid bronze, ball-bearing hinge butt is shown in Fig. 18. In this figure, the hardened-steel balls are shown at _a_, and the cones, which are also of hardened steel, at _b_. Bronze hinges constructed in this manner can be obtained at a slight additional cost above the ordinary steel-bushed hinge.

Where hinge butts are exposed to the weather, as when used for exterior doors, bronze or brass butts should always be employed; and for extra-heavy doors that are in constant use, only the extra-heavy types should be used if permanency and durability are desired. There are a number of cheap grades of bronze, steel-bushed hinges on the market that are made of wrought or sheet metal. This kind of hinge has no merit, and should not be used on work of any quality.

=26. Sizes of Hinge Butts.=—The standard hinge butts are always square, but they may be procured in irregular sizes, at additional cost. In indicating the size of irregular hinge butts—that is, the butts that are not square, and that are consequently not standard—two dimensions must always be given. The first dimension stated should indicate the height of the butt, and the second the width of the butt when it is open. Thus, a 6" × 5" butt is 6 inches high and 5 inches wide when opened. This rule for indicating the size of hinge butts is easy to remember, from the fact that it is the reverse of that ordinarily employed by builders when indicating the sizes of doors and windows, for here it is customary to give the horizontal dimension first and the height of the opening last.

=27. Single-Acting Hinges, or Butts.=—There is a large butt, or hinge, in the market that has a coil spring either between the knuckles, or enclosed between the leaves. This device is known as the =single-acting hinge=, and is illustrated in Fig. 19. At (_a_) is shown the _Bommer single-acting hinge_, which has a spiral spring enclosed within the casing formed by one of the knuckles. The tension on this spring can be increased by operating the collar at _a_ with a pin, or bar. At (_b_) is shown a single-acting spring hinge known as the _Chicago single-acting spring butt_. This hinge butt has a spiral spring that is encased between two leaves. In operating, this spring always tends to throw the door back to its closed position. These two kinds of single-acting hinges are used more than any other hinge of the same nature now in the market, but for doors of large size the liquid door check is preferred, although it is more costly. Single-acting hinge butts are used principally for hanging water-closet slat doors; and they are also used for light doors that do not reach the full height of the opening, and which have no jambs. The Bommer hinge, as shown in Fig. 19 (_a_), has an advantage on account of the simple means provided for adjusting the tension of the coil, or spring, by which the momentum of the door in swinging to and fro can be reduced to a minimum, thus shutting the door with little noise as it strikes the stop.

Two other types of the Bommer single-acting spring hinge are shown in Fig. 20. At (_a_) are shown two types of single-acting, surface, spring hinges that are used for lavatory doors, while at (_b_) is shown a similar single-acting spring hinge arranged for securing to a marble or slate stile or partition. These hinges are commonly supplied in highly polished nickel plate, brass, or bronze. The clamp hinge illustrated at (_b_) is made to secure to slabs of marble or slate from 1 to 2 inches in thickness, advancing by quarter inches. This type of hinge is also adjustable ⅛ inch over and under the stated sizes.

The Bommer yoke-spring hinge is also made as illustrated in Fig. 21. This yoke hinge consists of two single-acting hinges hung right and left of the same partition on one box flange, the yoke or box flange being constructed as shown at _a_. As the box flange of this spring is not adjustable, the exact thickness of the marble, or partition, and the door must always be stated in ordering these hinges.

The single-acting spring hinges with clamps, as just described, are fastened to the marble partitions separating water-closet compartments by means of bolts having capnuts, as shown at _b_, Fig. 21, and are thus secured firmly in position. Special single-acting hinges may be obtained with a reverse spring that can be regulated to hold the door partly open, instead of in a closed position.

=28. Double-Acting Hinges.=—The =double-acting hinge= is similar in construction to a single-acting hinge, except that it is arranged so that the door can swing both ways. These hinges are combined in one piece of hardware, as illustrated in Fig. 22. Such hinges are much heavier and more costly than the single-acting hinge, and they are generally used for entrance doors of hotels and public buildings, and for doors between kitchen and pantry or dining room in private residences, where a door that will swing both ways and return to a closed position is desirable. The double-acting hinge is usually subjected to excessive wear and strain. Care should therefore be exercised in selecting this type of hinge; also, in determining the size, it is better to have a hinge slightly larger than required rather than one that is too small. While double-acting spring hinges made of cast-iron may be obtained, those of the latest manufacture are of steel. They may also be procured in brass or bronze, and of any desired finish to match the fixtures and other hardware.

