Interesting Facts And History About Hinges

Butt/Mortise Hinges, usually in threes or fours, which are inset (mortised) into the door and frame. Most residential hinges found in the U.S. are made of steel, although mortise hinges for outswing doors are often made of brass or stainless steel base to prevent corrosion.

Continuous Hinges, which run the entire length of the door (also known as "Piano Hinges") Concealed Hinges used for furniture doors (with or without self-closing feature, and with or without dampening systems). They are made of 2 parts: One part is the hinge cup and the arm; the other part is the mounting plate.

Butterfly or Parliament (UK) Hinges. These were known as Dovetail hinges from the 17th century onwards and can be found on old desks and cabinets from about 1670 until the 18th century. The form of these hinges varied slightly between manufacturers, and their size ranged from the very large for heavy doors to the tiniest decorative hinge for use on jewelery caskets. Many hinges of this type were exported to America to support the home trade's limited supply. They are still found to be both fairly cheap and decorative, especially on small items.

Strap hinge - Strap hinges are an early hinge and used on many kinds of interior and exterior doors and cabinets.

H Hinges - Shaped like an H and used on flush mounted doors. Small H hinges (3" to 4") tend to be used for cabinets hinges, while larger hinges (6" to 7") are for passage doors or closet doors.

HL Hinges - Large HL hinges were common for passage doors, room doors and closet doors in the 17th, 18th and even 19th centuries. On taller doors H hinges were occasionally used in the middle along with the HL hinges.

Other types include:

Counter flap Hinge, Flush Hinge, Coach Hinge Rising Butt, Hinge Double action spring hinge, Tee Hinge, Friction Hinge, Security Hinge, Cranked or 'Stormproof' Hinge, Lift-off Hinges, Self closing Hinges, Butt Hinge

Butler Tray Hinge - Fold to 90 degrees and also snap flat. They are for tables that have a tray top for serving.

Card Table Hinge - Mortised into edge of antique or reproduction card tables and allow the top to fold onto itself.

Drop Leaf Table Hinge - Mounted under the surface of a table with leaves that drop down.

Since at least medieval times there have been hinges to drawbridges for defensive purposes for fortified buildings. Hinges are used in contemporary architecture where building settlement can be expected over the life of the building. For example, the Dakin Building, Brisbane, California was designed with its entrance ramp on a large hinge to allow settlement of the building built on piles over bay mud. This device has been effective.