When shopping for hinges, you may come across flag hinges. Also known as double-acting hinges, they are commonly used on doors and gates. Once installed, flag hinges will allow the door or gate to swing open. Unless you’ve used them in the past, however, you might be wondering how flag hinges differ from traditional butt or door hinges.
What Are Flag Hinges?
Flag hinges are mechanical bearings with a fixed pin. As shown in the adjacent photo, the pin is permanently attached to one of the two leafs.
Most hinges have a pin. Consisting of a narrow rod, the pin is designed to hold the hinge’s leafs together. You can install a traditional butt or door hinge by interlocking the two leafs together, followed by sliding a pin through the center of the newly formed knuckle. Flag hinges, though, have a fixed pin.
How Flag Hinges Work
They may sound complex, but flag hinges work in a rather straightforward way: The leaf with the fixed pin connects to the other leaf. The two leafs will then form a knuckle, allowing for a pivot point.
If you’re planning to use a flag hinge on a door, for instance, you can install one leaf on the door and the other leaf on the frame. Only one of the leafs will feature the fixed pin. The other leaf will feature a hollow knuckle to accommodate the pin
Benefits of Flag Hinges
What are the benefits of flag hinges exactly? Since the pin is fixed, you can lift the door or gate with which they are used without removing any fasteners. As you lift the door or gate, the two leafs will separate. Other types of hinges typically require the removal of fasteners. You’ll have to remove the screws holding at least one of the hinge’s leafs in place to lift and remove the door or gate.
Flag hinges can also swivel in a full 360 degrees. This makes them particularly useful for high-traffic doors, such as those on commercial and office buildings.
You can also find flag hinges in right-handed and left-handed versions. Right-handed flag hinges are designed for doors that open in a right-handed direction, whereas left-handed flag hinges are designed for doors that open in a left-handed direction.
In Conclusion
Flag hinges are a smart choice for many projects. They are characterized by a fixed pin that allows for quick and easy removal of the doors or gates with which they are used. Additionally, flag hinges can swivel in a full 360 degrees, and they are available in right-handed and left-handed versions.