Thread: Balustrade

I built a deck and the railing and posts in timber. I want to build the balusters in steel.
I decided that placing balusters individually would be a boring task.
The job is to build 7 panels to fit between the posts. The distance between the post is not exactly the same so basically I have to custom make each panel to each pair of post.

The steel used is 25x25/1.6mm durogal.

I hammer each length of steel first. I tried a ball pen hammer but the dings were too small, so I grinded a small mallet round at one end. The process is easy. I use a 40 K anvil on a stump and a roller stand at the same level of the anvil to keep the tube in position. Hammering is done 200 mm at the time on all 4 side to minimize bending. I use a cold saw for cutting but it can be done with a thin cutting wheel or even hacksaw.
Welding is with a MIG. Welding galvanized tubing is a real pita but I have to wear it. Grinding the galvo off is not an option with 1.6mm steel. Perhaps burning the welding area with an oxy, but I don't have one.

I need to do a lot of weld grinding to achieve the result I am after. Sometimes the grinder even the small 100mm does not fit where I need to. I am using a Shinano die grinder with a 10mm steel burr. It is a fantastic tool that can do a surprisingly precise work. Bloody heavy on the compressor it seems to use more air than a spray gun. Also requires fully enclosed goggles. The metal bits fly everywhere.

The little scrolls and the hammered bar with the upset center comes from Italy of all places.
Saves me a lot of time.
The bars are machine made hot and cooled carelessly in water. They are not very straight and some have a bit of a twist. I tried to straighten them but they are so damn hard from the cooling that I decided to leave them alone.
The panels are after all rustic in nature so small defects don't count for much.
I will take the panels for powder-coating to "Cougar powder coating" in Ingleburn once they are all done.
Color will be (so far) Dulux "surreal effects" Aztec Black.