# Wrought iron rail repair



## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

raylo32 said:


> My house is getting to that age when stuff needs repair. <sigh> The latest is my iron railing. One of the posts is rusted to the point of being wobbly. I have seen a This Old House video on one way to repair this, but that is more than I want to do. I have the tools to drill out the mortar and cut the old rail post, but don't know where to find repair parts. I saw that you can get "repair legs" that you set with cement into the hole after you remove the damaged piece. These are sized with inner dimensions to accept the insertion of the rail leg where it was cut off. But where to get these? I can't find any online sources. Is my only option to find a local wrought iron company? Anyone here done such a repair and have any thoughts? Right now I only need to do the 1 leg as my railing is in pretty good shape. I filled and leveled the mortar hole years ago and have kept it painted. Not sure why this one leg has failed.
> 
> View attachment 644370



Many "scrap", and recycling yards, have square tubing, sold by the foot.

For us DIYERS. 

That one rusted, because of a snow shovel, and salt, hitting it repeatedly over the years.



ED


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Found what I was thinking of trying... an iron newel post base. I would drill out the old corroded leg, then cut this newel post base to fit (grind down the base as necessary to fit the hole and the length to fit my rail) and cement it into the hole. The existing 1" square rail leg would fit inside. I probably would have to slide the new base on the leg before cementing it because I don't think I'd have enough freedom to get it in after. Think that would work OK?

16.3.31 1″ Square | House of Forgings | Stair and Railing Products


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

raylo32 said:


> Found what I was thinking of trying... an iron newel post base. I would drill out the old corroded leg, then cut this newel post base to fit (grind down the base as necessary to fit the hole and the length to fit my rail) and cement it into the hole. The existing 1" square rail leg would fit inside. I probably would have to slide the new base on the leg before cementing it because I don't think I'd have enough freedom to get it in after. Think that would work OK?
> 
> 16.3.31 1″ Square | House of Forgings | Stair and Railing Products



Drilling that hole is going to be a BEAR. 

Maybe devise a temporary stand to attach to the landing, so the bit can drill slowly, and surely, into the corner, without binding, and possibly breaking the corner out. 

They make a commercial drill for exploratory drilling in mines, that braces to the walls, and then you drill the "drift" in to collect a core sample. 

But may not be available where you live. 

How do you propose to keep your drill stable enough to get a precise hole?


ED


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

Got a welder?


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## Half-fast eddie (Sep 19, 2020)

Do a google search for metal supplier. I use Metal Supermarket. They will cut what you need ... in your case there might be a minimum charge. Carefully measure the inside dimensions of your existing posts and buy a piece to slip in. 








Richmond Virginia | Metal Supermarkets


Need metal in Richmond (Virginia)? We have over 8,000 metal types, no order minimums, and value-added services. Ask us about pickup or delivery.




www.metalsupermarkets.com


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

No, I don't have a welder nor do I weld. I already have waaaaay too many tools for a townhouse dweller and no suitable spot to be sparking and smoking the place up!

I went and ordered that part I linked above. I am hoping the old mortar will drill out fairly easily with a masonry bit and hammer drill and I won't make the new hole large enough for the entire new square base. I'll grind the corners off and then grind it down so it will hopefully fit into the existing hole. And yes, I need to be careful not to crack the corner of the step off. They used really crappy concrete on these houses.

Edit: looking carefully at my photo it looks like there is already a teeny tiny crack. One of these days I am going to have to have the entire steps redone. Sheesh.


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## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

Tommy Silva's method looks more robust.

Or cut it off and take it in to a welding shop.


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Link?

Edit: Oh, never mind. He is the This Old House guy and I watched that. Yeah I might do that later when more of the legs are bad. But just want to do a quick repair for now. Too much else to work on.



SPS-1 said:


> Tommy Silva's method looks more robust.
> 
> Or cut it off and take it in to a welding shop.


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

I don't have a definitive recommendation for you, but I have had a somewhat similar situation and I will share what I did.

What I had was 28 year old steel fence posts that were rusted badly at the base, in some cases it was rusted so bad I could poke a finger through the post where it meets the ground. My fence also had two different kinds of installs, on one side the posts were set into the ground with concrete filling the holes, on the other side the posts were set into a concrete slab. That required two different solutions.

