I was recently working on a custom handrail and needed a thoughtful way to craft a splice into the round section profile. This post documents the mock up for a half lap splice detail.   After cutting the steel joint, I tapped and threaded one of the rail sections to receive screw threads and opted to use two 10-32 x 1/2″ brass machine screws to mechanically fasten the sections together. After a light grind to clean up the surface, I abraded it with a wire brush and stained everything with a bluing compound to bring out the coloring seen in the images. I like the distressed look that resulted from this process and think that it helps achieve a raw, handmade look that makes something new feel like it has some history.

If I were going to remake this mock up I would consider a #8 screw size to better match the scale of this joint, but ultimately I’m happy with this as a first attempt.