# Repairing Wrought Iron Railing



## Georgepag (Nov 13, 2010)

I was going to replace the railing in the photo but, after removing it today, I’m wondering if it could be repaired. The bottom supports rusted out. The top and middle supports were bad enough that there was nothing that could be used to attach an extension piece. I cut them off flush with the bottom rail. I left the bottom one because there is still some good material there.
I know nothing about welding and metal work. Could a welder repair the railing? If so, how much could I expect to pay? To replace this with an aluminum railing would cost about $350.


Thanks











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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

I would cut them both off flush and finf some one with a welder to put flanges on the bottoms.


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## ChuckTin (Nov 17, 2014)

I wouldn't bother. A lot of these railings were made to be consumer grade products and only last 4-5 years under the best conditions.


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## Georgepag (Nov 13, 2010)

ChuckTin said:


> I wouldn't bother. A lot of these railings were made to be consumer grade products and only last 4-5 years under the best conditions.




The railing is a heavy, solid wrought iron railing. Definitely worth saving if I can.


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## ChuckTin (Nov 17, 2014)

Your choice. See if you can find an "Architectural" Salvage store locally to look for similar railings.


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

Georgepag said:


> The railing is a heavy, solid wrought iron railing. Definitely worth saving if I can.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Ayuh,..... An hour or so with my 120v mig, 'n some scrap bits of steel,.....

No problem,....


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## yardmullet (Jan 6, 2018)

Well wrought iron is hinky to weld. Not enough carbon. But it can be done.


I found a place that sold some kind of "magic" rods for it but can't find it.


Here go a link for mig


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

Yes that can be repaired. 

Do you live near a university with a Trades class that teaches welding?

That would be my first stop, locate the "professor" that runs the class, and ask them if they have students willing and ready for some practical experience.

The student will be very diligent in repairing, because they want that A, and your cost is mainly for the stock materials.

Or look in your YELLOW PAGES for a local ornamental iron shop, they do this regularly, but you pay for it, because it's a skill that many cannot master, many try, but become a scab welder, at best. 

A high school might still teach the basics, and have a good student willing to try. 

an ad on a store message board, might get you some service from someone that has the skills, time, and desire to help.


ED 

ED


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## tmittelstaedt (Nov 7, 2018)

That railing is NOT real wrought iron. For it to be real wrought iron the railing would need to be at least 150-200 years old. After the Bessemer process was invented in 1850 the ease of working steel basically caused all wrought iron railing production to come to a screeching halt. Also that railing is way too thin to be a real wrought iron railing, and they never attached real wrought iron to concrete that way as it would snap.

You can't just attack a real wrought iron railing with a mig welder. It has to be heated up gradually with an oxy/acetylene torch until it's almost molten (around 2000 degrees) and when welding you have to keep hitting it with a hammer to release stress. And it needs to be welded to other wrought iron and good luck finding a wrought iron plate anywhere. Welds from iron to steel are very weak usually repairs like that would be brazed not welded. Lastly, it is common for welding wrought iron to crack. Back "in the day" before they had cheap steel it was not uncommon for a place that fabricated real wrought iron railings to get most of the railing done then have to scrap it because a critical piece cracked.

The mig weld video posted above is fake. He is not working with real wrought iron he is working with steel. A tremendous number of steel pieces are made to look like wrought iron even to the point of stamping a "grain" into the surface of the steel. If he really had real wrought iron railings that would be several thousands of dollars of railings and the design would be a LOT different.

It is merely a mild steel railing made to look like wrought iron. Anyone with a stick welder or a torch welder could repair it. I'm sure you could find a shop that would be happy to tell you it was "real" and charge you up the wazoo for the "special welding" if it would make you feel better.

Sorry to burst any fantasies anyone had.


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## BentonGH (Oct 16, 2019)

tmittelstaedt said:


> It is merely a mild steel railing made to look like wrought iron. Anyone with a stick welder or a torch welder could repair it. I'm sure you could find a shop that would be happy to tell you it was "real" and charge you up the wazoo for the "special welding" if it would make you feel better.
> 
> Sorry to burst any fantasies anyone had.


