Welding

[unionworkeruk]

I have just bought these steel rod balustrades to replace the existing wooden one but they seem massive as you can see. They were relatively cheap at under £200 to do the whole stairs compared to the usual cost which run into hundreds if not thousands.

They are 106 cm high compared gto the existing one of 83cm and the usual height of about 90- 95cm. Rather than spend hundreds buying replacement could the posts be cut and welded to take a few cm out and how much do you reckon it would cost per post ?

 

[Tigercubrider]

They won't meet building regs but consider just cutting the bottom off?

 

[Burnerman]

No problem with cutting or welding, but of course the metal would discolour massively - if that's an issue?
Its worth seeing how the uprights are secured to those base plates - maybe they are meant to be adjustable?
John

 

[jj4091]

They look the same as mine, where the uprights onto the bases & the rail fixings into the uprights are just a friction fitting & can be pulled out so you can easily adjust the height ( cutting the length of the uprights) Cutting could be done with a hacksaw or angle grinder with a cutting disc fitted.

 

[unionworkeruk]

Unfortunately the flange at the end is welded to the upright and is then covered by a cap. But that could mean it could be cut there, the length cut and rewelded as long as any weld or disscolouration was covered by the cap. How much discolourisation would there be ?

I have looked a a couple of videos of cutting and welding pipe and they managed,by using grinder to remove it. Not sure it would be the same with thin stainless steel though

 

[Burnerman]

Unfortunately, the welding discolouration would extend well above the cap and its not easy at all to remove it - although it can be done with polish and wire mopping, and definitely not in situ!
Would there be any future in allowing the stainless tube uprights to be allowed to float in the bottom socket, and rely on solid fixings at the top?
John

 

[Lower]

Cutting and rewelding those posts is certainly possible. The discolouration from the welding could also be cleaned off quite easily. The problem is that the graining in the stainless above the area that has been welded will never perfectly match the existing so most welding companies won’t want to touch the job. £30-40 per post would cover it, but most just want the hassle with such a small job.

 

[unionworkeruk]

Two suggestions in the cafe this morning. One - get a lift and dump the stairs. . Two - use an electric saw to cut off the excess and superglue the end in a floor flange of the same or similar size. Preferably I thought of a galvinised steel flange with an allen key which I have used for upright posts building bookcases tables etc.. At a rough guess the upright is 4cm and I have found 2 wall flanges at 42 and 48 mm so I may be in luck unless someone can think of a drawback.

 

[jj4091]

Unfortunately the flange at the end is welded to the upright and is then covered by a cap. But that could mean it could be cut there, the length cut and rewelded as long as any weld or disscolouration was covered by the cap. How much discolourisation would there be ?

I have looked a a couple of videos of cutting and welding pipe and they managed,by using grinder to remove it. Not sure it would be the same with thin stainless steel though

What about the top fixings? Will they not pull out?

 

[unionworkeruk]

They are welded or screwed in. If I shorten the uprights at the bottom fit them to floor flanges everything else stays the same, just 16mm lower, I hope

 

[Burnerman]

Kee clamp flanges would work for you at the bottom, but they do look rather 'industrial'.
John

 

[unionworkeruk]

I like the industrial look. I use scaffold boards and galvinised steel poles for shelves and old sewing machine bases for tables. I even go back to the brick for walls and expose some of the lathe on dividing walls. The staircase is basically two steel pieces with rough cut waney edge treads of Olive wood and these steel posts and bars will be the banister.

I even like polishing and showing off the pipes running down the walls and use steel conduits in some rooms for the lights I see it as part of our industrial heritage and shows all the work that has gone into building a house rather than covering it up. I like to put it on show A tribute to the building trades !

 

[Tigercubrider]

You could measure the tube diameter and look for decking/boating fixtures that would fit (stainless)
Or use keyclamp if it filled and source small stainless bowls/cups that you turn upside down, drilling a large hole to allow the post to fit through.
The bowls could also be used if you screwed large diameter wooden dowel (curtain pole?) to act as upstands on the landing/stringer. Then slip the cut tube over but hidden by the bowls or cups.

 

[Rustynut]

If I am not mistaken the std hight for handrail is 1100mm to the top so I would not cut them and when you get your handrail up the stairs it will look fine as it will knock the angle out if you drop it due to the 42mm or 38mm angle on the stairs.

 

[unionworkeruk]

110mm is the maximum height and looks OK on an outside balconey but far too high for landing or stairs in a small terrace house. where the average is about 90mm But as you say better to wait till I get it then measure it up by eye and see if it needs cutting . The main problem was replacing the base if I had to cut it but I now think I have found a flange of the same dimension, 42mm, which I could replace it with.