# Old Age Sucks!



## YYCHM (Feb 22, 2021)

It's not what you think....

Our 30 year old kitchen cabinet door hinges have decided to ejecting their self-closing springs on a regular basis.  Stupid plastic retaining clips get brittle after 20 years  After surveying the kitchen 1/3 are missing, and 1/3 are cracked and ready to fail.  SWMBO has declared that the whole lot get replaced.  There are 40 of them  This is not going to be fun


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## David_R8 (Feb 22, 2021)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> It's not what you think....
> 
> Our 30 year old kitchen cabinet door hinges have decided to ejecting their self-closing springs on a regular basis.  Stupid plastic retaining clips get brittle after 20 years  After surveying the kitchen 1/3 are missing, and 1/3 are cracked and ready to fail.  SWMBO has declared that the whole lot get replaced.  There are 40 of them  This is not going to be fun


Are they Euro style hinges?


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## DPittman (Feb 23, 2021)

I had a very similar experience with my old kitchen cupboards.   The hinges were rough and were painted up to and on several times so in the last repaint job of the cupboards I decided to replace them all.  Although the new replacement hinges appeared to have the exact same screw hole pattern to the old ones, upon installation I found out that they were not.  I don't know if it was imperial to metric  change but 2 out of the 3 screw holes seemed to match up but the third was half a hole out.  This made for more crooked and stripped screw holes than I like but fortunately my cupboards were made out of real plywood 65 years ago and could handle a less than ideal screw placement. I also remember the cupboard hardware selection was vast, and varied from cheap to "HOW much?!"


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## Brent H (Feb 23, 2021)

Hey @YYCHobbyMachinist to bad I am not closer, I build cabinets in the parallel universe between ship work and machining - just got in 100 x 1/2 overlay soft close and have 150 x full overlay soft close for future projects.  

if they are Euro style and a Bloom, Hetich or Richelieu style you should be able to keep the clips on the cases and just change out the soft close parts. Two screws - if they are the press in type and don’t have the screws, well not as easy.   I only use the screw type.
30 years is pretty good life - most bulk barn kitchens are designed for 10 years!

if you like your cabinets a 30 year mid-life hinge refit is pretty good deal 

see if you can track down a cabinet supply place local that will give you a good deal on the replacements - something like $3 or under each. I buy them for $1.69 plus shipping and have to get 100 at a time. Clip plates are about $0.30 each but you gotta buy 200


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## Hacker (Feb 23, 2021)

When I need parts for our cabinets I go to KitchenCraft, they sell parts for hinges. Lee Valley will sell you hinges as well


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## YYCHM (Feb 23, 2021)

David_R8 said:


> Are they Euro style hinges?



I don't know what a Euro style hinge is.  They look like this and they are 40 years old not 30.


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## Hacker (Feb 23, 2021)

Those are standard cabinet hinges and I think you can buy those at Home Depot. No replacement parts on them.


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## Hruul (Feb 23, 2021)

Those are not what I understand to be euro style hinges.  These are euro style hinges.  

https://www.richelieu.com/ca/en/cat...and-accessories/european-style-hinges/1169758


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## Johnwa (Feb 23, 2021)

We had a younger hinge go.  It was the euro style made by Marathon.  I went to their outlet and got 2 replacements.  After having bought hinges from HD and LeeValley I was absolutely shocked by how LITTLE I was charged for them.
Richelieu is right next door to them on 52nd St.  
I imagine one or the other carries the style @YYCHobbyMachinist has.


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## Hacker (Feb 23, 2021)

I have had very good luck with Lee Valley when it comes to matching up old hinges. They have a lot on line.


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## Brent H (Feb 23, 2021)

@YYCHobbyMachinist :


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## Brent H (Feb 23, 2021)

My cost is $4.30 for a bag of 2 - that’s at Richelieu- see if you can get them even cheaper.  Price drops if you order 100 bags of 2 - LOL


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## YYCHM (Feb 23, 2021)

Brent H said:


> My cost is $4.30 for a bag of 2 - that’s at Richelieu- see if you can get them even cheaper.  Price drops if you order 100 bags of 2 - LOL



How do you get that website to show a price?  I just picked up 19 bags of BP139M41 at $5.69/bag at Rona.


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## Brent H (Feb 23, 2021)

@YYCHobbyMachinist : I have the contractor sign in with them - basically costs money and you can sign in as a business. I Do a couple kitchens a year and some bathroom/laundry room custom jobs so I get a bulk order out there every so often.  I am not as keen on the “installations” but still making doors, drawers and boxes in that parallel universe.  - that is not a bad price for the hinges you paid - considering shipping etc - glad I could help track down a close match .  You went with a bit different finish - easier for you to match on site  - sweet!


