Freeing up old hinges

[John T Barker]

My shop is in an 18th century barn and the owner asked me to fix a door with a broken hinge. Its a Dutch door and its got 27" strap hinges which hang on a post/pin? in the frame. I'm guessing the post/pin has wood threads and is screwed straight into the frame, like a rattail hinge. The strap hinge broke close to the post so it needs to be replaced. The strap hinge is held to the door with what looks like bolts but they don't go through the door, so I'm not sure how that works. Since these things are old-old they have tons of gunk, paint and general crap on them. All seems pretty frozen up. I'm looking for the best means to free everything up. I sprayed a rust dissolver on it but I'm wondering if there are any sure fire methods any of you might have used. Heat?

Thanks in advance.

[Jerry Miner]

The strap hinge is held to the door with what looks like bolts but they don't go through the door

Sounds like lag screws.

I would clean off as much paint and gunk as you can, down to clean metal, then try to wiggle the lag (if that's what it is) ---just a little at first, then slowly backing it out if it moves. Heat could help.

Worst case scenario you can cut the heads off with an angle grinder, then dig out the remaining stud and use new lags to re-install. Good luck.

[Wayne Lomman]

Clean up the break back to bare metal, vee the joint and weld it back together. The vee is so the weld gets all the way to the back of the join when you only have access from one side. It will probably take several runs of weld to fill the joint. Wet the timber before you start and you won't set fire to anything. This will save all the grief of trying to get rusty coach screws out and finding a hinge that does the same job. Cheers

[Lee Schierer]

I believe the hinges you have are called Screw & strap hinges.345667 They are available from several sources and styles.

[peter Joseph]

John, If you do need a replacement that size, check out The Mill Property antique shop in Morgantown, about an hr from Wayne. They have a great selection of antique tools and several old strap hinges that (if I recall correctly) are 24+ inches, probably closer to 3 ft.

Peter

[John T Barker]

Thanks guys. I actually found a replacement strap elsewhere in the barn so I don't have to worry about that. The main problem is that the portion of the strap that fits on the pintle (the correct term for the post thing) is still frozen. I'm spraying it with a rust dissolver but I'm still wondering if there is a better method.

[Garth Almgren]

You could try a propane or mapp torch (with an appropriate soldering blanket/flame protector for a heat shield).
With a good soak from a good penetrating oil like liquid wrench, a little heat, and some leverage in the form of some vice grips you should be able to get it to break free - eventually.