I don't know if I came up with this idea or had something I had seen from the past kicking around in my head, but when I put the door on my DIY greenhouse I used sections cut from an old worn out bicycle tire as the hinges. You might be familiar with the outrageous prices being charged for simple stamped steel hinges these days and I think this is an excellent remedy for wallet pain. I cut 3 sections each about 4" long from the tire using a hacksaw to cut through the wire rims of the tire and a knife for cutting through the middle rubber section. These work great, even though I probably used too many screws, but I can always remove some if need be.
Yea, man! I used that idea so many times to repair busted hinges! My coolers being the biggest one! Shed door, tool box lid. Ect! Great Post!
I'm not saying you didn't come up with this idea on your own , but I know where you may have seen a similar hinge . I think it may have been on Jeremiah Johnson , on the door of the shack were he had to take the little boy from . I think they used a pair of old shoe soles .I think this is right . I'd have to pull out the movie to make sure . It may take a few hours to find out for you ,,,,haha
Popular Mechanics from the 1930s had that same thing. Saw a reprint of the one paragraph "article". You may have come up with the idea on your own, but it isn't new.
Had not thought about replacement use on cooler hinges, which is a great idea. I read old Popular Mechanics from the teens - 60's so may have picked it up there. Lot's of good info in those old magazines with actual hands on DIY stuff that you can swap out modern materials for the common stuff they were using then. The new magazines mostly want you to buy something to accomplish a project. Me, I prefer to scrounge and use my imagination, lots more fun that way.
Old tire inner tubes work great as well! I make all sorts of stuff with them! Seals, Gaskets, plugs, liners, heat shields, water holders, tie downs, covers, wear guards, just about any thing really!!!
when I was young we did use thick leather to make or repair hinges on the farm -old shoes that were worn beyond repair were used too
Under the general heading of other uses, I've cut them into long strips an inch or so wide and used the strips to hold chairs together when gluing and redoing the joints that worked loose with age. (Also, when young and in an experimental mood, my buddy and I made a slingshot, about 4 feet high, and propelled 1 inch ball bearings over 100 yards and were able to hit 55 gallon drums regularly. The fork had a sharp point cut in it for planting on the ground, then braced by the braver of us with a shoulder at the fork. That inner tube did snap back ---)