Hinges and Latches

Strap hinges

A strap hinge is a long flat strap with an eye at one end that turns on a pintle fixed in the door frame. It’s the classic hinge for barn, shed, sauna, and gate doors and for chests.

Stock: flat bar sized to the door - 1/8 × 1 inch for a chest or cabinet, 3/16 × 1.25 inch for a shed door. The pintle is round bar sized to the eye (often 3/8 or 1/2 inch).

1. Decorative end: forge the far end of the strap first - a spade, leaf, round, or fishtail - by fullering, drawing, and spreading (see Drawing Out).
2. Nail holes: punch holes at a yellow heat along the strap (see Punching and Drifting), then countersink them from the face side with a tapered punch so heads sit flush.
3. Eye: heat the other end and start a curl over the anvil edge, then scroll it closed around a mandrel the size of the pintle ¹. For heavy doors, roll the eye back along the strap and forge-weld it for strength.
4. Pintle: forge a pin and a spiked or flattened shank at a right angle; a drive pintle is driven into a timber post, a plate pintle screws on.
5. Fit: the eye should turn freely on the pintle; flatten the strap and check it’s straight.

A thumb latch

The traditional door latch (Suffolk or Norfolk latch) has four parts:

• Handle and plate on the outside, with a thumb lever passing through a slot in the door.
• Bar (latch bar) on the inside, pivoting on a staple or pin.
• Keeper on the frame that the bar drops into.
• Staple to guide the bar.

Pressing the thumb lever lifts the bar out of the keeper. Each part uses drawing out, punching, bending, and riveting; fit them to the door’s thickness.

A slide bolt

A round bar sliding in two staples (U-shaped straps with flattened, punched feet), with a knob or bent handle, and a keeper on the frame. A small, satisfying project with hinge-like skills.

Finishing hardware

Wire-brush hot; for outdoor hardware, use paint, linseed oil, or a mix of linseed oil and turpentine over warm steel, renewed now and then. Hot-dip galvanizing (done professionally) protects best outdoors - but never forge galvanized stock (see Heat Colors).

What to take from this

A strap hinge is flat bar with a forged decorative end, punched and countersunk nail holes, and an eye scrolled around a pintle-sized mandrel (welded shut for heavy doors), turning on a drive or plate pintle. A thumb latch combines handle, thumb lever, bar, staple, and keeper; a slide bolt is a rod in two staples. Finish outdoor hardware with paint or oil.