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## YYCHM (Feb 23, 2021)

Brent H said:


> @YYCHobbyMachinist : I have the contractor sign in with them - basically costs money and you can sign in as a business. I Do a couple kitchens a year and some bathroom/laundry room custom jobs so I get a bulk order out there every so often.  I am not as keen on the “installations” but still making doors, drawers and boxes in that parallel universe.  - that is not a bad price for the hinges you paid - considering shipping etc - glad I could help track down a close match .  You went with a bit different finish - easier for you to match on site  - sweet!



I picked the color because they were almost a $1 less per bag that the antique brass ones  Color doesn't really matter much the whole shebang is getting replaced.  Currently working on door # 3 of 19


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## YYCHM (Feb 24, 2021)

What a PITA....  The screw holes on the replacement hinges are just a smidge off from the original hinges.  About 1/8" or less.




I've taken to slotting the hinge holes on the mill so that I don't have to deal with drilling new screw holes in the cupboards and doors.

Working on door # 10 of 19 now


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## DPittman (Feb 24, 2021)

YYCHobbyMachinist said:


> What a PITA....  The screw holes on the replacement hinges are just a smidge off from the original hinges.  About 1/8" or less.View attachment 13465
> 
> I've taken to slotting the hinge holes on the mill so that I don't have to deal with drilling new screw holes in the cupboards and doors.
> 
> Working on door # 10 of 19 now


Told you so!   It looks like your fix is a perfect solution however.


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## Tom O (Feb 24, 2021)

Well at least you can do it! There probably some poor sod out there using a file.


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## Johnwa (Feb 24, 2021)

And it justifies your mill purchase!


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## Hruul (Feb 24, 2021)

Tom O said:


> Well at least you can do it! There probably some poor sod out there using a file.


It would be good for practice at using hand tools.  I recently did a bit of filing and hacksawing.  Might actually be getting better at it.


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## CalgaryPT (Feb 25, 2021)

Brent H said:


> My cost is $4.30 for a bag of 2 - that’s at Richelieu- see if you can get them even cheaper.  Price drops if you order 100 bags of 2 - LOL


My experience with Richelieu has been probably the worst of any hardware company in my entire life, in any city, in any country. They have these bizarre policies where they won't do retail business, yet let you sign up as a business even if you don't have a business, then require a City of Calgary Business ID (BID) number to shop with them. That BID is then linked to your residential property record for tax purposes. Lots of risk here as you could find your property classified as a commercial business, and trigger some investigation WRT Home Occupancy Permits—which then have insurance pitfalls. They are the only company in Calgary that does this, they have no idea the implications of their own policies, and they are shooting themselves in the foot. They supply most of the hardware to big box stores, so likely don't care, nor do they understand.

Their website is horrible. When I needed several hundred spring clasps I gave up and ordered from a company in England because they were easier to deal with.  I had no desire to register a BID with Richelieu. Complete nonsense.

I've thought many times of making a Richelieu Voodoo Doll and sticking brass nails into it, but with nails ordered from somewhere else as Richelieu probably has a policy against selling nails. And hinges. And clasps. And doorknobs. And....

If there is a HTML tag for [/RANT] it should be inserted here I guess.


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## Brent H (Feb 25, 2021)

@CalgaryPT , I agree they do have some issues - I only order a few things and not very consistently- never had a huge problem.  I do feel your pain though- Fastenal here in Barrie is the same way, as is Near North Plumbing supplies.  The “contractor” part I find can really drive you nuts - especially if it is a one of purchase that can fix something and you cannot locate the part anywhere else.  
There used to be a great guy in town that sharpened tools - all sorts and also offered cabinet hardware at great discounts with small volume purchases - he retired and business closed, bummer.


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## ShawnR (Feb 25, 2021)

CalgaryPT said:


> I've thought many times of making a Richelieu Voodoo Doll and sticking brass nails into it, but with nails ordered from somewhere else as Richelieu probably has a policy against selling nails. And hinges. And clasps. And doorknobs. And....
> 
> If there is a HTML tag for [/RANT] it should be inserted here I guess.



OK, this made me laugh!

I could use the rant tag a lot, and the head banging on wall one too.....


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## historicalarms (Feb 25, 2021)

Johnwa said:


> And it justifies your mill purchase!



   This big-time...Craig you never want to P I A label anything that builds brownie points to SHYMBO concerning machining tools...never....


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## YYCHM (Feb 26, 2021)

Done and Done......

That hour and a half or so it took to mill slots in the new hinges was time well spent.  After that it was just an exercise in unscrewing an old hinge and screwing on a new hinge.

Now I can go back to putzn with the shaper


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