| Tools Required for Repair of
Wrought Iron Railings
By Andrew Caxton
Evidence of railings made from wrought iron can be found as back as
17th century. During that time, the concept of working on metals had
just started and the railings made from iron were treated as act of art.
Though the railings prepared from wrought iron are quite durable and
resistant to corrosion, these are not shock tolerant and the railings
tend to break if something drops on them. Any snap in the railing would
spoil the appearance of the hand railing or whole staircase. If you can
manage the repairs, you might be able to restore the original form of
the railing by yourself.
Tools needed for Repair of wrought Iron Railings
You may repair railings of wrought iron and bring back its nearly
original form if repair is done with care, but repair will be repair,
and not its original position. The various tools available for repairs
can be obtained from any DIY store. You need to procure:
1. Machine for drilling
2. Riveting set
3. Drill bits in sizes of 3/8” or 1/4”
4. Glue Cement
5. Hack saw
6. Tools required for woodwork
7. Metal Cement
8. Smoother
Techniques for repair of Pipes of Railings
It is a difficult task to weld railings which have been made from
wrought iron and despite the fact that when railings have been welded,
and a pipe after welding has chances of breaking again and can result in
a dangerous mishap. Hence, ensure that you do not weld the broken pipes.
However, you can repair the cracked pipe by putting supports inside the
broken pipe, i.e. by inserting a turned wooden pole or a steel pipe of
internal diameter of pipe. The pipe needs to be unfastened out of the
railings and carried to a DIY store and then the necessary repairs done
like putting supports inside. The ends can then be fixed with glue or
metal cement.
If the inner lining of pipe of wrought iron is uneven, you can just
twist the wooden pole a little bit more to fit it inside the pipe with
no force or without the use of a hammer on the wooden portion. If force
is applied, the pipe made of wrought iron will be useless and will not
be in a position to be repaired.
Understand that broken wrought iron railings become strong by inserting
a wooden pole or steel pipe inside it. The glue is merely used to give
it a outer structure and not making it strong. If there are more than
two pieces in the wrought iron railing, one needs to carefully fit these
before applying glue or riveting. Just ensure that all the pieces get
joined together and the wooden pole or internal pipe is not noticeable
from outside.
Fixing Poles or Base of Wrought Iron Railings
If the base of railings has developed cracks or the eyelet of railing
pipe requires repairs, stitch welding must be done to repair it. There
are many companies who specialize in this kind of repair and sometimes
provide guarantee as well. The chances of eyelets or base of railings
cracking are not very frequent and if these get cracked, it is advisable
to leave them in the hands of the experts as this requires expertise. If
you attempt yourself to do it in a DIY way, chances are that you will
fail.
Andrew Caxton is the author of many articles on different web
publications, with subjects like stairs railings and iron rails
published at
http://www.wrought-iron-guide.com Find more publications about
wrought iron railings at his website.
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