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Cost
$ $ $ $ $
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• • • • •
Time
2h00

easy made decorative hinge
Please excuse any typos, i am currently multitasking.
little back story - i am working on making me a steampunk book for my art sketches and i wanted it to have a swing latch. so i look to see what was for sale in many online stores. some places wanted like ten dollars and i was like WTF its a simple latch. so i made the decision to make my own. i wanted something simple so i researched. looked up as many hinges as i could. and then i thought about how i would make it with things i had at home. i don't have a forge so i cant to it that way.. so this is how i made mine. its not the right way or the only way but for now i am pleased with it.
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sorry about all the steps and images, i wanted things to make since. This is my first latch of any kind. its not perfect and it needs some adjustment and hopefully with time my latches will get more intricate. i also plan on posting a final image when my book is done so you can see the hinge in use. i am not sure if it could actually hold up a cabinet shelf, i made this for mostly decorative purposes but i do hope that it helps someone with their creative process. if you make a latch let me know! i am curious about how it comes out!

(PS: if you click on some of the images you will be able to see the details)

Posted by 0range_rayne from Columbus, North Carolina, United States • Published See 0range_rayne's 12 projects »
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  • How to make a home accessory. A Hinge Turorial - Step 1
    Step 1

    What i used:
    -scissors
    -round metal file
    -aluminum wire (for the pin)
    -needle nose pliers
    -2 or 3 food can lids
    -hole punch
    -hammer
    -permanent marker
    -rivets
    -paper

  • How to make a home accessory. A Hinge Turorial - Step 2
    Step 2

    The first thing i did was draw and cut out a hinge like shape on a piece of paper to give me a sort of reference pattern, then i drew the first half of it on one of my tin can lids with my marker, and then i used my scissors to carefully cut the shape out. i cut it out a little bit at a time. tin is very sharp. i poked myself a few times, next time i will wear gloves! i also used crappy little scissors because i didn't want to ruin my good ones, but in the future i might invest in some nice metal cutters. anyway see the bottom can lid in the picture? that's the shape you want. i used a hole punch to add a hold in the center. i did it twice to give it an oval shape. the hole punch was hard but i didn't know what else to use. it worked okay so i stuck with it. i then filed the edges so they weren't as sharp. hammered the back to give it some texture and flatten out my lid.

  • How to make a home accessory. A Hinge Turorial - Step 3
    Step 3

    when your done it should look like this so far!

  • How to make a home accessory. A Hinge Turorial - Step 4
    Step 4

    i got mu other lid and drew the other side of the latch with my marker. marked out holes and where i was going to cut.

  • How to make a home accessory. A Hinge Turorial - Step 5
    Step 5

    o.0

  • How to make a home accessory. A Hinge Turorial - Step 6
    Step 6

    here i cut it out carefully then i used the hole punch again and filed the edges

  • How to make a home accessory. A Hinge Turorial - Step 7
    Step 7

    i hammered it and compared it to my paper pattern

  • How to make a home accessory. A Hinge Turorial - Step 8
    Step 8

    this is a tricky part, i used my needle nose pliers to curl my tabs

  • How to make a home accessory. A Hinge Turorial - Step 9
    Step 9

    i inserted my aluminum wire to act as a pin to connect the two pieces. and now they are movable!

  • How to make a home accessory. A Hinge Turorial - Step 10
    Step 10

    with a scrap piece i cut it into a long rectangle and drew my next pattern. (the piece where the latch hooks onto) i marked out the bend, i hammered my piece and cut the shape out. i hole punched my two holes and i used my pile to add the bend in the middle.

  • How to make a home accessory. A Hinge Turorial - Step 11
    Step 11

    tested to see if the two pieces fit together.

  • How to make a home accessory. A Hinge Turorial - Step 12
    Step 12

    by now i think you can figure out what i did here to make the latch. just look at the image if you need help!

  • How to make a home accessory. A Hinge Turorial - Step 13
    Step 13

    marked where the latch would be

  • How to make a home accessory. A Hinge Turorial - Step 14
    Step 14

    hole punched said hole!

  • How to make a home accessory. A Hinge Turorial - Step 15
    Step 15

    this is what it now looks like!

  • How to make a home accessory. A Hinge Turorial - Step 16
    Step 16

    rivet your latch on!

  • How to make a home accessory. A Hinge Turorial - Step 17
    Step 17

    tadaa you now have you swing latch hinge!

    if you have any questions i will try my best to answer your questions.

    EDIT:like i said really sorry about the typos. now that im relaxed i can see many of them >.<

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Comments

Lisa B.
Lisa B.
This is very cool!
Reply
Haught Tea
Haught Tea · San Jose, California, US · 21 projects
This is a great use for excessive packaging! Love it so much!
Reply
0range_rayne
0range_rayne · Columbus, North Carolina, US · 12 projects
Thank you. I cant stand how wasteful my family is sometimes so it inspires me to up cycle. As with most of my art i have a phrase "if i can make it with the stuff i have laying around the house, i will." Art supplies and such are expensive and there are more important things for me to waste my money on. I try to go to the art store as little as possible. ^_^ but you know if i won a million dollars i would buy my own art store and live in it Tongue
Reply
Penny F.
Penny F. · North Bay, Ontario, CA · 19 projects
WOW! I just love this! I find most of these types of things boring in the stores.. Not unique at all.. This is a great upcycling project! I want to start doing more upcycling as I get a little queasy at how much is wasted... I find DIY people quite interesting!
Reply
0range_rayne
0range_rayne · Columbus, North Carolina, US · 12 projects
Thank you. i had loads of fun trying to figure it out. it was like making my own puzzle. And i love up-cycling. People throw away to many things and don't recycle.
Reply
Kayleen D.
Kayleen D.
Fantastic use of upcycling skills! Makes something so useful and trendy!
Reply
A.nonny.mouse
A.nonny.mouse · 3 projects
awesome job! very innovative and cheap, love it Happy
Reply
0range_rayne
0range_rayne · Columbus, North Carolina, US · 12 projects
thank you ^_^
Reply
sweet nikki
sweet nikki · Bandon, Oregon, US · 2 projects
That is awesome!!
Reply
0range_rayne
0range_rayne · Columbus, North Carolina, US · 12 projects
thanks >.<
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