Wrought iron railing - is it okay or too crooked?

[Pontstone]

There we go. The tape measure has spoken. I note that the distances between the horizontal flat bars on the left half of the railing are fairly consistent when measured in different places. The conclusion seems to be that the construction is like a hammock between the left edge and the midpoint.

It should probably be possible to adjust it as smurfen72 suggests. The question is whether it's enough to hang on the railing, or if hydraulic tools are needed. However, that too should be the blacksmith's work :wow:

 

[oas]

I wouldn't be bothered by this. As someone else pointed out, it's craftsmanship. If you want something that's perfectly straight and not unique, you can buy it at IKEA or something.

But if you look at this objectively and from a non-personal perspective, it's not right. If you've ordered a straight railing, it should be straight.

If you feel this wasn't exactly what you had in mind, you could suggest a price reduction if you feel you can live with the defect, or you can return everything and refuse to accept the product.

 

[smurfen72]

You can easily adjust that, but the question is what happens over time; it looks a little weak and too far apart. Even if it's handmade, it should be properly done, and then it should be straight.

 

[Pontstone]

I am one of those who can see from a distance when something isn't quite 100. Often, I can't immediately determine what is off, but it's a nut that I usually crack fairly quickly. Sometimes my wife scolds me for being too fussy and too stubborn with craftsmen, but I think if I'm going to pay full price, it should be full quality. However, it seems that what is in front of me now should be possible to straighten in an easy way for the smith. I will talk to him tomorrow, and then we'll see. To be continued!

 

[Thomas_Blekinge]

I don't know who drew this, but there is no such thing as diagonal braces. No elements either that provide support against sagging. If the strap irons had been angle irons, it would never have happened. Though it would have been ugly. You can use the rosettes as stabilizing elements, but they must be oriented correctly. Look at classic models, where they are symmetrical around the middle of a span.

 

[Workingclasshero]

Let the blacksmith de-zinc, that's the galvanizing company's job. Then he should cut off the forged hooks and align them to the same height, then weld it back together and re-galvanize the whole thing. That is just too poorly done.

Redo and do it right.

 

[Stefan1972]

It is possible for material to warp when welding, but if you know that, you wouldn't do something like that freehand. That's just thrown together haphazardly, so to speak, and without a jig. Regardless of whether you're making small or large things or whether it's CNC milled or hand-forged. Some things need to be straight, and you have to assist nature by clamping certain parts that need to be straight. It could be a square tube welded to a welding bench where you clamp the top rail, and then some iron for the bottom part in the same way. That way, you keep certain base measurements intact.

 

[smurfen72]

It is hardly slapped together if the height differs by a maximum of 2 cm after welding and galvanizing with that construction. As I understand it, the measurement is correct, but there is sag in the railing. The smith probably had it clamped during welding, but it easily warps afterward, and then you align it, but he apparently missed that. You don't build advanced jigs for individual parts; it takes too long and there is no need for that either.

 

[Stefan1972]

too long? It takes 10 seconds to weld a pipe onto a welding bench? I have welded a lot in my days and I am definitely not a blacksmith in any way, but I could easily have avoided that sag without having to blame the material for moving when welding. The bigger the constructions you make, the more you have to compensate, and if you know that it moves during welding, you have to act accordingly.

 

[smurfen72]

You should pick up the pipe, weld it on, and then you should have an iron on top as well, and when you're done, the details should be cut away and sanded clean; if you can do that in 10 seconds, you're awesome. I've welded a lot and worked as a blacksmith with manufacturing similar railings; no welded jig is needed. You build the railing horizontally on trestles on, for example, 2 square pipes; any sag after welding is easily fixed on such a light railing by simply pressing it with body weight. I think the railing was straight when it left the workshop; it's not uncommon for things to warp during galvanization; it's quite warm baths the items end up in there. But anyway, it's a trivial matter to straighten again, nothing any blacksmith installing it would even consider as a problem. In this case, I'd be more curious about who designed the railing and how it will look in a number of years. You must be awesome to know how much the material moves during welding so you can compensate; I often try but fail, and then it requires correction.

 

[Stefan1972]

No, I didn't mean that you should compensate for things like that, but if you know that things get warped from welding, you can do what you can before welding it together. If you've welded before and know how it turns out, you do something about it instead of telling the customer that that's just how it is.............
It's a bit like delivering a paint job with runs and just saying that it happens sometimes.

I also didn't mean that you should make a jig, and of course that was welded together on two beams on the floor, but you could have avoided the big sag by just clamping a square tube to the top rail before welding the rest. Then the top rail would at least have been straight, and the rest wouldn't have been noticeable.

 

[Pontstone]

The blacksmith in question claims to have used a fixture during the manufacturing. Too bad he has his nerves on the outside of his body...

 

[smurfen72]

No, I didn't mean that you should compensate on those kinds of things, but if you know that things get crooked from welding, then you can do what you can before welding it together. If you've welded before and know how it turns out, you do something about it instead of just telling the customer that it just happens.............
It's similar to delivering a paint job with drips and just saying that it happens sometimes.

I didn't mean that you'd have to make a jig, and it's clear that it was welded together on two benches on the floor, but the big sag could have been avoided by just securing a square tube with clamps on the top rail before welding the rest. Then the top rail would have at least been straight, and the rest wouldn't be visible.

Regardless of whether the railing is perfectly aligned when tacked up, it will probably warp slightly during welding, and you align it after the railing has cooled. The blacksmith has probably done that, but then it was galvanized and is a very weak construction.

 

[smurfen72]

The blacksmith in question claims to have used a fixture during manufacturing. It's just a shame that he has his nerves on the surface...

If the blacksmith had galvanized the railing, then it's his responsibility to straighten the railing after galvanization. If you had it galvanized, you have to straighten it yourself or hire the blacksmith if you can't do it yourself.

 

[Pontstone]

I have, in fact, drawn the railing, but I trust that the blacksmith can handle the rest. Not least considering what it will cost.