In thinking about ‘tricks for hinges’ the one I’ve been using lately
is to line up the tubes with whatever wire I’m going to use as a pin,
and then use a PUK or laser to tack them into place. Pull the hinge
apart, and then solder it. No way to seize the hinge then, and
everything comes out fitting tight.
Another trick is to stick the tubes into my flex-shaft, and spin the
ends against a file, to get the ends perfectly perpendicular. Makes
the rotary motion of the hinge smoother.
One other trick that I use pretty regularly is to use .9mm mechanical
pencil leads to line up pin backs. Stick one end through the
knuckle, and the other through the rotor. Keeps them from dancing
out of orientation as the flux dries.
One of my favorite shop tricks is to close the rolls on my mill and
then run my solder through it. It comes out really thin and makes
it easier to pick up what look like larger sized pallions that melt
down to a much smaller amount of solder. Since I use less solder it
not only looks better but saves in solder costs.
I get my solder from various suppliers. Mostly Stuller (I love
their X1 hard & easy white gold solder. It’s very, very white.) and
some comes from Otto Frei. But whoever I get it from, it’s always
very brittle. I can’t imagine running it through the mill and
getting it even harder.