Blum Compact Concealed Hinge Question

[Mike Goetzke]

I had some hinges left over from my vanity. Thought I'd use them on two doors for a medicine cabinet but the hinges are for face frame application. Can I just grind off the two inside pins so it sits flat?

 

[luvmytoolz]

It looks like the pins are to give clearance to the spring loaded part?

 

[Mike Goetzke]

It looks like the pins are to give clearance to the spring loaded part?

No, it's there to go on the end of 3/4" stock.



I know it will be a pain but maybe I cad drill a couple holes for the pins to drive into.

 

[tjbnwi]

Those look like the back plate from a Compact Clip hinge.

Yes, the pins are there to reference off the back of the face frame. Drilling holes for the pins is another option. Then again, try tapping the pin into the panel?

I’m not at the shop but from memory the front edge of the plate will line up with the front edge of the case. Pull one of the vanity doors tp verify where they align.

The only issue will be how the door will swing, they will not work if the panel is less that the door thickness plus 3/8” from a vertical obstruction. Compact hinges just swing, Cliptop hinges swing along the vertical plane and move in across the horizontal plane.

Tom

 

[Mike Goetzke]

Those look like the back plate from a Compact Clip hinge.

Yes, the pins are there to reference off the back of the face frame. Drilling holes for the pins is another option. Then again, try tapping the pin into the panel?

I’m not at the shop but from memory the front edge of the plate will line up with the front edge of the case. Pull one of the vanity doors tp verify where they align.

The only issue will be how the door will swing, they will not work if the panel is less that the door thickness plus 3/8” from a vertical obstruction. Compact hinges just swing, Cliptop hinges swing along the vertical plane and move in across the horizontal plane.

Tom

Thanks for the help - They are 3/4" overlay compact hinges. I just made a sample and drilling the holes using the pins as a center punch seems to be a solution. These doors are not to big so this should work.

 

[tjbnwi]

It is the location of the door more than the size. If the door hinge edge is to close to a vertical surface the door as it swings will hit the surface.

Tom

 

[Mike Goetzke]

It is the location of the door more than the size. If the door hinge edge is to close to a vertical surface the door as it swings will hit the surface.

Tom

The doors swing fine. Think I'm good to go. Now to hang this beast up.

 

[Packard]

The images look like die castings. These would be either very old Blum hinges or very old Amerok hinges. In any case, consider replacing them with self-closing modern ones with the same offset.

The images look like my old Amerock hinges and replacing mine required only drilling new pilot holes for the screws. Fast and easy with a Vix bit.

 

[Mike Goetzke]

The images look like die castings. These would be either very old Blum hinges or very old Amerok hinges. In any case, consider replacing them with self-closing modern ones with the same offset.

The images look like my old Amerock hinges and replacing mine required only drilling new pilot holes for the screws. Fast and easy with a Vix bit.

Actually these are their latest compact clip on slow close.

Think with the 3/4" overlap I lucked out that these worked in a frameless position.

 

[Packard]

Actually these are their latest compact clip on slow close.

Think with the 3/4" overlap I lucked out that these worked in a frameless position.

My error. I have not seen these before. My old Amerock hinges (in service from about 1980 to 2023) were die castings and held up very well. They (and Blum) switched to stampings no doubt because of the lower cost.

My perception is that die cast hinges are higher quality, though I have nothing to back that up with. They look and feel like a better quality product. Die castings can be made to very tight tolerances. The risk is that zinc die castings can be brittle and can crack. Iron, steel, or stainless steel die castings are much stronger. A magnet will tell which it is. All will likely have a nickel plating finish and will look and feel nice.

I saved the old Amerocks, and when I get home I will test them with a magnet. I’m seriously curious now.

This is the Blum casting I found online:

 

[tjbnwi]

My error. I have not seen these before. My old Amerock hinges (in service from about 1980 to 2023) were die castings and held up very well. They (and Blum) switched to stampings no doubt because of the lower cost.

My perception is that die cast hinges are higher quality, though I have nothing to back that up with. They look and feel like a better quality product. Die castings can be made to very tight tolerances. The risk is that zinc die castings can be brittle and can crack. Iron, steel, or stainless steel die castings are much stronger. A magnet will tell which it is. All will likely have a nickel plating finish and will look and feel nice.

I saved the old Amerocks, and when I get home I will test them with a magnet. I’m seriously curious now.

This is the Blum casting I found online:

View attachment 378438

We install 10,000+ Blum hinges a year, 99.9999999999% of then being the stamped hinge. I have yet to have a hinge failure. In the last 7 years I have had 3 or 4 slide failures, the failures have all been in the soft close mechanism. Biggest issue we have with slides is the countertop installers having to grind the top in place and they don’t cover the slides. The dust gets in them and it cannot be cleaned out. This is not a slide/warranty issue, the builder is charged for us to go out and replace the slides.

The hinge you found is a Compact 33 series hinge, self close. It mounts to a different style mounting than the hinges Mike is working with. If I remember correctly the 33 series has 10 mounting plates that will allow overlays of 1/4-1-5/8” and a face mount plate that allows it to be located anywhere on the face of the stile.

Mikes hinge is a 30 series Compact Clip (they currently come in 30 and 31 series) that has only been on the market about 24 months. They are available in overlays from 5/16 to 1-9/16. The Compact Clips all have Blumotion (soft close), this feature can be deactivated.

Tom

 

[Packard]

The one big advantage that zinc die castings have over other choices, is that they have zero “memory”. Most metals have “memory”, which is a desire to return to its original shape. So if you wanted to bend a sheet of soft steel to 90 degrees, you would have to “over-bend” it to a more acute angle and the memory will allow it to spring back to the desired 90 degrees.

Spring temper steel has a stronger memory than mild steel, that is you have to over-bend it far more to create that same 90 degree angle.

As far as I am aware, zinc is alone in having zero memory. So in situations where you are going to swedge a dimple in metal to lock it is place, zinc is superior. But for hinges, zinc’s brittleness would be a liability.

I don’t have any Blum die cast hinges to test. If someone does, I would be interested if a magnet sticks to it. That would be an indicator that the material is either steel or iron.

 

[tjbnwi]

The Compact Clip hinges the mounting plate is cast, the hinge body is tamped steel.

Tom