# Forum Home Renovation Metalwork & Welding  "wrought" iron

## toooldforthis

Am thinking of buying and recycling some 60s wrought ironbalustrade         
To make legal height might need to add a rail to bottom or top. (yeah, know about the 125mm gap)  
Anyway, got me thinking about welding (Im not a welder) and the old story you cant weld wrought iron.  
Did a cursory scan of the interwebs and no/yes cant weld wrought iron, but also it seems a lot of what is called wrought iron isnt.
Any pointers on how to tell? And welding thereof? 
ps: sry about the font thingy, not sure what is going on there.

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## David.Elliott

None of those examples are "wrought" iron, would be my guess...I'd say they're just welded steel...

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## toooldforthis

> None of those examples are "wrought" iron, would be my guess...I'd say they're just welded steel...

  thanks. that's my guess too. 
what about the curly bits on the last photo?

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## Uncle Bob

> what about the curly bits on the last photo?

  I'd say just flat bar mild steel.

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## toooldforthis

so, something from the 50's/60's is probably weldable?
whereas the "federation" type stuff probably not? 
this is from my last place, 1950's
wrought at all?

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## PlatypusGardens

Shame Marc has gone AWOL.....

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## PlatypusGardens

I like that one      

>

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## Pulse

we did this at our place, welded on some flat and 16x16mm to make it legal then powdercoated the whole lot  
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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## toooldforthis

> I like that one

  yeah, me too.
tho doubt it would be legal as it is "climbable"
and my balcony is a 7m drop, so not really an issue whether it is legal or not, more a case of lethal or not. 
the photos are just from gaggle. 
except for that one of mine from the 50's 
found two on gumnuts but one that was quite nice have a big gap between the verticals and the other was sent to the skip because of no interest  :Frown:  
there is no hurry, will keep looking as long as it seems like I can get it welded to install/make legal.

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## PlatypusGardens

> there is no hurry, will keep looking as long as it seems like I can get it welded to install/make legal.

  Hmm when we lived in Perth I recall going to a place called "Bill's salvage" (maybe)...I think it may have been on the road towards the Swan Valley (or perhaps somewhere completely different) 
All sorts of stuff there
Gnangara road?  
Anyway there'd be plenty of places selling that sort of thing second hand, I'm sure.
I prefer to go have a look around than buying from Gumtree etc.  
Only downside is I always end up finding other stuff as well, hehe.

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## dmac

Hi Tooold, 
I dont think "wrought iron" has been a thing since the Titanic was a glint in someones eye. 
Unless it's been cast, like spike points and bollards for the top of posts, it's steel. Attack it with your stick welder or MIG as you will. 
Personally, I think balustrade work is best done via a powder coated aluminium balustrade provider while you watch from the deck chair having a beer. 
Dave.

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## SilentButDeadly

Back in the day...I was one of a few people involved in rebuilding the fence around Government House in Sydney. Various nutters kept calling it a wrought iron fence but the only wrought in it was the emotions of the blokes that made it!  
Fence is made of drop forged points welded (carefully, so not by me) to 25 mm diameter rods that were 1800 long which were inserted into two lengths of flat bar with specially punched holes (often by me and a big machine called Eric) in them which were then welded together in a jig (often by me) and then transported and installed. 
Regardless of this irrelevant history...it is still mostly steel. Wrought iron is wrought...by hand...and is basically steel that is hand wrought or worked if you will. Cast iron is cast...and not steel or wrought. Clear? 
And yes it should be saved from scrap metal and council building regulations!!!

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## toooldforthis

> Hmm when we lived in Perth I recall going to a place called "Bill's salvage" (maybe)...I think it may have been on the road towards the Swan Valley (or perhaps somewhere completely different) 
> All sorts of stuff there
> Gnangara road?  
> Anyway there'd be plenty of places selling that sort of thing second hand, I'm sure.
> I prefer to go have a look around than buying from Gumtree etc.  
> Only downside is I always end up finding other stuff as well, hehe.

  yep
but the yards are pretty expensive, cause they have the labour cost of demolition, cartage, storage etc etc. 
gumnuts is ok if you ignore the d*ckH**ds - which is a lot of em. 
Brajkovich is who you are thinking of.
its ok, but you need to get any timber stuff within a few weeks of arrival cause they treat it like firewood. 
EDIT:
Ah no, you meant Bills Machinery - haven't been in there; maybe I should - then go buy a welder  :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

> Ah no, you meant Bills Machinery - haven't been in there; maybe I should - then go buy a welder

  
That's the one! Used Machinery - Welcome to Bill's Machinery - Used Machinery Dealers - Machinery Categories   
he's got welders too....  Used Machinery - Welcome to Bill's Machinery - Used Machinery Dealers - Machinery Categories

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## Marc

> Am thinking of buying and recycling some 60s wrought ironbalustrade         
> To make legal height might need to add a rail to bottom or top. (yeah, know about the 125mm gap)  
> Anyway, got me thinking about welding (Im not a welder) and the old story you cant weld wrought iron.  
> Did a cursory scan of the interwebs and no/yes cant weld wrought iron, but also it seems a lot of what is called wrought iron isnt.
> Any pointers on how to tell? And welding thereof? 
> ps: sry about the font thingy, not sure what is going on there.

  A few issues here "too old" ... to reuse a balustrade is not easy, unless it is a straight fit. If you are good at metalwork, may be a bit easier since you will have to make some of the balustrade to finish the ends where you cut it. It's not only a matter of welding it but to make it fit, finish, adapt. Feasible but some skill required.  
As far as the misconceptions about wrought iron.
Today wrought iron means steel that has been forged into shape, drawn, upset, twisted, bent, turned into scrolls, grills, gates, bedheads or lamps. 
However wrought iron, is a term to describe a type of steel with very low carbon content and with lots of impurities that gives it a special consistency. If you bent a rod of wrought iron cold until it breaks, it will show a fibrous consistency due to scale inclusions that gives it a woody texture. That was the most common form of steel available until not too long ago. now it is a curiosity and it is hard to come buy. Still sought for the easy to work it hot in a forge, and it is surprise surprise, very easy to weld.  
I think that wrought iron in reference to the forging process, comes as a derivative from the name of the type of steel that was overwhelmingly used by the blacksmith for centuries. Yes, anthimeria is not a new thing.  
Today the best equivalent would be to call the material mild steel and the work wrought or forged metal. 
English for some reason does not seem to like the use of the word iron, that is widely used by most european languages in reference to mild steel with low carbon content.  
Your balustrades may or may not be made of wrought iron. Either way, it will not affect what you are planning to do.

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## toooldforthis

Thanks Marc, appreciated . 
Understand it will be easier to have too much and make smaller to fit than vice versa.
Know a welder who seems pretty good for this type of work

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## Marc

Do you have a pic of the rails you bought? Sometimes it is easier to make a bracket at each end to screw/bolt the old railing to. It looks neater and it is solid and you can play with the distance to the post to keep it all centered.

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## toooldforthis

Haven't been able to find any yet 
Need at least 8 metres

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## Marc

Demolition places should be the way to go ... 
Or ... you could try the wester australia blacksmith association ... Blacksmiths&#039; Association of Western Australia | Official home of BAWA or ring David on 0429 687 267.
A straight railing if of simple design, may be easier to make from scratch.

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## toooldforthis

yep. I call into the demo yards when passing.
and check out gumnuts from time to time - auto searches don't seem to run anymore. 
am in no hurry - long way to go before they would get installed.

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## METRIX

> I like that one

  Yes I like that one as well, the others not really.

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