metal railings

Log Out | Topics | Search Moderators | Register | Edit Profile

Author Message Karen L. Zaterman, CDT Senior Member Username: kittiz Post Number: 32 Registered: 10-2005 Posted on Thursday, April 05, 2007 - 09:45 pm:    We need to satisfy a requirement that an exterior decorative handrail and railing be a solid metal and painted a specified color. My PM/designer had called it out as Solid Stock Iron -- which I'm intending to advise changing to Wrought Iron. The problem is that the ref specs I've found all deal with wood, aluminum, or steel pipe so I'm not sure how to spec this. I've found an ASTM A47 for Ferritic Malleable Iron Castings that seems reasonable (?) but other than that I'm stuck. Can anyone help me with info or contacts? Oh, as an fyi, we'll also want to HD galvanize it as it's in a coastal zone -- that part I'm OK on, though. TIA, Karen Mark Gilligan SE, CSI Senior Member Username: markgilligan Post Number: 153 Registered: 05-2005 Posted on Friday, April 06, 2007 - 03:30 am:    What is unsaid is how decorative the railing will be. Unless it is especially intricate I cannot imagine the need for wrought Iron. Is the railing sufficiently intricate that it must be cast? The fact that you are galvanizing and then painting it makes me wonder if casting in required or whether this is a way to get wrought Iron. My recommendation is to think steel not Iron. Mild steel (ASTM A36 if you want a standard)is probably what the shop wants to use and will be more availible than Iron. If this is more than the run of the mill metal work you should have identified at least one potential supplier, talk to them. They will either talk you out of Iron or will suggest how to specify it. If this is a guardrail you may find that the engineering considerations will require modifications. In my experience a guardrail that has not been engineered will likely not comply with the code requirements. Talk to your engineer. Unless this is a very special project you will find that engineers do not use Wrought Iron in new construction and then you will have to find an engineer that knows how to use Wrought Iron. John Regener, AIA, CCS, CCCA, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: john_regener Post Number: 278 Registered: 04-2002 Posted on Friday, April 06, 2007 - 12:16 pm:    Karen: True wrought iron is very difficult to obtain. You might have to go to Mexico to get it. Frequently, notes on the architectural drawings indicate "wrought iron." Despite repeated comments from specifiers, the notes persist (as do "water-resistant gyp board" and "G.I. flashing"). So, specifiers in my area are considering jointly developing a true wrought iron spec Section and including it when the drawings note "wrought iron." Perhaps when the cost and logisitical consequences become more apparent ... and it's not just the gripes of cranky spec writers ... the matter might be taken seriously. Karen L. Zaterman, CDT Senior Member Username: kittiz Post Number: 33 Registered: 10-2005 Posted on Friday, April 06, 2007 - 12:47 pm:    Thanks, John & Mark! I also looked at A36 but it didn't seem to cover the iron... and I sensed that steel may be better, too (although I didn't know all these details -- nix the iron!). No, it isn't that intricate -- the larger posts have a twisted section with a finial on top & the intermediate ones have a simple square knuckle welded to them. Is this something that will be doable for the carbon steel per ASTM 36? Recall that it also needs to be solid -- that isn't a problem is it? And would we call it out as "Mild steel"? Jerome J. Lazar, RA, CCS, CSI, SCIP Senior Member Username: lazarcitec Post Number: 352 Registered: 05-2003 Posted on Friday, April 06, 2007 - 04:04 pm:    nomma.org website has a good explanation of wrought iron: http://www.nomma.org/support/wrought/wrought.htm If link doesn't work, go to nomma.org, click on "support" and look for link to "Clearing the Confusion over Wrought Iron" Karen L. Zaterman, CDT Senior Member Username: kittiz Post Number: 34 Registered: 10-2005 Posted on Friday, April 06, 2007 - 09:32 pm:    Thanks, Jerome. Very entertaining reading over dinner... Rod-iron, it is ;-) I found the glass-like slag pretty interesting, too. Now, time to utilize the rest of Colin's site. John Carter (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 08:51 pm:    Karen, I'm told that "wrought iron" does not exist except in parts of Europe (possibly) and that if you could get it you would not want it. That comes from a reputable source - ARCOM's editors.