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Stiff hinges

nohoflyer

Well Known Member
Patron
Starting with my toolbox all my hinges has been stiff. The toolbox lid needs a lot of force to open/close.

The next was my elevator trim hinge. It’s not as stiff as my toolbox but will probably need to be redone at some point.

Any pointers?
 
Piano hinge needs to be put together with the pin in place when drilling it to the mating structure. If you try to do each 1/2 individually it's easy to get something slightly out of alignment.

If you did that, It's likely either on crooked i.e. not quite parallel to what it's attached to, or there's a bow in whatever it's attached to.
 
Chuck the hinge pin on your drill and polish it with progressively finer sand paper to reduce its diameter a little.
 
Terry hit it on the head. Just like a door in your house that doesn't swing smoothly through it's full range, the axis of your hinges (think all the lugs on your "piano" hinge) are not in alignment.

So always install (drill, rivet etc) your hinges with both halves in place and preferably with the free half straight out (flat) so the half you are working on won't warp. Clamp it properly when drilling to keep everything in alignment. Also keep in mind that hinges don't work between two curved planes (surfaces) ... binding is the result as you attempt to force one edge to become aligned with the other curved edge.

Polishing will work to loosen up the hinge, but what you may end up with is a prematurely worn out loose hinge.

Keep at it, good luck
 
Another thing I learned is when you rivet the piano hinges, the steel hinge rod rod should stay inserted to keep the hinge straight, all the eyes stay inline, and to keep them from accidentally getting bumped and squeezed to a smaller size.
 
Another thing I learned is when you rivet the piano hinges, the steel hinge rod rod should stay inserted to keep the hinge straight, all the eyes stay inline, and to keep them from accidentally getting bumped and squeezed to a smaller size.

I not only like to have the hinge pin inserted but also the other 1/2 of the hinge. I purchased extra hinge so that I always have an assembled hinge (both halfs) with pin when drilling and riveting.

That may be overkill but that is how I was doing it 30-years ago with good results so still do it that way.
 
A friend had similar with his RV10 elevator trim hinge.

Try and see where it is binding, or - with it assembled with the pin in, start drilling rivets out from the centre. As soon as it is free, you have found the culprit. Now, carefully re drill, re rivet. Maybe go up to a #4 rivet if necessary, but this is basic unfarking 101 :D

These skills will develop with time as you continue through the build.......;)
 
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