Installing surface mount hinges?

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#1

I need to install some simple (i.e., non-swaged) pin and barrel hinges. They will be installed on the outside of the (miniature) door and its frame. I will mortise both leaves flush into the door/frame. I know that in theory there should be a small gap between the door and its frame. How do I determine roughly how large that gap should be?

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Thanks in advance for the advice.

(Before you try to convince me to install them like “normal” butt hinges inside the frame, the realities of scale prevent that. My door/frame are each 1/16" thick and my hinges are slightly larger than that.)

#2

I’d guess at that scale, a couple sheets of paper would be fine.

You could put say a 20 degree taper on those surfaces (wider just below the hinge). If the material is 1/32nd ( .032") the difference would only be about .010". But when the door is closed the seam would be tight.

Alternately, do a tight butt joint, install hinge, then with scalpel, remove just enough material so it works smoothly. You can’t even see that it isn’t perpendicular when it’s that thin.

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