For the posts that were set into the ground, the reason for the rust was there were some regrading over the years and the ground is now 6" or so higher. Where the posts meet the dirt is where most of the rust occurred. I was also working under the limitation that these posts cannot be removed and replaced with new, because new code prevents the same height fence to be placed at the same location.

What I did was I found new round steel posts where those OD are the same as the inside width of the square post tubings. I then cut the rusted section out, leaving the post "hanging in the air". I then cut a new piece of square tubing the same length as the removed rusted section and insert it in place. I then cut the top of the posts off, inserted the new round tubing inside the square tubing. Slid it all the way down, then started to pound and pound and pound until the new steel round post is at least 20" below grade. What this effectively did was the new round post became a new "spline" of the older post. I then weld all the old and new pieces together, where there were gaps I filled with structural steel epoxy and sanded smooth. Applied rusty metal primer over the whole post, and put in 8" sonotube and concrete to raise the steel ground interface higher.




























On the posts that were set on a concrete slab, which would be closer to your situation, I carefully measured the square posts and have custom metal fabrication made for me half square tubing with flanges to fit OVER the existing square tubings, like this:










I fit two halves over the bad posts, welded the two halves together, and to the existing post, then drove 3/8 Tapcon screws into the slab through the four holes in the bottom flange.

May or may not work for you, but food for thought.


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Nice work but that's a wayyyy bigger fence and project. Also looks like rabbit proof fencing?? What I am going to do is similar to your picture with the red circle, except I don't care if the leg maintains its original 1" square profile in the repaired section. The piece I am going to cement in to the step will have an inner opening 1" square to directly accept the old leg. IOW, it'll be like a little boot.... and actually be at least as strong. Years from now when several or all of the other 7 legs need attention I might worry about that small cosmetic detail. Only thing I haven't decided yet is whether to hold the inner leg to the boot with a screw, glue, or both. I might could use a round rod inserted into the old leg that would bottom out in the hole in the step. But I am not removing the rest of the rail so probably won't have the room to get one in there... have to see how much flex there is after I cut it loose.


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Had another thought along the lines of Silva and Miami above... I could cut it off as I have planned and if I can get enough room I could insert a rod into the remnant in the step that sticks up some number of inches (depending on if I can get some clearance, then glue it all together. Then I wouldn't have to mess with drilling out the old remnant and risk breaking the step.

Hey, 'Cuse, what type of steel epoxy did you use? I wonder if JB Weld would work.


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

raylo32 said:


> Hey, 'Cuse, what type of steel epoxy did you use? I wonder if JB Weld would work.


I don't think of JB Weld as structural. I think of it as more a body filler.

The epoxy I used is made by System 3 called SilverTip Metweld. It's quite costly at $25 for half a pint.









SilverTip MetlWeld


MetlWeld is a super tough epoxy adhesive designed to bond dissimilar materials such as steel to wood.




www.systemthree.com





Abraton makes metal epoxy products too.

Good luck.


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Looks lie a good product. I may give it a try. Thanks.



miamicuse said:


> I don't think of JB Weld as structural. I think of it as more a body filler.
> 
> The epoxy I used is made by System 3 called SilverTip Metweld. It's quite costly at $25 for half a pint.
> 
> ...


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

And to keep my options open since I am not sure how far I'll be able to raise the rail with only that one end leg cut I have a plan B with the steel newel post base linked about. I'd cut the leg, bend the rail out of the way enough to drill and extract the old remnants. Then I would modify the newel post base with a grinder and/or metal saw so it could be slipped onto the cut leg without raising it much. The open side would be aligned with the steps since there is zero movement in that direction. Epoxy the leg to the new base/boot and cement the foot into the cleaned out hole.


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

raylo32 said:


> And to keep my options open since I am not sure how far I'll be able to raise the rail with only that one end leg cut I have a plan B with the steel newel post base linked about. I'd cut the leg, bend the rail out of the way enough to drill and extract the old remnants. Then I would modify the newel post base with a grinder and/or metal saw so it could be slipped onto the cut leg without raising it much. The open side would be aligned with the steps since there is zero movement in that direction. Epoxy the leg to the new base/boot and cement the foot into the cleaned out hole.
> 
> View attachment 644589


How many of these do you have to do?

Is it possible to remove the top cap and slide a tube in from the top? I cut my top off, then drove a tube in from the top, then welded the top back together.