In Fig. 23 is shown another type of double-acting spring hinge that is not so compact as those illustrated in Fig. 22. This hinge, as shown, is operated by a coil spring that fits into a rabbet formed in the two leaves of the spring; thus, the coil is invisible when the door is closed, or in its normal position. This hinge obtains a good purchase on the door and jamb.

=29. Floor Hinges.=—A device is made for hanging single- and double-acting doors by means of pivots, or trunnions, placed at the top or the bottom. The top pivot is usually inactive; that is, it has no spring or other device, and is simply a trunnion, or pivot, with the necessary plate to engage it fastened to the edge of the door trim. The bottom piece of hardware, on the other hand, is arranged with a pivot and a coil spring, and has various mechanisms for operating the door positively and silently.

In Fig. 24 is illustrated a =single-acting, checking-spring hinge=. This spring hinge is known as the _Bardsley_, and its mechanism, which is enclosed in a cast-iron box, is shown at (_a_). This box, or case, is set into the floor, the top plate being made flush with the top of the floor, as shown at (_b_). The operating bar, or pivot, of the hinge has a square end, as shown at _a_, that engages with the plate secured to the bottom edge of the door, and is connected to the mechanism by means of a crank and connecting link, as at _b_. After being set into the floor, the cast-iron box, or case, containing the spring, piston cylinder, etc. is filled with oil or other non-freezing liquid, and sealed by means of the top plate _c_. The action of the door in opening compresses the spring and operates the piston in the cylinder. The spring operating to close the door also moves the piston and forces the oil in the cylinder out through a by-pass, the flow being regulated by the adjusting screws _d_, which are on a level with the top plate. In this manner, the door is closed surely but gently, from which the hinge derives its name of checking-spring hinge. Hinges of this type can be used without any modification of the door or frame, but are not extensively used on account of their high price and the cost of application.

For pivoting the door at the top, there is provided a top pivot and plate, as illustrated at (_c_). This pivot is applied to the edge of the door stile. Both the top pivot and bottom hinge plates on the door are offset.

Double-acting floor hinges are rapidly displacing double-acting spring hinges. This is due to the fact that when the former hinges are employed the door is pivoted at the top and bottom and the weight of the door is not carried by the coils of the spring, as in the double-acting spring hinge. The floor type of double-acting hinge carries the weight of the door on a ball bearing in the box, or case, let into the floor, as shown at _a_, Fig. 25, the coil performing only the function of closing the door. The hinge illustrated is not only a double-acting hinge, but is also a checking hinge, and for this reason is known as a =double-acting, checking-spring hinge=. In operating, this spring hinge not only closes the door, but prevents it, when closing, from oscillating after the door has reached its neutral, or closed, position.

There are numerous double-acting floor hinges in the market that are not of the checking type. Some of these are the _Atlas_ and _Simplex_, made by Bardsley, the _Bommer_, made by Bommer Brothers, together with the _Chicago_, _New Idea_, _Matchless_, _Chief_, and _Columbia_, made by various manufacturers. All of these hinges embody practically the same principle, but differ somewhat in mechanism.

=30. Outside Blind and Shutter Hinges.=—The outside shutter, or blind, is still much used in the construction of dwelling houses, and a great variety of hardware is made to use in conjunction with hanging these devices. Only the most common of the many available types of this kind of hardware, however, will be treated here.

The hinge illustrated in Fig. 26 may be classed among the oldest types of shutter hinge. This hinge is made of cast-iron and is formed with a gravity-locking device intended to hold the shutter in position when opened against the building. It is known as the _Lull and Porter hinge_, and is made in various sizes that are designed to throw the shutter from 1½ to 6½ inches away from the casing, so as to clear all obstructions consequent to the various constructions. A sill catch must be used in conjunction with this hinge, in order to hold the shutter in place when closed and to prevent it from blowing open.

A similar type of hinge, known as the _Clark hinge_, is illustrated in Fig. 27. This hinge is made of cast-iron, and in three sizes, which are arranged to throw the blind 1¼, 3¼, or 4¼ inches from the casing. The hinge with the largest throw is used on brick buildings. With this hinge, as with the one just described, a sill catch must be used to keep the shutter closed.

In specifying cast-iron hinges of the types just considered, it is well to mention that they shall be extra heavy, from the fact that there are so many in the market of such light construction as to be practically worthless.

