Hinging on your success: part 6 No comments yet

In the final installment of our blog series examining hinges, we focus on the largest offerings in Cliffside’s line. For bigger applications where a 2″ hinge won’t cut it, Cliffside offers its BH3A mortise and BH3A-NM non-mortise hinges. If even those pieces are too small for your application, the only direction to go is up: to one of Cliffside’s large armoire hinges. The Cliffside line of armoire hinges comes in two styles: a non-mortising inset version, and an offset version.

AHI

Quick facts

• Overall length: 5¹⁵/₁₆“
• Leaf length: 1¹⁵/₁₆” each
• Barrel diameter: 8mm

Details

The AHI, a non-mortise hinge, is an item that has seen recent expansion for Cliffside. With the advent of our hardware suites, it became necessary to increase the number of hinge finishes we offered in all of our items; the AHI was no exception. Adding the Polished Chrome and the Venetian Bronze completed this line in 2010, after the Polished Nickel was provided to complement the original eight finishes in 2007.

AHI-series hinges are faced; this means that you must specify a left-hand hinge or a right-hand hinge when ordering. When viewing the door from the front of the cabinet, left-hand hinges are used to hang the door hinged on the left side, while right-hand hinges are simply the opposite. See the diagram below:

The left-hand armoire hinges are for left doors, as shown, while the right-hand are for the opposite side.

Although these are called “armoire hinges”, they are useful for a variety of applications. Their most popular use is for long doors, especially the size of some tall pantries, and for entertainment centers where a highly decorative look is sought. The decorative finial of the armoire hinge has proven to be one of its most popular features.

AHO

Quick facts

• Overall length: 6¹/₈“
• Leaf lengths: 2³/₁₆” upper; 1¹⁵/₁₆” lower
• Overlay: ³/₈” from face
• Barrel diameter: 9mm

Details

The AHO is an offset armoire hinge, and is the largest piece in the Cliffside hinge line. Both the AHI (above) and the AHO are two-piece, lift-off hinges, making these pieces easy to install and transport. Doors can easily be separated from the cabinet frame during transportation to make moving the cabinets less hazardous.

As with the AHI, the AHO hinge is available in 11 signature finishes. Both armoire hinges have a quirk in their finish line: rather than the brushed golden “AE” finish that is available in Cliffside’s smaller hinge lines,  the AHI and AHO have the Bronze Satin finish, a color with similar tone but a slightly different patina. You can compare the two for yourself in the image below:

The brushed golden AE at left, compared to the duller Bronze Satin (BS finish) at right

The AHO is designed for a ³/₈” overlay door, so it can be used with the same door designs as the 3-8-OFFSET series, just as the AHI can be used alongside the BH2A-NM and BH3A-NM non-mortising hinges. All of our armoire hinges are made with the same precision and Old World craftsmanship that our customers expect from Cliffside’s hinges. These pieces are simultaneously decorative and functional and are a great choice for any inset or offset cabinet manufacturing.

Hinging on your success: part 5 1 comment

In this week’s edition, we turn our focus from inset doors to offset with a focus on Cliffside’s 3-8-OFFSET hinges. These hinges are designed for a different style of door, so it’s easy to see that they have some unique qualities compared to the rest of the Cliffside hinge line.

3-8-OFFSET

Quick facts

• Overall length: 2¹⁵/₁₆“
• Leaf height: 2″
• Overlay: ³/₈” from frame
• Barrel diameter: 6mm

Details

In the past three years, the 3-8-OFFSET line has been expanded dramatically. Cliffside began with four finishes: our dark European Antique Brass, a lighter Oxidized Brass, Polished Brass, and Silver Satin. During our 2009 line expansion, customer demand for darker finishes enticed us to add the Black, Old Antique, and Venetian Bronze finishes in that year, as well as the Polished Nickel, due to that color’s rising popularity.

In 2010, when Cliffside introduced our full line of hardware suites, we expanded our hinge offerings even further, adding the final three missing colors (Iron, Old Copper, and Polished Chrome) and completing our line of 3-8-OFFSET. Now, all of these items are shown in our Fine Hardware Collections catalog, with a finish to coordinate with each suite that Cliffside offers.

The 3-8-OFFSET is developed with the same painstaking construction as all of our hinges, relying on brass extrusion to create the strongest possible piece while reducing the risk of flaking finishes and powdery pins. At the same time, Cliffside offers the hardware industry’s widest finish selection in extruded offset hinges, ensuring that our customers’ expectations are met — and exceeded — with every purchase.

Hinging on your success: part 4 No comments yet

Continuing with our feature on the non-mortise hinges in the Cliffside line, we now turn our attention to the newest Cliffside hinge, a larger non-mortise selection which bridges the gap between BH2A-NM and AHI: the BH3A-NM hinges.

