Seen above - several sketches of hinge and fitting designs. I am laying the first hinge plate down on the graph paper to mark the tube cuts.
It turned out that the bizarro-style hacksaw that I purchased was simply not up to the task. Too much flex in the blade to saw quickly. Fortunately, I had a better alternative anyways:
Don't forget eye and hand protection when using something as dangerous as a dremel. Hot flakes of metal are flying around! On a similar note, best to do this outside - I use my balcony.
Below: This is actually the first project I've used a dremel on. It kicked once or twice when I wasn't holding on to it very well, gouging the brass. There is an attachment for Dremels called the detail grip -- I was much happier once I stopped to put it on.
Below - I was trying to compensate for the thickness of the cut made by a dremel wheel, and I overdid it a little bit. You can see these parts aren't going to match up properly. Back to the cutting for me.
Okay, cutting the slots is complete... now how the heck do I get rid of the unwanted tube sections? I originally planned to nip them off with a cold chisel, but I haven't yet found one small enough for the job. I decided I would have to weaken the unwanted parts and bend/twist them off. I tried several methods and wasn't very satisfied with the results from either. More details when I figure out a decent method or find an appropriately sized chisel.
After finally getting rid of the unwanted tube sections, all that is left is test fitting and filing down the high points.
At last, I can insert the hinge pin and watch my new creation flop around!
You can see that the hinges don't quite line up- one is higher than the other, and the tubes don't slot together very well. I'm satisfied with a good first attempt, though -- I learned a lot!
Tomorrow I might cut and file the plates into shape and peen the hinge pin. We'll see.
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