Received my first hand railing order

[Grundsau]

I'm not in the league of many of you folks on here and was always afraid of being asked to take on something like this because of my lack of experience.
While at a social event recently, the homeowner asked me to create a hand rail for an interior stairway from the first floor down to a rec room.
The customer knows me and wants something simple and not too ornate.
She also knows I have some other projects going on and is not in a hurry, so that should allow some time to start learning and making a mock-up.

Two thirds of the stairs are in open space at the bottom.
Was thinking of using an angled support with decorative fastening end to go down over, and attach to the side of the stair stringer.
Since strength is in the angles, that should work.

She also wants a clear sealer on the metal and I thought about permalac.
Is that a good choice?
I'm trying to figure out an appropriate type of cap rail material and whether it will be flat or round stock.
Would also like to incorporate some slitting and drifting of some of the materials too.

It's intimidating but I'm excited to give this a try. And I need the work.

[Dillon Sculpture]

Alway take work that scares the #@$% out of you, its the only way to climb a mountain. Bottom line I don't like shiny on iron, use matte if you can. Cap has to feel right not just look right, I have used some forged stuff from King metals with my forged rails and it looks pretty decent. Good luck!

[John B]

Before recommending how to fit your proposed rail, it may be better for you to supply more details, or a picture of the location and stairs

Is it a straight down staircase, closed or open treads,?

Are the stairs wood or metal or concrete? Each have their own properties for securing to,

You can fit to the treads for the first option, then if there is a danger of "wobble" brace down to the stringer,

In the UK we can source rolled handrail section which is basically a rectangular section but with the top side being arched, more comfortable on the hand, and a better grip than round section for us oldies.

[ThomasPowers]

First thing: Find Out What Is Code For Your Area! *then* design!

[Grundsau]

Thanks for being willing to help.
No pictures yet and it is a straight run with closed wooden steps.

I planned to get photos, measurements and angle sometime next month.
She is about 45mins from me and won't be down that way again for a bit.

[r smith]

Sounds easy. No reason to use pemalac if you dont use japanese brown stain the two go hand in hand. Give some more details.

[GregDP]

Hey, I wanted to stop in and say these are this style is the best anchors I've ever used for railing.
http://www.parts-exp...source=googleps
You can order them from a lot of places nut 'n bolt places. Prices vary.
I've used cheaper ones. But these are awesome. Easy to use and while they look flimsy, they're actually rated for more weight than many other anchors. They're the only thing I'd use to mount a rail to sheetrock that wasn't also mounted to the floor. I'd recomend when you're there look for the seams in the sheetrock. A flashlight shining down along the wall can be helpful, avoid 'em. Most likely sections will be 4' wide. Check for studs (usually ever 16"-24"). Plan you mounting points accordingly. Anchors for the open area really depend on the stairs. Sounds like a simple enough project but measure, measure, measure. Local codes are important, but the 4" sphere test is pretty much all that gets checked around here. Congrats on the job! Rails and railings can be an art and I've been lucky enough to pick up many tips by working my butt off. So I hate to sit hear and just write a book for you, but if you have any questions. Message me on facebook.

[Frosty]

I think you're off to a good start, picking brains here. <grin> You can buy "cap rail" and weld it to a channel iron structural component that is connected to the pickets, welded that is. The channel is web down and the cap bridges the flanges for a closed hidden space for whatever your welds on the picket ends looks like. It's VERY strong and not too hard to form.

One thing to remember about the cap, if it isn't covered in CODE, make it small enough a person can wrap their hand completely over/around it. If someone starts to fall being able to wrap their hand around the banister makes it a LOT more likely they'll catch them self successfully. This IS the prime purpose of a railing, safety.

I'm not going to get into the subject more than a couple vague suggestions as I have so little experience it's laughable. Heck, my first move would be to ask advice here.

Frosty The Lucky.

[GregDP]

I spent a few years working in small shop that fabricated custom railing almost exclusively. Long hours without overtime, and making less than ten an hour while completing whole projects made me bitter after a while. The only reason I stuck around was because of the knowledge I gained and a sense of loyalty and appreciation. I could never put a price tag the experience or the knowledge. I share that knowledge because more than anything else.. I really, really hate to see poor ironwork installed anywhere. So one more tip..

When I first started making ironwork, my main job was simply cutting/de-buring parts and cleaning up the welds and splatter. Running your bare hands over every inch of a project will reveal more than the eyes alone. Do this more than once. A small protrusion or piece of spatter will only be amplified by a paint job or powder coat. One doesn't want to notice something later that could have been easily fixed. That one spot in someones home may go unnoticed for a while.. but once someone has run a hand across it once. I believe they'll do it over and over. And it'll always be a reminder of sub-par work.. but then again some people don't know better and just like the pretty metal. :P