loose pin hinges

[Fred]

Hi,

I see Toolstation are selling loose pin hinges. They claim it makes door removal easy for decorating, moving large furniture, etc.

Before I rush off to buy some and start changing the hinges on all my doors, do they work?

How loose is a loose pin? Does it just lift up, or do you need pliers? Are they easy to remove or is it awkward reaching into a tiny gap between the door and door frame?

And how easy is it to put the door back? Do you need three pairs of hands to lift the door into the right position and drop the pin back in?

Thanks in advance.

[Andy Burns]

They do.

Most of mine need tapping through with some sort of shaft that's narrower than the pin.

You just get the pin half-way inserted on the door part of the hinge, line up the door and push it partly home, repeat on bottom hinge (easier that way round) then knock them fully home.

[dom]

Not used them, but have used lift off hinges throughout my place:

absolute joy, easy to fit with a 1" router bit, set to the hinge thickness.

[Cash]

The certainly do make things easier - all my internal doors are fitted with them.

Yes - just but the best quality than you can afford,

The should be a slight 'interference' fit. They lift up. I simply push mine up with a small, flat blade screwdriver. With the door closed, the hinges are very easy to get at (but this will depend on the situation).

Easy to put back. One pair of hands needed.

The method I use is to line up the two hinge parts, close the door, drop the hinge pin into the slot (it will stand well above the hinge at this time), open the door slightly to align the hinges (I do the top one first] and the pin will simply drop into the hinge (sometimes not all the way).

Do the same with the bottom hinge - and if the pins are still slightly proud of the hinges, just push them down with the screwdriver.

Believe me, if the hinges are of a good quality and fitted properly, they really do save time and effort.

Cash

[Harry Bloomfield]

Fred wrote on 14/03/2010 :

Just like a normal hinge pin except the bottom of the pin is not peened over.

They can sometimes be a little sticky, but you just use a smaller diameter pin to push them out.

Just as easy to refit, you just start with the top hinge line it up with the pin ready to drop in, once it is aligned - push the pin down. A wedge up the door if the door is heavy, will make it easier to align. The bottom hinge aligns itself for the pin, once the top one is in place.

[Steve Walker]

On mine, the pin sticks out a few millimetres from the bottom, so if a pin is a bit tight, I put a narrow screwdriver under it and tap the screwdriver with something and then put the screwdriver at 90 degrees to the pin, under the head and tap the side of the screwdriver upwards.

SteveW