iron fence repair

[pandus13]

this lives in the chicago area (salt all over in winter)
and some pieces (decorative spikes/spears) are detaching because of rust.
was installed about 6-8 years ago.
i had the gates literally fall-over twice.
the welder which did some repairs told me probably they had the arc "too cold".

what can i use to re-attach the pieces (jb weld, some type of glue) beside welding?

Thank you

 

[Kuato]

JB Weld is an interesting thought, would probably work great.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: pandus13


what can i use to re-attach the pieces (jb weld, some type of glue) beside welding?

Thank you


Do it right; clean up the rust and then weld them. If it's holding any real weight (like your falling-over gate example) then fixing it right is the only way to do it. Welding, especially something like simple iron, really isn't that hard and is something any reasonably competent homeowner can do themselves.

 

[Donald]

Welding

 

[Rand]

is it iron or mild steel

 

[zzyzzx]

Originally Posted By: pandus13
what can i use to re-attach the pieces (jb weld, some type of glue) beside welding?

 

[pandus13]

Originally Posted By: Rand
is it iron or mild steel

whatever material goes on wrought iron fence.

 

[pandus13]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Originally Posted By: pandus13


what can i use to re-attach the pieces (jb weld, some type of glue) beside welding?

Thank you


Do it right; clean up the rust and then weld them. If it's holding any real weight (like your falling-over gate example) then fixing it right is the only way to do it. Welding, especially something like simple iron, really isn't that hard and is something any reasonably competent homeowner can do themselves.

What equipment and welding supplies you recommend?
This is a rental property.
Can i rent a decent welder from the big box stores? (if i buy it will just collect dust beside this particular project)

Thank you and much appreciated

 

[pandus13]

Originally Posted By: pandus13
Originally Posted By: Rand
is it iron or mild steel

whatever material goes on wrought iron fence.

sorry, should have been more precise:
posts are 2 inches square tube
innner are solid square about 1/2 with some decorative spikes caps on
i guess it's mild steel (cheapest available for ...)

 

[Kool1]

I had some iron gates that were starting to rust. I removed them (yes, it is a lot of work to remove) and had them beadblasted and galvanized. I then had them powder coated. They look great and will outlast my house. I spent $400.00 and my own labor removing as well as re-installing the gates but it was time and money well spent.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: pandus13

What equipment and welding supplies you recommend?

That depends upon your skills. I have both a stick and wire welder-I think either would be a suitable choice.

Originally Posted By: pandus13
This is a rental property.


Then it would be an issue for your landlord.

Originally Posted By: pandus13
Can i rent a decent welder from the big box stores? (if i buy it will just collect dust beside this particular project)


I can't speak for Chicago, but around here "big box stores" don't have rental programs. I don't even think dedicated rental stores around here have welders available, but I can't speak for your area. That would require a bit of research on your own.

If you have neighbors and are on friendly terms with them you might ask if one of them has a welder or knows of someone who does. Around here most folks know which neighbor will be happy to lend a hand, but I can't speak for Chicago.

 

[Nick1994]

If it's a rental, don't worry about it. Wait til it falls over and call the landlord.

 

[bullwinkle]

Sounds like a nice job to trade for a few months of free rent!

 

[tgrudzin]

Somehow I was reading rental property as he is the owner of the property and is renting to someone else.
However, one thing to consider is to purchased the welder, do the work, then sell the welder. Consider the difference between purchase as the cost of rental. And also consider if you take this option, you aren't forced into doing the job in the 4-8 hours of welder rental. Having never welded myself, I don't know what I don't know about welding. I don't know how long it would take. He might need to rent more than once. Chicagoland has Harbor Freight. If the welder are decent, they aren't much money.

 

[Kawiguy454]

JB weld a definite NO.

Arc too cold means the weld did not penetrate into the pieces deeply enough to be a strong weld. Unless you have experience welding I would hire a professional to prep it properly and weld it back up. After it is fixed clear any other rust/scale you can see with a wire wheel and shoot some epoxy paint over it.

+1 do it right once or 1/2 a$$ it regularly.

 

[raytseng]

why not just hire the same welder you did last time?

If this is a rental, it'd be a business expense so you're not saving as much by DIY and having a paper trail.

If you want a patch repair, maybe zip ties until you can repair it properly?

 

[drive4show]

I had parts of my iron fence rust through due to sprinkler overspray. Folks suggested welding... which in retrospect probably would have been less labor.

In large part because I already had it.... I ended up using Bondo. In the sections where the iron fence was completely missing, I used a wooden dowel between iron fence pieces that remained. It worked well, as I could form the decorative top pieces, as well as complete vertical and horizontal slats that were missing.

The most time was spent with a hand-held power sander to end up with reasonable looking surfaces and corners. Ended up looking really good -- easily passes the 10' test -- but I'd guess welding would have been much faster.

 

[Nick1994]

Don't buy a harbor freight welder, absolute garbage.

 

[dareo]

The harbor freight inverter stick welder isn't too bad for the cost but i would suggest getting an Everlast powerarc 140 for a bit more. Stick to Stick welding on a budget, you can't really get into tig or mig without spending a lot.

The everlast is often sold under $300, plus you buy a mask, gloves, rods, ect and quickly it becomes cheaper to hire a professional welder to come out and fix it.

Factor in the time it will take the average person to learn stick welding, at least a few hours, and it is probably worth it to hire it out. Unless you value learning and acquiring tools.