- Magnetic drill
- A portable drilling machine with an electromagnetic base that clamps itself to steel, allowing clean, accurate holes in beams, plates and heavy tube at a job site. It is the preferred field tool for heavy-gauge steel because it needs no drill press.
- Fabrication jig
- A fixture that holds parts at their correct positions while they are tacked and welded, so identical pickets, panels or gate frames come out square and the same size. Building a jig carefully repays itself on repeat items.
- Tack weld
- A short, temporary weld that holds parts in alignment before the final welds are made. Tacks should be sound enough to stay in the finished joint, and their placement affects distortion and the order in which the weldment is finished.
- Weld distortion
- Warping, bowing or angular pull in metal caused by uneven heating and cooling around a weld. Thin tube and flat bar are especially prone, so sequencing welds, clamping and balancing heat on both sides are practical controls.
- Gas metal arc welding
- A process that feeds a continuous wire electrode through a gun while a shielding gas protects the pool. Often called MIG, it is fast and well suited to shop fabrication of railings and gates in mild steel.
- Gas tungsten arc welding
- A precise process using a non-consumable tungsten electrode and inert shielding gas, with filler added by hand. Often called TIG, it produces clean, finish-ready welds on stainless steel, aluminum and thin ornamental parts.
- Shielding gas
- The gas, such as argon or a mixture with carbon dioxide, that flows around the arc to keep air from contaminating the molten metal. The wrong gas or a draft that blows it away causes porosity and weak welds.
- Pneumatic cutting chisel
- An air-driven handheld tool that drives a chisel to cut sheet metal, rivets or bolts. Its bit should be inspected for cracks before each use, because a fractured chisel can break apart and send pieces at the operator.
- Stair stringer
- The inclined structural member, often a channel or plate, that supports treads and risers on a metal staircase. Its layout, built from total rise and run, must give identical steps and is attached to landings and floors.
- Riser and tread
- The vertical height and horizontal depth of each step. Uniformity from top to bottom is critical because people expect a consistent rhythm, and the code limits how much the dimensions may differ within a flight.
- Baluster
- A vertical infill member, such as a picket or bar, placed between posts or rails to keep openings small. Spacing is laid out so no opening exceeds the code limit, and equal spacing looks better than squeezing the last gap.
- Four-inch sphere rule
- The test that a four-inch ball must not pass through any opening in a guard, intended to stop a small child from slipping through. It drives picket spacing, and there are limited exceptions in specific places.
- Graspable handrail
- A rail whose profile the hand can wrap around, typically round or oval with a specified size range, so a person can grip and pull when losing balance. Flat bars and large shapes must meet alternate rules.
- Post base plate
- A steel plate welded to the bottom of a railing post and bolted or anchored to the slab or stair. Because guards must resist push loads at the top, the plate and its anchors resist overturning, not just hold the post upright.
- Hot-dip galvanizing
- A coating process that immerses cleaned steel in molten zinc, leaving a bonded layer that protects against rust, even at edges and holes. Fabrication details like vent holes and welded closures must allow zinc and air to flow.
- Zinc-rich primer
- A paint loaded with zinc dust, used to protect bare steel or to repair spots where galvanizing was burned off by welding or damaged in transit. It gives sacrificial protection but must be applied on a properly prepared surface.
- Powder coating
- A finish in which dry charged powder is sprayed on a grounded part and baked into a hard, uniform film. It resists chipping better than ordinary paint, but the metal needs proper cleaning and pretreatment for adhesion.
- Abrasive blasting
- Cleaning or profiling metal by propelling grit or shot at the surface to remove mill scale, rust and old coatings. It gives paint or powder a surface to grip, and it releases dust that calls for containment and respiratory control.
- Bevel
- An angled edge ground or cut on a piece of metal to leave room for weld metal to reach the root of a thick joint. Skipping the bevel gives a weld that sits on the surface rather than fusing through the thickness.