You blew my brain now)) I realized now that I really can’t distinguish the type of material correctly. I had an idea about my own welding. If you look at the description of the best mig welder for beginner on this website, it seems safe. Iron railing is a simple thing (mostly). Does it make sense to buy your own welding machine? If we compare the price of the device (excluding the protective mask, etc.), then it costs the same as the welder takes for the job. P.S. Although you have already brought me back to earth with your post)))


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

> Does it make sense to buy your own welding machine?



Yes. but only if you expect to do more welding in the future. Like most things there is a learning curve, don't expect great welds your first time out! There can be a thin line between getting enough penetration and burning holes in the steel.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)




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## tmittelstaedt (Nov 7, 2018)

BentonGH said:


> You blew my brain now)) I realized now that I really can’t distinguish the type of material correctly. I had an idea about my own welding. If you look at the description of the best mig welder for beginner on this website, it seems safe. Iron railing is a simple thing (mostly). Does it make sense to buy your own welding machine? If we compare the price of the device (excluding the protective mask, etc.), then it costs the same as the welder takes for the job. P.S. Although you have already brought me back to earth with your post)))


I bought a gas welding setup for $200 and an old ac/dc Lincoln stick welder for around $100 a few years ago. Both would do this one easily. Harbor Freight has inexpensive welding helmets, gloves, aprons, hammers, rod, and all the supplies you need. They also carry welders but I would not go that route. Instead if you are doing stick or mig, buy a used welder off craigslist from one of the big names, like Lincoln or Hobart or Miller. Before doing that find a local welding supply store and go in and see what they are selling, if you are lucky you can find a used welding setup off craigslist that is the same as what they sell or they might even have a used setup they can sell then they can sell you parts and supplies and give you advice. You can get setup with a beginners welding setup for under $200 if you look and if you don't like it you can craigslist all the stuff off.

Your railing project is a perfect beginners project. Just get some square bar steel and flat plate and practice welding it together, butt welds and such. YouTube is full of videos. Craigslist is full of people trying to get rid of steel scrap, old appliances and such that is a source of practice steel. This isn't a critical thing you are welding together! If you don't get correct penetration so what all that will happen is in a few years the weld will break and you are back where you started. And even a professional weld might break due to the fact the steel is going to just keep rusting in that environment. Also, a railing place will just have one of their junior employees weld it up. I've had professional welding done myself that was crummy the "professional" didn't do any better job than I could have done. Once you knock the flux off and paint it only someone who has experience welding will be able to tell the difference between a professional weld and what you do.

Unfortunately there is this "mystique" that surrounds welding like it's this terribly difficult thing to do. Baloney. Fooling with epoxy and drilling and sistering metal in is nuts, it is never as strong as a weld, and it takes far longer and it looks amateurish. If you go to any operating farm you will see so-called "scab welds" all over the place. So what if they put down a 3 inch bead and only a half inch of it is actually holding the part together, it holds their stuff together until they break the plow on another rock next week.


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## Georgepag (Nov 13, 2010)

Thanks for all the advice and education. I’d love to try welding but I already have too many home and woodworking projects going. If I told my wife I was now going to buy welding equipment and try my hand at it, she would assassinate me with my nail gun and get rid of the body by running it the planer and use the cement mixer to encase the residue in a cement block she would use to sink the boat I bought last year. All the while mumbling “Yeah, I’ll buy a you a <~>§* welder. “

I brought the non-wrought iron railing to a welder I’ve used for other things. $150 to weld new supports on with flanges for bolting the railing down.



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## mathmonger (Dec 27, 2012)

Nealtw said:


> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySFK_Vm_XFw


What's the point of welding and gluing? Why not just glue the leg extensions together? Or, if you're going to get it welded, just get it welded. 

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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

mathmonger said:


> What's the point of welding and gluing? Why not just glue the leg extensions together? Or, if you're going to get it welded, just get it welded.
> 
> Sent from my SM-J337P using Tapatalk


 He had the extensions made off site with out taking the railing to the shop.
Not what i would do, i was just showing that there are other options.


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