Toronto - People often ask me if I have a certain type of hinge when they are visiting our antique barns. Sometimes I am able to accommodate them but often I am not as antique hinges in a good state of repair can be expensive, and a valuable needed part in the arsenal of the antique dealer.

Hinges can be divided into three categories: hand wrought, cast and machine-rolled plate.

Hand wrought, or blacksmith-made hinges, are principally a product of the 18th Century. Any form of construction requiring strength, whether for furniture or the building trades, would have used hand wrought hinges. The H-hinge and H and L-hinges were used on cupboards from 1700 to approximately 1825.

In the 18th Century this hinge was usually attached with nails. In the 19th Century screws were more likely. Almost all hand wrought 18th Century hinges were intended to be used with nails. Consequently, the pilot holes were not countersunk for screw heads. That is a 19th Century characteristic.

The strap hinge was used for chests and barn doors, and was popular in both the 18th and 19th Century.

In the 19th Century, strap hinges continued to be hand wrought, but they were also available in machine-rolled plate hinges. The butterfly is one of the most classic of hand wrought hinges and it was used on tables and doors from approximately 1700 to 1750.

The snipe hinge was used in chest construction from about 1700 to 1800. This hinge was no more than two cotter pins interlocked. It was not a durable hinge and most surviving examples are in sad condition.

The rectangular hinge was in use throughout the 18th Century. The hinge is easily recognizable because it involved bending the iron around the pin. This caused a double sheet on each side of the pin. This was an extremely durable hinge. It is found on desks, and drop-leaf tables.

Even a novice should have no difficulty in identifying a hand wrought hinge. Hand-wrought hinges are uneven; they thin out toward the edges due to hammering.

Marks from the blacksmith's hammer will be apparent throughout, but they will be subtle.

Brass hinges were also available throughout the 18th Century, but their shapes were restricted to rectangles. Brass hinges could be either blacksmith wrought or cast. The majority of hinges were cast-brass, and were thick, and no matter how well polished, have some surface irregularities from the casting process.

Cast brass hinges were used for furniture throughout the 18th Century and 19th Century. Hinges cast in two separate pieces and then joined with a separate pin are the old variety. Those cast in one piece with sealed ends and an internal pin are a 19th Century innovation.

The last type of hinge to be considered is the rolled plate hinge (which is essentially the modern hinge). These hinges are less attractive and romantic than their hand-forged or cast cousins. Nevertheless, they are considered by most to be superior hinges.

This type of hinge was in common use by 1860. It is probable that these hinges did not come to any widespread manufacture until about 1835, when the Industrial Revolution was starting.