Large, heavy doors need lots of support. The best way to do that is to cut a mortise. Mortised hinges are incredibly strong because they rely on both the screws and the mortise to support the weight of a door while it is opening and closing.

Jamb mounted pintles are the strongest type of pintle for wood jambs. They have a steel plant that is mortised to the jamb. They are no different to install than regular butt hinges and they work just as well. If you are working in brick or stone please call us to discuss driven pintles and other options.

Most doors can be supported with 2 hinges. Exceptionally tall doors will sometimes use 3 or even 4 hinges. Other times the design of the door is such that 3 hinges look better than 2.

Large doors also require wider, thicker and longer straps. The straps shown on this page are 1/4" thick and suitable for heavy exterior doors. There are two widths and two stock lengths to choose from. Determine the length you need by calculating 2/3 the width of your door. Straps should reach at least 2/3 across. Exceptions can be made, for example dutch doors or hayloft doors can be supported with hinges than reach only 1/2 way acroos.

Our two stock sizes will fit doors from 42" to 48" wide and we can custom make them to fit virtually any door. For the HF-42 simply add or subtract $12.00 per inch per pair to determine the cost, for the HF-43 add or subtract $15.00. If you want either of these hinges without the barrel to use as a dummy hinge, deduct $35 from the price.

Please don't hesitate to call or e-mail us with any questions (800-754-9127).

Our iron is hand forged in the traditional manner. The black color comes from heat and oil. If used outdoors iron will rust. If you are using any hand forged iron outside, please see our care and maintenance page here. You can choose to let the iron rust, wax or oil it, or paint it. We are are happy to paint the iron for you, just let us know when you order; either on the phone or in the comments section of our order form.

John, our catalog photographer, recently finished his barn with our strap hinges and chose to let it age naturally. You can see what it looks like here.

Read more about Hand Forged Pintle Strap Hinges in our technical resource section.