"Nil" wrote in message
...
The steps leading up to my front door have iron railings on them,
embedded directly into the steps. Over time, the iron has rusted and
the railings are all breaking off at ground level. This has been
hastened by the ice melter that I've used on the steps the past couple
of years, which I've discovered is VERY corrosive to metal (it also ate
a screwdriver I had used to break up chunks of the stuff.)

So, here's what state it's in right now:

http://home.comcast.net/~esionder/temp/rail1.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~esionder/temp/rail2.jpg

I plan to get the railings repaired by having a metal shop weld
extensions onto the legs. What's a "proper" or better way to reattach
them to the steps?

The way they were designed originally obviously is not good enough, so I
would suggest doing it better this time. Consult with the shop about their
recommendations, but you might consider some stainless steel inserts that
the railing could then be attached to so as to prevent a repeat failure.

If you find that it is expensive to do it the right way, consider what it
will cost you if on an icy morning you go to grab the rail to keep from
falling and the sucker fails on you and you get injured. Lost work and
doctor bills are really costly.

--
Roger Shoaf
If you are not part of the solution, you are not dissolved in the solvent.