Ugh! we've discussed this enough that I now better understand the problem, but not enough to fix it. She just sent an email asking me to call here so that she can arrange a replacement, but that is a hassle that I really would like to avoid, if possible. I would attach a copy of the photo that I took of the hinge, but it complains that the file is too big. Since I imagine that it is like most any other folder I doubt it would help anyway. I now know that the problem isn't with where the bolt is threaded into the pin, but the fact that once the hinge is closed, the pin should drop down, so that a nipple on the bottom of the pin would fit into the hole on the hinge plate...it won't, short of me getting a bigger hammer or crowbar. She thinks the problem is due to the paint from being too thick, but I fail to understand how that could be? Thick paint could cause the pin to fit too tightly, but not totally blocking it's movement into the hole.

The pin will slide down sufficiently when the hinge is open, but not when it is closed. When inspecting the pin/hole alignment from the bottom, they are not exactly centered on each other, but it appears that there is sufficient clearance for it to work. What else might cause it to be physically blocked?