On the east side where the posts were set onto a slab, I couldn't use the same approach. So my approach there was to make a sleeve with a flange. However, I had 7 of these to do and I want them to all look the same, so I made them half sleeves so I slip onto them, spot welded to existing, epoxy filled the seams, then drove tapcons into the slab,










For these posts I did not cut out the old, they just got inside the new sleeve tubing halves.


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Just one... and the legs are only 1"x1" external dimensions. No caps whatsoever. These rails are all one piece, legs, handrails and intermediate "slats". Needing to fix only one is both good and bad. The good part of "only one" is obvious... only one. But the bad is that since I don't plan to cut any more of them or remove the entire rail it'll be tough or impossible to access the inner hollow part to insert a rod. That's is why I am leaning back towards my external boot idea with the open side. The open side of the boot would face down the stairs (or up) since the rail is firmly constrained from moving in that direction. It's the side to side wobble that needs to be addressed. I need to get that newel base in hand and see if I can make that work. No idea when it will be delivered. Here is an overall picture. The red circle is the bad leg. Once it is cut I should be able to pull it away from the hole and hold it off with a wire or a piece of cord, then drill out the cement in the existing hole to remove the old. Then reassemble with the boot foot and cement in the step and epoxy between the boot and the rail leg. The boot has internal dimensions of 1"x1" so that will be a very snug fit. I may even have to relieve the leg a tad with a grinder... we'll see. I really think this will work fairly well.













miamicuse said:


> How many of these do you have to do?
> 
> Is it possible to remove the top cap and slide a tube in from the top? I cut my top off, then drove a tube in from the top, then welded the top back together.
> 
> ...


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

I was going to suggest that you do this to both the upper and lower, to ease the labor, and to make it look better.

But I see from yours and the neighbors, that you have at least 5 posts, and a long string of one welded unit.

I do hope that you can "flex" that one far enough to get access to work.


ED


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Yup, that one side has 5 total legs including the bad one. Not gonna mess with all those until they need it. Once cut off I am certain I can flex it sideways enough to do my boot method. I doubt I can flex it enough vertically to do an internal rod. The boot will look fine, it'll all be painted black and not change the profile all that much.



de-nagorg said:


> I was going to suggest that you do this to both the upper and lower, to ease the labor, and to make it look better.
> 
> But I see from yours and the neighbors, that you have at least 5 posts, and a long string of one welded unit.
> 
> ...


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

You may also be able to attach that last railing, at mid height, to the wall? Some bracket attached to the masonry wall then welded or mechanically fastened to the railing to help with rigidity and wobbly, and that may even lessen the strength needed for the bottom connection. It being the last rail it may not look too odd.


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Except that wall is my neighbor's house. 



miamicuse said:


> You may also be able to attach that last railing, at mid height, to the wall? Some bracket attached to the masonry wall then welded or mechanically fastened to the railing to help with rigidity and wobbly, and that may even lessen the strength needed for the bottom connection. It being the last rail it may not look too odd.


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

raylo32 said:


> Except that wall is my neighbor's house.


Slip him or her $5 and a beer and say "hey buddy can I drill a little hole right here and here?"😁


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Hey, "Cuse... how tough is that steel epoxy in bending? I just had another idea how to do a repair like this... Thinking you could drill a hole in the leg about 3 or 4" up from the concrete and then pump in the stuff until it fills into the broken leg all the way down to the bottom of the original hole in the concrete. The stuff would have be very tough to resist bending and not brittle to break. I'd want to test this or see data on a particular adhesive first before giving this a go. I ordered the stuff you linked and if I have time I may do a test... pour a log in a 3/4x3/4 rectangular shape to mimic the inside dimension of the rail leg, clamp it in a vise and put a bending load on it. You could even maybe thread some steel rods through a drilled hole and push them down to the bottom to act as "rebar" for the epoxy.


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## Half-fast eddie (Sep 19, 2020)

raylo ... slight variation ... drop in a piece of rebar that easily fits ... maybe #3 or a piece of galvanized all-thread rod ... and then fill with epoxy.


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

That is exactly what I would have done except I'm only doing the 1 leg and I don't think the rail will flex vertically enough from the step to be able to get a long enough piece in. At least without taking a permanent bend. I'd have to raise it about 6" (3" to insert down and 3" up). Even longer would be better.