BH3A-NM

Quick facts

• Outer leaf length: 2¹/₂“
• Inner leaf length: 1¹/₄“
• Overall length: 3⁷/₁₆“
• Barrel diameter: 6mm

Details

Added to Cliffside’s hinge line due to customer demand, the BH3A-NM is the newest hinge to grace Cliffside’s shelves. With the same attractive finial tip as the standard BH2A-NM, the BH3A-NM is a longer and more graceful version of the same hinge. With a larger amount of material, the BH3A-NM is more durable, designed to hold taller doors where higher strength capacity is a must-have. Of course, the extruded construction common to all Cliffside hinges is also a factor here, as is the painstaking attention of our European hinge craftsmen.

With 11 signature finishes, the BH3A-NM offers a wide selection already, even as a new item. These finishes are designed to coordinate with Cliffside’s solid brass hardware suites, allowing for a unified look throughout any kitchen or bath. The BH3A-NM is an important addition to Cliffside’s non-mortise line because it fills in the space between the non-mortise BH2A-NM and the non-mortise AHI, creating a progression of sizes for inset cabinets that gives a wide range of choice. Simply put, the BH3A-NM is versatile to use and superior in quality.

Hinging on your success: part 3 No comments yet

Our 6-part feature on hinges now shifts focus to our non-mortise hinge line. Available in a wide variety of finishes with a selection of finials to suit any customer, the BH2A-NM is a wise choice for any cabinetmaker.

BH2A-NM

A concept drawing of the BH2A-NM alongside the real thing

Quick facts

• Outer leaf length: 2″
• Inner leaf length: ¹⁵/₁₆“
• Overall length: 2⁷/₈“
• Barrel diameter: 6mm

Details

Cliffside’s BH2A-NM with the finial tip is one of our most popular hinges. Non-mortising hinges are designed specifically for easy use and installation. With a small inner leaf that fits cleanly inside the larger outer leaf, the hinges create a tight reveal that is no wider than the ¹/₁₆” thick leaf itself. Because of this design, these hinges can be installed in a shorter amount of time than it takes to mortise each door. The extruded construction ensures the strength of this hinge, and the brass material promises a piece of higher quality and staying power than any other hinges on the market.

The biggest advantage to this hinge is the variety of finishes that Cliffside offers. The NM hinge with the finial tip is available with fifteen standard finishes, ranging from bright and shiny Polished Nickel to dark and dramatic Old Antique. All of the finishes of Cliffside’s hardware suites can be had in this hinge, making it a great match to coordinate a whole roomful of cabinetry.

BH2A-NM-BALL

The BH2A-NM-BALL is perhaps most popular in the Silver Satin.

Quick facts

• Outer leaf length: 2″
• Inner leaf length: 1⁵/₁₆“
• Overall length: 2⁹/₁₆“
• Barrel diameter: 6mm

Details

The BH2A-NM-BALL shares nearly all of its dimensions with the original finial-tip, save for the overall length, which is slightly shorter because of the ball-shaped tip. Designed for inset doors, all of Cliffside’s non-mortise hinges have the same solid brass extruded construction. Each leaf of Cliffside’s hinges is constructed from a single piece of brass.

This hinge is available in 11 finishes to match all of our solid brass suites. The demand for Cliffside’s NM-BALL has been outstanding: it was developed due to customer demand, and it continues to fly off the shelves nearly two years after its introduction. All of the Cliffside hinges are featured in our most current catalog, which is available for download on our website or by calling customer service.

Hinging on your success: part 2 No comments yet

Cliffside’s solid brass hinge line has sizes ranging from large to small. In today’s article, we will examine another mortised hinge, following up on last week’s feature on the BH2A hinges. A larger mortised hinge, the BH3A has been a popular Cliffside hinge for years, and today we will examine it in-depth.

BH3A

BH3A shown in Venetian Bronze

Quick facts

• Leaf length: 2¹/₂“
• Overall length: 3¹/₂“
• Open width: 1⁵/₈“
• Barrel diameter: 8mm

The BH3A hinge is the largest mortised offering in the Cliffside line. It is available in 13 attractive finishes: the 11 colors of the signature hardware line, along with Nickel Chrome and Old Silver. The BH3A is manufactured using the same extrusion process as the BH2A, but its heavier barrel and longer length make it ideal for larger doors, or for those customers who request a bolder statement from their cabinet hinges.

The BH3A hinge is offered with an attractive minaret finial. Its 8mm barrel is ideal for use in any project. Originally non-adjustable, this piece was formerly known as the BH3NA, but now the adjustability of this hinge makes it a smart choice for cabinetmakers, and with screws finished to coordinate with all of our colors, the BH3A also has finishes available to match each of our solid brass hardware suites. This hinge is simply a great selection for use in any kitchen or bath with inset cabinets