Where to get decent hardware?

[Rob Luter]

Greetings all -

I'm putting together some hinged boxes and plant to make a few more. Is there a source anywhere for decent hinges and such? It seems all I can find is imprecise hobby shop junk with thin plated leafs and tons of slop or Brusso (who I love, but the cost!!)

Is there anything in between? I can't be dropping $40 on a set of hinges.

[Paul F Franklin]

Well, there's Horton Brasses....but they are in the Brusso price ballpark too. I've used some of the lower priced options from Lee Valley and found them decent.

[Bill Carey]

You could check out Small Box Hardware, and D. Lawless Hardware, and Van Dykes Restorers. But I feel your pain - I've never found anything in the middle, and I just spent 40 bucks for 2 hinges for a wedding box I'm making. More than the walnut and cherry in it. Ouch - certainly can't be a regular source for me.

[Frederick Skelly]

I've been happy with the hardware I've bought from Lee Valley.

[Bill Carey]

Rockler has these (https://www.rockler.com/narrow-miniature-solid-brass-hinges-with-non-removable-pin-polished-brass-finish-smallest-to-largest) on sale:

456650

[Phil Gaudio]

Can't go wrong with Brusso.

[Alex Zeller]

Good luck. Once you move beyond hinges and start to look for hardware for something like a steamer trunk most of the stuff is poorly plated steel which they usually call gold plated. I have bought quadrant hinges for small boxes from these guys (https://craft-inc.com/). They are solid brass and not so thin that they feel like a toy. The screws were a little on the small size (#2) so I counter sunk the holes a little bigger (confirming that the hinges are brass) and used #3 brass screws.

[Mike Henderson]

The problem is that what really works well on a box is a stop hinge and Brusso makes the best. If you don't mind having a small chain on one side, you can use almost any cheap hinge.

I've been using Brusso, even though they're expensive. I tried some inexpensive stop hinges from Rockler but they made the box look cheap.

Mike

[Jamie Buxton]

Woodcraft offers stop hinges which aren't bad. They're not Brusso quality, but they'd be $6 per box instead of $40. https://www.woodcraft.com/products/small-piano-hinge-brass-plated-96mm-x-7mm Woodcraft has them in other lengths.

A tip... On piano hinges, the leaf material is thin enough that the cone of a flat head screw hits wood before the screw snugs up against the wood. Countersink your pilot holes into the wood just a bit.

[Keye Jones]

Horton Brass. It has been a while but the last time I bought Horton Brass it was cheater than the big box stores. They are a really great company, small and family owned.

[roger wiegand]

Ball & Ball makes some lovely stuff as well. I've used Horton a lot. Nothing worse than a beautifully made piece with nasty or kitchen cabinet hardware.

[Jim Barstow]

With the amount of labor I put into a box spending $30-40 for hinges seems worth it. It would be a shame to have a beautiful, handmade box and not use the best hinges.

[Rob Luter]

With the amount of labor I put into a box spending $30-40 for hinges seems worth it. It would be a shame to have a beautiful, handmade box and not use the best hinges.

I generally agree, unless it's a box made for pure utility. Second tier hardware is OK for those.