First time railing. Critique it.

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So I have never built railing before or know anything about it. But a guy my boss knows wanting some built for around the deck on the backside of his house. I ended up tig welding the whole thing because it looks better IMO. Now I made sure of two things when I built this. 1) Safety. I made sure it was safe and held a responsibility to be safe knowing that people will lean and use it for support while walking down the stairs.2) Make it look good. Its not as fancy as some of the ones I've seen. Kudos to the guys who do all those crazy designs its awesome. It is simple which I like though.So check out the pics and let me know what I need to work on or if it's compliant or not? I know that it will not be inspected so it wasn't too critical but I would like to see the rules when building railing. I'm sure I am missing a lot of things. I need the rules mainly for future projects in case I get more of them.First pic is the gate. It sits at the top before you head down the stairs. Attached ImagesLast edited by tig_21; 04-27-2013 at 01:41 AM.Miller Dynasty 200Millermatic 211Instagram?.... find me @ WELD_MEDIC
Reply:Railing is at powdercoat right now should get it next week. Will post pics when it's all installed.Thanks for looking Attached ImagesMiller Dynasty 200Millermatic 211Instagram?.... find me @ WELD_MEDIC
Reply:tig_21You have the opposite problem of most new rail builders.Your welds are good + + +;  but the design is weak. Scrolls are junk.Search for: historic examples of wrought iron, not ornamental,and apply your welding skill to substance, not faux.Opus
Reply:Looks good, but the gate may not pass code. Rule of thumb is you can not get a 4" dia. ball thru any part of the rail. Looks like the top section of your gate would fail that test. This is to prevent small children from getting their head stuck in the railing or managing to fall thru the gap..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:here's my critique, you're insane to powdercoat it any color other than CLEAR!
Reply:Nice job Definitely go with the 4" ball test on the next one - but I still like it.Dave J.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:Looks good.  Is the gate finished, looks like pickets are tacked.  Check with codes if you are concerned about spacing. Being, "safe" just a'cuz  can be very wasteful. I don't just build to 4 inches automatically. I am currently  building a handrail with 6 inch spacing not.  Handrail, guardrail , barrier, gate...I would agree with powder coat clear.  I don't weld as well as you, so I like paint and punched channel and grinders.  Though,  I do have a job that will be, 70 feet of rail that will have a clear lacquer finish.  Congratulations
Reply:Welding looks really good, In pic 1 The scrolls are ok but in my opinion they need another design element to connect the arched top to the scrolls,Lincoln SP-170 MigHypertherm powermax 45Lorch T220 AC/DC TigButters FM 215 synergic MigKemppi 180 adaptive mig RULES ARE FOR THE OBEDIENCE OF FOOLS AND THE  GUIDANCE OF WISE MEN.
Reply:Agree with the 4" observation of others. And I agree with Gordon. Scrolls are good (you don't have a flat bit at the end of the rod, inside the scroll. That's something you see a lot and looks cheap and schitty). Needs something more though. It's a bit too empty in that area. Nice clean rail otherwise Stupid kids ruin all the good railing designs.........200amp Air Liquide MIG, Hypertherm Plasma, Harris torches, Optrel helmet, Makita angle grinders, Pre-China Delta chop saw and belt sander, Miller leathers, shop made jigs etc, North- welders backpack.
Reply:I'm not a very artistic fella, but I think it looks great as-is.Nice work.
Reply:As a builder of hundreds of gates and railings...let me just say that there is no shame in googling up thousands of pics of ornamental ironwork and drawing insight and ideas from them. Generations of craftmen have been copying designs and adding and taking away from them and making them their own for centuries. It's the way this business works. Gaze deeply into the iron....and make it yours. I just wish I was half the welder you are! Last edited by SMC Weldcraft; 04-27-2013 at 10:26 PM.POVERTY...is the Mother of InventionMillermatic 211Millermatic 140Miller Thunderbolt XLArcOne 100STS inverter w/TIGThermal Dynamics 38XL Victor Oxy/AcetyleneJancy Slugger Holemaker IIJet 5x6 BandsawNever enough time & sleep.
Reply:^^^^ I agree.The 4" is by the IRC.  I built one rail for someone and it spiraled out of control! Haha.  Welds are Awesome!!Some Blue , Some Red & Some GreyProverbs 16:2-3.2 "All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. 3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans."
Reply:What settings did you use for those beautiful welds?Was it pulse and lay wire, or did you dip?TA Arcmaster 300CM3XMT 304S22P12 suitcase feederX-Treme 12VSOptima pulserTA161SMaxstar 150STLHypertherm PM45OP setupStihl 020AVP, 039, 066 Magnum
Reply:Wow everyone thanks for the replies! I didn't expect that much positive outcome The spacing between the runners on the gate look big I know, but they are just under 4" so I should be good. I knew that was a must before building this.  Originally Posted by bert the welderAgree with the 4" observation of others. And I agree with Gordon. Scrolls are good (you don't have a flat bit at the end of the rod, inside the scroll. That's something you see a lot and looks cheap and schitty). Needs something more though. It's a bit too empty in that area. Nice clean rail otherwise Stupid kids ruin all the good railing designs.........
Reply:Hi Tig Great welds,Yes the rails need a something . With ordinary vertical baluster jobs like these I feel they look a bit more interesting and have more "movement" aesthetically if you introduce a mid rail 4" under your top rail. You will find your material cost to be very similar with the lower balusters.With a mid rail you could do 2 arches in your gate the upper one touching 2 sides  and the top then a lower one . This would give you something to fix your scrolls to without them being a little bit left mid air .Great work mate.BrettA good guess is better than a bad measurement
Reply:Originally Posted by tig_21Oh yes I can't believe I forgot to add the settings to  the thread:155A, 3/32 ceriated gas lens, #7 cup, 1/16" rod, no pulse all manual dipped. Thanks appreciate the nice comment!Thanks for looking!
Reply:Originally Posted by tig_21Thanks i'm trying not to be the stupid kid though, dangit!
Reply:just thought of adding a little more curves and bends to fill in the gapthanks.Mario Attached Images
Reply:Nice job.  I think if all you did was make the scrolls touch the arc, it would look quite a bit better design wise.
Reply:If all the jails looked like that gate, the rate of recidivism would be in the decimal digits!! Nice work as with all your pieces, those are some smokin' welds to boot. Have you thought about adding some decorative critters between the staves?  When a welder tells you to "stick it", what do they really mean?"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." - George Orwell
Reply:So I completely forgot about this thread. Thank you to everyone who chimed in I will definitely take everything to heart and further my skills and ideas taken from everyone's posts for future projects. As promised here is a pic of the railing with powdercoating and installed. I was looking at it and noticed that it kinda looks out of place with the house because its an old house with horrible paint and upkeep. O well, I know that I did the best I could so that's all that matters.Thanks again to every for the ideas and help I really appreciate it. Attached ImagesMiller Dynasty 200Millermatic 211Instagram?.... find me @ WELD_MEDIC
Reply:Looks good dude.
Reply:Came out well.  Good job.
Reply:job turned out nice. welds look really good. nice job, the next one will be alot better no doubt..
Reply:Cool project from start to finish... I look forward to my first tig project. Your welds are very very nice man..Sure I can, hold my beer.Miller 211 with spool gunMiller Spectrum 375 X-Treme ...wait for it....with the XT30 torchMy old lincoln tombstone arc welderRigid 14" abrasive sawCan I include my cool Sioux Die grinders too...lolnice job on the railing, how did you attach it ? ive never seen it attached like that to the face of the stairs..