A type of the =gravity-locking hinge=, which is better than the cast-iron hinge, is illustrated in Fig. 28. This hinge is made entirely of steel, and is known as the _Stanley gravity blind hinge_. There is only one size of this hinge manufactured, and it is used for frame buildings. All of the parts of this hinge are interchangeable and reversible, so that it may be used for either right- or left-hand blinds.

There is a wrought-steel hinge, known as the _Stanley blind hinge_, which has not the gravity-locking device, but which obtains a greater purchase on the shutter. This hinge is illustrated in Fig. 29; the hinge shown at (_a_) is for frame buildings, while that shown at (_b_) is arranged for brick walls.

Another type of hinge made entirely of wrought steel, and known as the _New York blind hinge_, is shown in Fig. 30. This type of hinge has a long strap that extends on the top and the bottom rail of the shutter and thus tends to prevent the blind from drooping. This strap also strengthens the shutter by relieving the mortise and tenon of the rail and stile from the strain. The New York blind hinges are made in two styles. The hinge shown at (_a_) is intended for frame buildings, while that at (_b_) is made with an offset to throw the shutter clear of a brick jamb. These hinges are ordinarily used with blind adjusters, or fasteners, and for very high blinds, a center, or auxiliary, hinge is used.

There is another type of strap hinge similar to those just described, the butt of which consists of a pin and staple, as shown in Fig. 31. This staple is secured by driving it into wooden blocking in the brick joints. Hinges of this type are used extensively in localities where brick buildings are numerous.

=31. Inside Blind, or Shutter, Hinges.=—The use of inside blinds, or shutters, is general with the better class of domestic buildings, and for hanging these shutters, three kinds of hinges are used, depending on the number of folds in the shutter and the manner in which they fold back on each other. Usually, the _butt_ and the _back flap_, as shown in Fig. 32 (_a_) and (_b_), are used. Where the shutter has three folds, however, a _knuckle butt_, as shown at (_c_), is employed. The purpose of the knuckle butt is to cause the folds to take such relative positions as will enable them, when open, to close properly into a pocket, or recess, formed in the window frame.

=32. Invisible Butts, or Hinges.=—A =secret=, or =invisible, hinge=, known as the _Soss hinge_, has recently been placed on the market. This hinge, which is illustrated in Fig. 33 (_a_), consists of a semicircular plate, which is attached rigidly to the door section, and a movable semicircular plate on the jamb leaf, which telescopes the section on the door in closing. These hinges are invisible when the door is closed. The disadvantage in the use of these hinges is due to the fact that they have only one wearing joint; they are also somewhat complicated and expensive. As shown in Fig. 33 (_b_), they have no throw, or offset, and consequently the door does not clear the baseboard, or trim, in opening. The larger size of hinge has a throw of 1 inch, which is not ordinarily sufficient for doors. These hinges, however, have their use for such mill work as seats, secret jambs, drop, or folding, leaves, etc., and for this class of work are the best in the market.

=33. Strap and Corner Hinge Plates.=—Medieval hardware was the product of the blacksmith and the whitesmith, the former working with forge and hammer, and the latter with chisel and file, the material being wrought iron. The butt hinge was unknown, while the strap, or surface, hinge was in universal use; and, as this was wholly in sight, it naturally became the subject of decoration, chiefly in outline, but occasionally in surface ornament also. With the adoption of the butt hinge for general use, the opportunity of utilizing the hinge to decorate the surface of the door disappeared, but with the modern revival of decorative art the use of constructive metal work as a feature of surface decoration for important doors was restored. This was accomplished by combining with the modern butt a surface plate that represents the strap hinge. Obviously, the width of the butt of a hinge plate should correspond with the height of the butt hinge with which it is to be used, and both should be of the same metal and finish. The other dimensions are governed by the size of the door and by taste, as is true also in the case of corner plates. A varied and artistic selection of typical strap hinges and corner plates is given in the groups of designs shown in Figs. 34 and 35.

LOCKS AND THEIR APPURTENANCES

=34. Locks in General.=—In no other line of hardware is there such a variety of grades and types as there is in door locks. In general, locks may be designated as _surface_ and _mortise locks_, the former being secured to the surface of the door and entirely exposed to view, while the latter are let into a mortise cut in the edge of the stile. Besides these two general kinds of locks, there are several special locks, which will be fully explained. As to quality, locks may be classified in three grades; namely, _common_, _medium_, and _high grade_.