Half-fast eddie said:


> raylo ... slight variation ... drop in a piece of rebar that easily fits ... maybe #3 or a piece of galvanized all-thread rod ... and then fill with epoxy.


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

raylo32 said:


> Hey, "Cuse... how tough is that steel epoxy in bending? I just had another idea how to do a repair like this... Thinking you could drill a hole in the leg about 3 or 4" up from the concrete and then pump in the stuff until it fills into the broken leg all the way down to the bottom of the original hole in the concrete. The stuff would have be very tough to resist bending and not brittle to break. I'd want to test this or see data on a particular adhesive first before giving this a go. I ordered the stuff you linked and if I have time I may do a test... pour a log in a 3/4x3/4 rectangular shape to mimic the inside dimension of the rail leg, clamp it in a vise and put a bending load on it. You could even maybe thread some steel rods through a drilled hole and push them down to the bottom to act as "rebar" for the epoxy.


Not sure about bending stress. How much volume are you talking about here to fill the rail all the way from the bottom up? At $25 a pint it will be quite costly, plus it's viscous, I used it for vertical application and it only slumps a little, even if you can squeeze this stuff inside the railing I doubt it will slump and flow into a solid mass.

If your idea is something flowable you need a liquid epoxy. I have used this stuff to repair beams and rafters damaged by termites into swiss cheese and I was able to pour this stuff into the holes and galleries eaten by termites. This stuff do flex and is also used for fiberglass boat repairs. The liquid epoxy product I used was made by Abatron.






LiquidWood® Wood Consolidant Epoxy - Abatron, Inc. | Abatron


LiquidWood is ideal for regenerating and waterproofing rotted, dried-out or spongy window sills, window and door frames, columns, indoor and outdoor furniture.




www.abatron.com





This is also a structural epoxy and it's flowable and self leveling. You can buy empty caulk tubes from them, mix the stuff and pour into the caulk tube, then inject into your rail.


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Really not that much volume, The rail is 1x1 exterior dimensions and I am guessing about 3/4x3/4 inside. I'd only try to fill about 6" length of that, 3" up and down from where it meets the step. I won't be able to have a look at how this stuff handles for awhile anyway. It shipped yesterday from WA state coming to MD by FedEX ground. :-/ I don't have the metal newel post base yet either. So it looks like this job is on hold for at least a week.



miamicuse said:


> Not sure about bending stress. How much volume are you talking about here to fill the rail all the way from the bottom up? At $25 a pint it will be quite costly, plus it's viscous, I used it for vertical application and it only slumps a little, even if you can squeeze this stuff inside the railing I doubt it will slump and flow into a solid mass.
> 
> If your idea is something flowable you need a liquid epoxy. I have used this stuff to repair beams and rafters damaged by termites into swiss cheese and I was able to pour this stuff into the holes and galleries eaten by termites. This stuff do flex and is also used for fiberglass boat repairs. The liquid epoxy product I used was made by Abatron.
> 
> ...


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

raylo32 said:


> Really not that much volume, The rail is 1x1 exterior dimensions and I am guessing about 3/4x3/4 inside. I'd only try to fill about 6" length of that, 3" up and down from where it meets the step. I won't be able to have a look at how this stuff handles for awhile anyway. It shipped yesterday from WA state coming to MD by FedEX ground. :-/ I don't have the metal newel post base yet either. So it looks like this job is on hold for at least a week.


regardless if your approach is to drill a hole and push this MetWeld epoxy into the hole and hope it fills the bottom up it will not work because the mixture is too viscous to form a solid continuous mass. After you mix the two parts the consistency is like that of toothpaste. When you push it into the tubing the compound will slump due to gravity but it will not compress and level to a strong solid mass, it will be a waste of money. Use a liquid flowable epoxy instead.


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

That is NOT my primary method. It was just a what-if exercise that might be interesting to try.




miamicuse said:


> regardless if your approach is to drill a hole and push this MetWeld epoxy into the hole and hope it fills the bottom up it will not work because the mixture is too viscous to form a solid continuous mass. After you mix the two parts the consistency is like that of toothpaste. When you push it into the tubing the compound will slump due to gravity but it will not compress and level to a strong solid mass, it will be a waste of money. Use a liquid flowable epoxy instead.


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

raylo32 said:


> That is NOT my primary method. It was just a what-if exercise that might be interesting to try.


