Railing help!

[swyman]

After fixing the railing at church they now want me to build a whole replacement railing. I was planning on making it out of 1" square tubing with 1 1/2"X3/16"for the top and bottom rail. I'm just worried it will look to plain. What they have now is the twisted square stock wrought iron and looks nice but I don't have a machine to twist material. Is there a supplier to buy such material or would my 1" tubing look good? I see there are a few of you that do this work and could get me in the right direction.
Thanks, Shane Wyman
Modern Metalworking

[Wheelchair]

I think this web site will help you as they sell anything you may want in the metal fab world. King.com. Archetectural Metals. They ship right to your door.

Wheelchair

[DDA52]

King Architectual Metals and Triple S Steel should have it online. If not in a twisted, they should have a 1" hammered that would look good.

[monte55]

Our local Home Depot stores are selling twisted pickets and pickets with baskets. King has a lot of stuff but consider shipping cost.

[Chuck U&R]

King Metals

King has 1/2" x 35 7/16" twisted pickets on sale for $1.90 ea.

I recently ordered 750# of steel from them and shipping from Baltimore to Fayettville, NC was $150.

Do the math.

[swyman]

That's a great deal! Thanks for the info guy's!!!

[wldrman]

As long as you're using hot rolled, just grab a couple of adjustable wrenches and start twisting. It's really not so bad!

[makeithot]

depending on how often you plan on building railings. You could build a jig to make your own pickets. But for a $1.50 migth as well order them.

[migwelder05]

dont have a machean do it old school all you need is a A/O torch, a vice and some friends. heat it up to cherry red weld a pice on the top first then stick it in the vice and twist it that what ide do

[ironhorse]

I use a company called decorative iron. decorativeiron.com/DecorativeIron/
They ship very quick, I have also used king.
You might try asking a large steele dealer in your area if they can get the molded top rail, that gives the railing a nice look rather than using flat bar.

I use the molded top rail and 1" sq tubing and 1/2 inch sq for the pickets,
then i put a couple of forged picket casting in on each railing to dress it up.

It cost alot to ship some of this stuff, so try to buy stuff local.

good luck

[paulrbrown]

Here is better link for King, they are in Baltimore,Dallas and I think LA. I have used them many times and feel they offer a great resource, Hope this helps, Paul

kingmetals.com

[Bert]

I think he mentioned using square tubing. We've done it at school using 1/2" solid square. Put one end in a vice with 1" pipe over it to keep it straight while twisting (other end was a "Key" we made using extra scrap 1/2" bar that fit snugly around what we were twisting...If you guys know how to twist manually similar to that, PLEASE let me know, that tubing is a lot cheaper!!
bert

[ironhorse]

what kind of steele you use cold roll or hot?

[weldingman251]

dont have a machean do it old school all you need is a A/O torch, a vice and some friends. heat it up to cherry red weld a pice on the top first then stick it in the vice and twist it that what ide do

thts how ive always done it

[FusionKing]

Use hot roled 1/2" solid...it really ain't hard to twist...put one end in a vice and use a big crescent wrench on the other end and mark it with soapstone and give it two turns (as a starting point) Take it out and look at it and adjust from there....it doesn't get much more crude or simpler than that!!
Then if you like what you see then weld two old 1/2" sockets together and use a big ratchet on one end and a third socket welded to the bench or whatever also using the drive end to put the picket in...still crude but not quite as Neanderthal.