Repairs

[Pelado]

My wife's grandfather made this trunk when he was a teenager. The metal connected to the hinge has a break in it. Anyone know what type of metal this would be and/or how to repair it? I'm hoping it doesn't require welding because I can't afford to pay for a welder.

TIA.

[clackamascoug]

Seems like a non-essential repair, but it also seems a little strange that that section has fatigued.

Sounds like a group fund opportunity.

[Pelado]

Seems like a non-essential repair, but it also seems a little strange that that section has fatigued.

Sounds like a group fund opportunity.

The long, narrow piece that is broken tends to stick up in the air, threatening both to poke someone sitting on the trunk and to snap off entirely. Given the provenance of the trunk, my wife is concerned about further damage. I just don't think that her stated solution - hot glue - would be the best way to correct the problem.

[mtnbiker]

The long, narrow piece that is broken tends to stick up in the air, threatening both to poke someone sitting on the trunk and to snap off entirely. Given the provenance of the trunk, my wife is concerned about further damage. I just don't think that her stated solution - hot glue - would be the best way to correct the problem.

How thick is it? Can you get away with just soldering it? I would think that the heat from welding would be too much for it, and also threaten to burn the wood.

[Bo Diddley]

How thick is it? Can you get away with just soldering it? I would think that the heat from welding would be too much for it, and also threaten to burn the wood.

That was my first thought as well.

[Donuthole]

How thick is it? Can you get away with just soldering it?

This. Otherwise, add a matching rivet to tack down the skinny piece. Pro tip: Do that on both hinges so they still match.

[Pelado]

How thick is it? Can you get away with just soldering it? I would think that the heat from welding would be too much for it, and also threaten to burn the wood.

That was my first thought as well.

I haven't measured it, but it's not particularly thick. It's thin enough that it would be pretty easy to snap that narrow strip off by pulling up on it.

If I were to solder it, would it leave much of a visible seam? I assume the solder would not match the color of the metal, either.

This. Otherwise, add a matching rivet to tack down the skinny piece. Pro tip: Do that on both hinges so they still match.

Interesting idea. Would you expect any Home Depot/Lowe's/hardware store to have matching rivets, or would I need to look at some specialty shop?

[Scott R Nelson]

I would use epoxy on that.

[Pelado]

I would use epoxy on that.

What type? Similar to my questions on soldering above, would epoxy leave a visible seam? Any color matching possible?

[cowboy]

Gorilla glue underneath, and epoxy the seam. Both come clear. If you are really OCD, find a touchup paint that matches closely and blend it in with a 500-grit sandpaper so the seam doesn't show. I wouldn't take the chance of burning the wood with a solder gun.

[Pelado]

Gorilla glue underneath, and epoxy the seam. Both come clear. If you are really OCD, find a touchup paint that matches closely and blend it in with a 500-grit sandpaper so the seam doesn't show. I wouldn't take the chance of burning the wood with a solder gun.

When you say gorilla glue underneath, do you mean gluing the narrow piece to the wood below?

I'm not particularly OCD, but I do want my wife to be happy about the end result.

[Moliere]

her stated solution - hot glue -

Typical woman response. Hot glue is their duct tape

I’d us CA glue with some accelerator. Maybe scuff you the underside of the metal so it holds better. Epoxy would work as well but would take a while to cure.

[Pelado]

Another issue in trying to fix this problem is that I don't see a way to remove the rivets without damaging them or the surrounding materials. So I think any solution has to account for the rivets and metal staying in place.

[Scott R Nelson]

Get some epoxy, in whatever color you think will work best, mix it up, apply it to the underside of that strip, push it down and wipe away any that squishes out, put a weight on it to hold it in place (books?) then come back tomorrow. It's fixed.

You're making this too difficult.

[cowboy]

When you say gorilla glue underneath, do you mean gluing the narrow piece to the wood below?

I'm not particularly OCD, but I do want my wife to be happy about the end result.

Yes. As Scott R. Nelson said, epoxy works, too. Just be careful not to lift the metal too far or you'll bend it and put a crease in it. I like gorilla or super glue just because it will be easy to get between the metal and the wood.