Townhouse Railing Repair

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Got a call from a friend of one of my previous customers who I did a railing repair for. He said his railing was about to fall over and he would like to have it repaired.  I asked if minded taking a few pictures and sending them to me. Here is what I got... Pic1When I arrived the railing was already down....Pic2Whoever sunk the railing before decided to put a bunch of nails and lag screws into the concrete which made it fun to clean out the holes.  I used my chipping hammer to break out the debris and my hammer drill with an 1-1/4" bit to bore the hole. Pic3After I got the holes cleaned out with the shop vac, I measured the depth of each hole.  Then on the railing I cut back to a part of the existing steel that was still usable.  I welded in some new 1"x1" box pieces with my suitcase.... Pic4Then I test fit and mixed up some anchoring cement and sunk the railing into the holes.pic5The customer was real happy and a few of the neighbors stopped by to see what had been done.  I passed out a few cards and looked at two more of the neighbors railings that will need to be done in the near future.  It took me about 2 1/2 hours to complete. Attached ImagesBrianLincoln Mig 215Miller 211Victor Torch SetMiller Maxstar 200SDMiller Syncrowave 250DX Tig runnerMiller Trailblazer 302 running on LPMiller Extreme 12 VS SuitcaseEllis 1600 BandsawMiller xmt350 CC/CVLincoln Vantage 300
Reply:You blended in the splice pretty nicely.  I have to do a similar repair at home.  It's not as bad as -that- example, but I'm pretty sure I could brake off my bottom post if I pushed on the railing a bit.  The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...
Reply:Yes that should make everone very happy I'm sure that did not rust off in the last week or so. Wow are you near salt water. Good work  Thanks for the post  Vernon
Reply:Thanks guys.I loved the angle bracket repair! Its amazing what you can do with a flap wheel.  I use a grinding wheel to knock down the heavy stuff and then grind it smooth with the flap wheel.That repair was in Northern VA. No salt water except for what the property owner created there on his front steps.  Last winter was pretty bad with ice and snow so I'm sure they put down ice melt regularly.  The concrete did not fill the holes above the tread of the step so there must have been a small sea that formed and slowly ate the steel away.  I think the existing 1x1 tube was only 16ga.  I put 1/8" walled back in.I waiting for a call from the neighbors who have the exact same problem.....BrianLincoln Mig 215Miller 211Victor Torch SetMiller Maxstar 200SDMiller Syncrowave 250DX Tig runnerMiller Trailblazer 302 running on LPMiller Extreme 12 VS SuitcaseEllis 1600 BandsawMiller xmt350 CC/CVLincoln Vantage 300
Reply:Why not replace the post, it is faster.  I have done many of those repairs.  Search for holes around the cap. Many times water enters from the top and can fill the tube. Freezing causes bursting.Could be a hole where lambs tongue meets cap.
Reply:I will keep that in mind on the next one.  The posts on this one where mitered and fit under the top handrail.  They where welded pretty good at the joint so I don't think water was making it inside the tube from the top.ThanksBrianLincoln Mig 215Miller 211Victor Torch SetMiller Maxstar 200SDMiller Syncrowave 250DX Tig runnerMiller Trailblazer 302 running on LPMiller Extreme 12 VS SuitcaseEllis 1600 BandsawMiller xmt350 CC/CVLincoln Vantage 300
Reply:I did a similar repair for my parents last christmas near Mt. Vernon, Va. The rail was already down at Thanksgiving, so I took the whole thing home with me and welded in new 1/8" posts on both ends and brought it back at Christmas for instalation.Nice work..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:Originally Posted by BSOKI think the existing 1x1 tube was only 16ga.  I put 1/8" walled back in.