The Right Tool Makes All the Difference

 Have you ever struggled to accomplish something, then it almost miraculously becomes easy when you have the proper tools? It could be a literal tool, a piece of software, access to data you need, instructions on how to do the task, or anything else that is renders the job much simpler to do. I experienced this myself recently.

Last year as part of a larger project I replaced the brass door hinges in my house with oiled bronze ones for an updated look. At that time my plan was to add hinge pin door stops when I installed the new hinges. For reasons unknown to me, there was not a single door stop in this house when I bought it. Hinge pin door stops are easy to install. You remove the hinge pin, put the hinge pin stop on top, then reinsert the pin. Easy peasy. 

Part of my house is an addition with a different style of hinges, so I had to purchase two different brands. One brand of hinges worked just like I described above. The pins were easily removed with a hammer and screwdriver. The pins on the other brand seem to have been inserted with superglue. After trying to remove several of them unsuccessfully, I knew I need to stop because I was soon going to damage one or more of the following:

• the door
• the door frame 
• the hinge
• the hinge pin
• my hand 

I looked at the online reviews of the hinges that were giving me fits, and sure enough, I was not alone in having difficulty removing the pins. I did some internet research to find a better way to free the pins. I found out there are actually hinge pin remover tools. They were cheap (under $10) and had good reviews, so I thought it was worth a shot. I bought one of these yesterday at Home Depot. I gave it a try today. OH MY GOODNESS. Worth every single penny and then some. The tool was very simple to use. The pins came out with just a few hammer taps, and there was no damage to any objects either inanimate or human. I had my remaining 7 hinge pins installed in no time. It is amazing the difference the right tool makes.