I am making a double pin stem for the first time. I have looked at
various different construction methods, and the part I’m not sure
about is how one bends the pin wire after inserting it into the
tubing that serves as the hinge.
Equal lengths of wire stick out on each side of the tubing, and then
you bend both sides in a 90 degree angle to create the double
pinstem. I am concerned that the wire wouldn’t bend close enough to
the edges of the tubing to look neat.
Also, I am working in 18k yellow gold. How many gauges hard should
the wire be? I want lots of spring, so it locks into the catch
firmly, but I am worried it won’t bend well if there is too much
spring. Has anyone done this type of hinge? With gold?
Thanks, Amy
The type of double pin stem in which a piece of wire is used both as
the pin stems and the hinge pin is generally a machine made product.
As you surmise it is difficult to bend the pin by hand close to the
ends of the charni?re.
There are a few ways to make a double pin. I like to bend the U shape
and then solder the center tube of a 3-part hinge to the base. You
should make a half-round groove in the base of the U to fit the
diameter of the charni?re. This makes for a stronger joint and a
much neater appearance. You want to use heavy walled tube, as
there’ll be a fair amount of lateral strain on it.
You can also take an L-shaped wire and solder it onto a standard pin
stem next to the hinge end.
After soldering work harden the wire by giving it a few twists.