I understand. I am just saying the MetWeld product can be used for vertical application and it has a consistency after mixing similar to that of a thin peanut butter or thick toothpaste. I have used it to fill vertical gaps between segments of the metal posts and after application the mixture stay in the gap without slumping. If you push it through a hole it will just stay behind the hole, and if you push more in it will just kind of slump at the bottom edge, if you push more and more it may drop down to the bottom but not consolidate together, and there is no way for you to verify visually. I would go with a pourable epoxy. When I used a liquid epoxy and inject from the top, I drilled a hole at the bottom where I want to know how far up the epoxy filled. As soon as the epoxy began to spill out of that test hole, and I can verify that it spills continuous I put a rubber pad over it with a clamp to stop the leak and continue to fill until it comes up to the level I wanted where I have another hole drilled. The liquid epoxy takes close to 36 hours to set, the slow set time allows the liquid to penetrate and consolidate over a long period of time. This MetWeld will start to set in 30 minutes, it will not consolidate or even slump together.

In addition, this stuff will not work if the surface it bonds to is rusted. If the inside of this tubing is totally rusted then it's like pouring this stuff on sand, it will fill but it will not bond well.


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

That's pretty much how I am planning to use it, to fill gaps between the 1x1 external rail and the 1x1 internal newel post base. There might not be much if any gap there. And the newel base will be clean new metal while the existing rail is clean and painted. I do plan to build up the internal space of the newel base up to the level of the step so the rail height stays the same and inside that I am planning to use a piece of 3/4x3/4 internal stock to bridge that splice joint. That will also be epoxied. It's hard to describe exactly without making a drawing... and it may change depending on how much I am able to move the rail once it is cut. I'll post up pics when I get to it.



miamicuse said:


> I understand. I am just saying the MetWeld product can be used for vertical application and it has a consistency after mixing similar to that of a thin peanut butter or thick toothpaste. I have used it to fill vertical gaps between segments of the metal posts and after application the mixture stay in the gap without slumping. If you push it through a hole it will just stay behind the hole, and if you push more in it will just kind of slump at the bottom edge, if you push more and more it may drop down to the bottom but not consolidate together, and there is no way for you to verify visually. I would go with a pourable epoxy. When I used a liquid epoxy and inject from the top, I drilled a hole at the bottom where I want to know how far up the epoxy filled. As soon as the epoxy began to spill out of that test hole, and I can verify that it spills continuous I put a rubber pad over it with a clamp to stop the leak and continue to fill until it comes up to the level I wanted where I have another hole drilled. The liquid epoxy takes close to 36 hours to set, the slow set time allows the liquid to penetrate and consolidate over a long period of time. This MetWeld will start to set in 30 minutes, it will not consolidate or even slump together.
> 
> In addition, this stuff will not work if the surface it bonds to is rusted. If the inside of this tubing is totally rusted then it's like pouring this stuff on sand, it will fill but it will not bond well.


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Getting back to this finally... I didn't have to cut the rail. I just drilled out a little of the cement and found the break, then I was able to pry the rail up and pull it away from the hole. Then I drilled out some of the cement and ran in to bit of an issue. On one side there seems to be a steel "nose". You can see from the last picture where I have drilled that out somewhat... the largest hole. That is going to make cleaning out this hole much more difficult. My fingers are freezing so time for a coffee break.


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## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

Looks rusty, so it must be steel. But any possibility its lead ? I have seen railings potted with molten lead


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

All steel as far as I can tell. I am not sure what that little bump out was. Maybe the bottom of the rail had a tab to give it some more grip in the anchoring cement? In any case I have it extracted. So I have a nice clean hole. I need to run to the box store to get some Rustoleum primer to paint my repair parts before I set it in. I also want to see if I can find some real anchoring cement. Alls I have around is some QuikCrete patch. Not sure if that is strong enough for this duty.














SPS-1 said:


> Looks rusty, so it must be steel. But any possibility its lead ? I have seen railings potted with molten lead


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Here are the repair parts. They comprise a channel with 1x1 internal dimensions, a piece of square 1x1 external steel tubing (the one with the holes in it) and a piece of 3/4x/3/4 square tubing. The second photo shows how this goes together. To visualize, the thing goes into the hole assembled as shown and the 3 parts all bottom out in the hole. The shiny 1x1 provides a base for the existing 1x1 rail to rest on at the step grade and the 3/4x3/4 spans the joint internally and lines the original rail up with the repair parts.... then the channel covers them on 3 sides. All this will be epoxied together. Then the hole surrounding this part will be filled with anchoring cement or possibly anchoring epoxy. The parts left in bare metal is where they will be epoxied together.

