Beer Cooler Hinges

[493mike]

My last post was the garden gate hinges I fabbed and here I am with more hinges!
Sitting at one of my favorite watering holes recently I remarked that it shouldn't be too difficult to fab a couple of hinges on one of the back-bar cooler doors. The owners daughter heard me and I volunteered, thinking 2 hinges.NO! She wanted all 12 hinges. So I agreed and took one broken hinge home. Well after about 2 weeks of puttering around I had them done and I installed them Monday morning-fit and worked great.
Plasma cut 1/4 steel for the movable leafs, drilled and bored the barrels, welded each barrel to the leaf, milled out the stationary half using aluminum 1 1/4" bar stock, coated the aluminum with Ever Brite and painted the steel.
I used iron oil lite bushings in the barrels and pins I purchased.
She needs latches too (I'm not volunteering).
Mike

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

Did the job pay in greenbacks or beer?

 

[The Cobbler]

nice job!

 

[Bodj Built]

Did the job pay in greenbacks or beer?

Asking the real questions!!!

 

[larry4406]

Nice job!

Hope the bar maid doesn't catch the corners on the stationary brackets.

 

[SkinnyG]

Nice job!

Hope the bar maid doesn't catch the corners on the stationary brackets.

Agreed. I might have considered rounded edges on the stationary bracket. Nice work in any case

 

[493mike]

Thanks guys. The stationary half of the hinge is recessed below the overlaid cooler doors and all were deburred. I was reimbursed in cash (not really enough but I did volunteer).
Mike

 

[Dutch01]

Thanks guys. The stationary half of the hinge is recessed below the overlaid cooler doors and all were deburred. I was reimbursed in cash (not really enough but I did volunteer).
Mike

I also found that these type of projects do not pay. One question though. You refer to iron oil lite bushing. I thought oil lite bushes were made from phosphor bronze

 

[larry4406]

Thanks guys. The stationary half of the hinge is recessed below the overlaid cooler doors and all were deburred. I was reimbursed in cash (not really enough but I did volunteer).
Mike

Not sure if machining is your gig for pay but maybe they could post a simple sign of gratitude with your info?

 

[493mike]

I found the bushing at McMaster Carr. Both materials were available but the iron had a greater load capacity (think barmaids swinging on the doors).
Mike

 

[Stuart in MN]

Sitting at one of my favorite watering holes recently I remarked that it shouldn't be too difficult to fab a couple of hinges on one of the back-bar cooler doors. The owners daughter heard me and I volunteered, thinking 2 hinges.NO! She wanted all 12 hinges.
Mike

Are you saying every hinge on their cooler was broken?

 

[493mike]

No. Only 3 were completely broken but, she wanted all 12.
Mike

 

[mikehaugen]

I don't think I want to see the barmaids near you if you're questioning the strength of bronze bushings holding them up.

Sent from my SM-G930V using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[FANTM58]

My last post was the garden gate hinges I fabbed and here I am with more hinges!
Sitting at one of my favorite watering holes recently I remarked that it shouldn't be too difficult to fab a couple of hinges on one of the back-bar cooler doors. The owners daughter heard me and I volunteered, thinking 2 hinges.NO! She wanted all 12 hinges. So I agreed and took one broken hinge home. Well after about 2 weeks of puttering around I had them done and I installed them Monday morning-fit and worked great.
Plasma cut 1/4 steel for the movable leafs, drilled and bored the barrels, welded each barrel to the leaf, milled out the stationary half using aluminum 1 1/4" bar stock, coated the aluminum with Ever Brite and painted the steel.
I used iron oil lite bushings in the barrels and pins I purchased.
She needs latches too (I'm not volunteering).
Mike

FRANKLIN machine parts or something like that sells replacement parts for walk ins, also refrigeration parts warehouses.
I built these walk in coolers for 33 years...

 

[jumbojak]

FRANKLIN machine parts or something like that sells replacement parts for walk ins, also refrigeration parts warehouses.
I built these walking for 33 years...

Yup, they even have a paper catalog. Very handy company.

 

[493mike]

I took my wife to the bar Saturday for lunch (color tour quad ride) and the bar manager came out from the kitchen and saw my wife first and with a big smile asked what we were drinking. As soon as she saw me the smile disappeared. I think she's still pissed at me for charging $500.00 for the hinges. I doubt I made $5.00 per hour fabbing and spent 2 hours installing them, which wasn't part of the deal. Ya just can't win sometimes.
Mike

 

[The Cobbler]

many people don't realize the costs involved.
a buddy did some custom body work on a pc of **** basically for a friend of his. he had 60 or 70 hrs into labour, plus material, welding , trial fitting etc . he cleaned up some other stuff at the same time to make the whole job look better. He charged his buddy $1,000. about $15 per hr probably . A well respected body shop wouldn't have even touched the job , enver mind for a grand. It cost a so called friendship, because my buddy "ripped his buddy off" according to the talk at the bar.

 

[king nero]

Why didn't you fully weld the leaf to the barrel?
I know it's without a doubt strong enough like this, but it doesn't "look right" to me.

Nice work though on the machined fixed parts of the hinges! For a voluntary project, it really does shine.

 

[493mike]

I used some 3/32 7018 I had and quickly burned through the thinner wall I bored out to receive the bushing so I did the partial weld you noted (both sides).
Mike

 

[Marctrees]

siimilar -

https://www.fmponline.com/hinge-fmp-123-1020/

https://www.fmponline.com/hinge-fmp-123-1028/

Marc

 

[SuperCat]

Your custom hinges are super heavy duty, great work!
Most people have no idea how much custom made hardware can cost.

 

[NUTTSGT]

They look good, print off the one that Marc linked and let them see how much hinges could have cost them.

I'll agree, some people have no idea how much time can be involved in something custom fabbed up. . . . yeah sure, you whipped it up in 10 minutes. . . . no clue.

 

[Marctrees]

There are more "similar" hinges in the page set I linked...gotta go through the pages... all mixed styles. Widely priced differences between them, some down to $40 ea looking close to the 100$+ ones.

Gotta go through the pages.

Marc

 

[Thirdyfivepickup]

Pics of owners daughter?

 

[rslaback]

I'm sure they were taken aback at a price tag of $500 for the hinges. I doubt that is a price that a layperson would consider when someone says something "shouldn't be too hard."

Also, since this is a web forum and therefore I have to second guess everything, did you consider a set screw in the stationary portion to ensure that the pin doesn't rotate instead of the barrel? With those being made of aluminum and having a smaller surface area that the bearings (I hate that they call those bearings instead of bushings) my concern would be the pin rotating in the aluminum and wallowing out.

 

[493mike]

Quite the price range! I think mine look better than the cheaper hinge. I charged $42.00 each so I believe I fairly priced the hinges even if I worked for less than minimum wage.
Mike