Door Industry Journal - Spring 2015

Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk building hardware feature 93 THE door industry journal spring 2015 A Fitting Solution from Cooke Brothers - The Master Hinge Makers Philip Cooke, Managing Director and Phil Dicken, Sales Director, answer the key questions on selecting and fitting hinges Phil Dicken, Sales Director Cooke Brothers Ltd With a manufacturing history spanning over 140 years in the design and production of standard and bespoke hinge and hardware solutions, Cooke Brothers can justly claim to be the UK’s Master Hinge Makers. Today’s company is operated by the 4th and 5th generation direct family descendants of the founders, so it is safe to say that the ethos, knowledge and expertise in producing high quality, high specification, performance hinges continues without interruption. ‘Hinges are fasteners’ Philip Cooke explains, but whereas many fasteners are designed to produce a rigid joint, hinges are designed to produce a moveable, and yet fully supported, fastening between two or more items. Our particular speciality is in a single axis hinge, i.e. the item being moved is rotating about just one plane. Although that provides a very simple sounding solution, the action covering 90% of hinge requirements from jewellery boxes to car doors, the variety of product options, and method of fitting, is staggering. Terminology Like every specialised market, hinges carry their own names to describe the different types - the more common ones are: Butt hinges, Back flap hinges, Lift Off hinges, Strap hinges, T Hinges, Continuous Hinges, Weld on hinges, Concealed hinges, Pivot hinges and Conductor hinges. All of the above names usually relate to the application of the product. For example, Continuous hinge: Alternatively known as Piano Hinge, stemming from its origins as a hinge for piano keyboard lids. Continuous hinge today has become a much broader band of products, covering hinges from 0.5mm thick material for trinket boxes, to 5mm thick for use on blast doors. Why use continuous hinges? Continuous hinges, sometimes defined as long narrow butt hinges, have distinct advantages over the use of several shorter butt hinges. Cut down to match the full length of the door or lid to be hinges, continuous hinges provide support along the whole length, ensuring that the door and frame are kept in perfect alignment. Of equal importance, continuous hinge evenly distribute the load over the whole length of the door aperture. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS I have a door that weighs X, can you recommend a suitable hinge for me? Dependent upon the style of hinge required, Continuous, Butt Type Hinge or Pivot, Cooke Brothers manufacture a wide range of options to suit a wide ranging number of applications, we are also equipped with an extensive product testing facility that allows us to test our products both to the latest European Standards and to Destruction, this ensures that the advice we give to our customers can be backed up by test evidence. Continuous hinge options ...cont’d overleaf