The open face of the channel is needed because the rail can't be lifted high enough to get a full tube on. I can't even lift it high enough to get it over the 3/4x/34 piece since the rail lifts in a circular arc. To get that installed I will have to slide it up into the railing and after the other to parts are put in the hole and epoxied I'll lower the rail and let that 3/4x3/4 tube slide into place.

I am gonna wait until tomorrow to finish up when temps will be warmer and better for stuff to set up.


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

raylo32 said:


> Here are the repair parts. They comprise a channel with 1x1 internal dimensions, a piece of square 1x1 external steel tubing (the one with the holes in it) and a piece of 3/4x/3/4 square tubing. The second photo shows how this goes together. To visualize, the thing goes into the hole assembled as shown and the 3 parts all bottom out in the hole. The shiny 1x1 provides a base for the existing 1x1 rail to rest on at the step grade and the 3/4x3/4 spans the joint internally and lines the original rail up with the repair parts.... then the channel covers them on 3 sides. All this will be epoxied together. Then the hole surrounding this part will be filled with anchoring cement or possibly anchoring epoxy. The parts left in bare metal is where they will be epoxied together.
> 
> The open face of the channel is needed because the rail can't be lifted high enough to get a full tube on. I can't even lift it high enough to get it over the 3/4x/34 piece since the rail lifts in a circular arc. To get that installed I will have to slide it up into the railing and after the other to parts are put in the hole and epoxied I'll lower the rail and let that 3/4x3/4 tube slide into place.
> 
> ...


 Sounds like a good plan. 

ED


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## miamicuse (Nov 13, 2011)

Have you consider precision construction grout which is pourable as your "anchoring cement"?









Precision Non-Shrink Construction Grout | Sakrete


When your structural grouting project demands superior performance, turn to Precision Non-Shrink Construction Grout. This highly-engineered concrete grout can be mixed to fluid, flowable and plastic consistencies to allow for a wide array of applications and is non-corrosive and non-metallic for...




www.sakrete.com


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## rogerwh (Mar 1, 2021)

Maybe this has already been suggested, but why not use a flange? 








Gilpin Inc.® 1" Black Floor/Column Flange


Install an attractive railing or column on your patio, deck, or porch with this one-inch Floor/Column Flange from Gilpin Inc.®. This flange is used to mount one-inch columns or one-inch newel posts onto wood or concrete.




www.menards.com





Roger


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

The concrete is pretty crappy and I'd rather not drill more holes in it, especially near a step corner.



rogerwh said:


> Maybe this has already been suggested, but why not use a flange?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Actually thinking about trying this. Sakcrete also makes a similar product. Seems the only downside is the need to work fast as it sets up quickly. But seeing as I have only the one hole to do it shouldn't be a problem. Kind of nice to just have the amount I need and not have to buy even a 10 pound bag or bucket of cement. One and done and gone. 

SIKA 112718 Anchor Fix 2, 10 oz: Automotive Adhesives And Sealants: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific





miamicuse said:


> Have you consider precision construction grout which is pourable as your "anchoring cement"?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

This is the standard stuff. I dunno yet which I'll get. Lowes had both in stock. The tried and true cement would be probably more fool proof than the Sika epoxy... and a little cheaper. But then I would have the most of a 10 pound tub to store somewhere. <sigh>

Sakrete 10-lb Cement in the Cement department at Lowes.com


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Job done. That MetlWeld epoxy worked great to join my metal pieces. Thanks for the recommendation 'Cuse. Then I ended up using the Sika stuff linked above to anchor the leg and it worked well. It was a little tricky to use since it sets up VERY quickly. I followed a suggestion I saw in the product reviews to put the tube in the refrigerator to slow it down a bit... and I did not use the self mixing tip. I squirted it into a plastic cup and mixed it with a popsicle stick then used that stick to work it down into the hole and around the leg. I did this in several goes as the stuff still set up fast and got faster as the tube warmed up to ambient. It is an interesting material. It looks and feels like concrete and seems very strong. All in all this repair came out well and the rail is as solid as a rock.


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