I was working on the old house today and the "wrought iron" guy came by.
He was supposed to look at it Monday, but was in the neighborhood and
dropped by. This is a company that makes lots of ornate custom stuff.

AARGH. His quote for a new railing (very plain, two uprights and one
rail) is around $700! He said the metal was too thin to repair, and his
quote is for a made from scratch railing. I also asked about two columns
on the back porch (each has two parallel rods of metal with scroll
things in between, between the brick porch wall and the awning). His
quote for them was something over $600, with no scrolls. I am not sure I
want to spend that much for custom work for a house I'm *leaving*. He
said the railing in the front looked like it came from HD... guess I'll
go look there! sigh

I am a retired welder who still does repair jobs. I've built tons of
wrought iron. Well, not wrought iron, but ornamental metal.

Do one of two things: have a welder fix what's there and pay what he
charges. But shop around. Have a new rail put on there, and pay that they
charge, but shop around. Either way, you get it right. It's an important
item, and needs to be done properly. My estimate ..... repair, $150. New,
$350.

Steve