Faceplate Hinges (carpentry)

[Lews_Tenon]

Hi All,

This is my first time posting so please forgive any lack of etiquette.
I have been working on a farmhouse built originally in the 1700s and extended around 1850-60.
My mate and I have been re-levelling floors and given the increase in floor level at the door threshold we are required to take some off of the bottom of both doors in the room. We ended up clamping a track to the door in situ and making a decent cut, however this was down to the fact we could see no way of removing the hinges that seem to have been nailed on with a sealed pin that doesn't seem to be removable.

My question to the community is - has anyone seen these hinges before, know what they're called or have any advice on dealing with them?


Many thanks,
Lewis a chippy and wood fanatic

 

[Phill05]

Welcome Lewis, I have come across these before I just called them strap hinges most were screwed through but I have seen some nailed through and then clenched over on the other side of the door have a close look on the other side.

 

[ChaiLatte]

If they are clenched as suggested, a way to remove them would be to sand/grind off the nail heads using a flap disk or finger sander. Then punch the nails remaining in the door all the way though and pull out from the other side. That is minimal damage to the wood. Follow through with a drill bit to remove the rust and make a hole of a known diameter and plug the holes.

On the frame side, try a small propane torch on the heads of the nails, the idea being to heat the nail red hot so it chars the wood into which it is driven. That will make it easier to remove by conventional means.

 

[Chubber]

On the frame side, try a small propane torch on the heads of the nails, the idea being to heat the nail red hot so it chars the wood into which it is driven. That will make it easier to remove by conventional means.

A less risky and more succinct means of applying heat to a screw/nail head is to heat the end of a length of 3/8" ø steel rod and press against the fastener. Yes, dab of Fluxite does help!

 

[Phill05]

Lewis, A point I forgot to make was old nails of that time period would be cut nails ie: tapered rectangle shape so if you bent them back up straight they would break off so you could punch them out easy, sometimes when a new floor was to be made up before it was done I would set up a level board across the doorway each side of the closed door and use my angle grinder with a blade on to cut the bottom off.
Hope it helps.

 

[mrpercysnodgrass]

Getting them off might be fun but if you do they should clean up and you will be able to reuse them. If not you can buy replacements here.
https://theperiodironmonger.co.uk/product/black-hl-hinges-3-25-9

 

[niall Y]

I always have known these as "L" hinges. Latterly they were fitted with nails that had countersunk heads that laid flush with the countersunk hinge top, which one could easily mistake for a screw at first glance

 

[AJBaker]

What does it look like on the other side?