What is this called?

[Feltwell]

I think I'd be tempted to put a bit of copper grease - aka anti-seize compound - on the thread.

Defo this, copaslip or similar. Brilliant stuff, also brilliant as a long term lubricant for door hinges, my cottage doors are spookily silent now

Be careful of using it as a lubricant - it's not meant for that - it is an anti-seize compound, not meant to go between regularly moving parts. I don't doubt it will make hinges quiet but it will also wear them out prematurely, the copper in it makes it abrasive I was once told.

Squeaky hinges? Hmm, I'm with FF, but only to a point! Some of ours do get silenced.

 

[Feltwell]

I have found an M20 thread which looks like it will do the job
https://shop4fasteners.co.uk/fasteners/threaded-inserts/blind-self-tapping-threaded-inserts-marine-grade-a4-stainless-steel.html

Looks good, if pricey! Some stainless threaded bar - or a screw with the head cut off - and you're done.

 

[Cubist]

Hi Livias,

I have to admit that you have me completely bemused and befuddled - but as the First Lady would tell you, that's not hard to do.

If I understand it properly now, you want to construct a stair head and bannister that complies with current building regs but you also want to make it dismountable to allow clear space to move large furnishings around. All eminently clear, not least because I have the same challenge here at Fircroft. What I still fail to understand though is: -

1. Why the newel cap must be easily removable - surely removing the newel post, complete with cap, would be sufficient for your purpose or do you anticipate that you may just need the small amount of clearance provided by taking the cap off?
2. Why you would consider making a 'hollow' newel post - I suspect that the cost of say four pieces of 100 x 20 oak would be little different to one 100 x 100 post, and obviously there would be much more work involved. Or are you planning some 'piercing work' to decorate the newel or perhaps run cables through it?
3. The relative merits of stainless versus mild steel are clear but when mild steel, even exposed to oak tannins, will last for anything up to 50 years is the extra 50 plus years that stainless steel may add genuinely worth it?

The First Lady often accuses me of 'over engineering' but thats because she comes from a family of bodgers but she does concede that building to last has its benefits. Personally I am an exponent of the KISS school of design so my products tend toward the functional and rugged rather than delicate and aesthetically pleasing. I am beginning to suspect you are inclined to the latter but nevertheless I do think your design is unnecessarily complex and expensive.

Oh, and just to close, you may find that a Oil Filter Strap Wrench is a useful tool to have in the box - great for removing stubborn newel caps and such, and also for tightening them down of course.

Cheers,
Cubist

PS See Tee Nut below available from Screwfix. A couple of these and a length of thread cut from a long bolt will do the job for you.

 

[a twig]

Be careful of using it as a lubricant - it's not meant for that - it is an anti-seize compound, not meant to go between regularly moving parts. I don't doubt it will make hinges quiet but it will also wear them out prematurely, the copper in it makes it abrasive I was once told.

Squeaky hinges? Hmm, I'm with FF, but only to a point! Some of ours do get silenced.

Mine has graphite in as well so fingers crossed it should be ok!

 

[Flyfisher]

Interesting point about Copaslip being abrasive. I guess the copper content would make it more abrasive than a pure oil or grease but copper is a fairly soft metal so I'd be surprised if it was especially abrasive.

 

[Feltwell]

Interesting point about Copaslip being abrasive. I guess the copper content would make it more abrasive than a pure oil or grease but copper is a fairly soft metal so I'd be surprised if it was especially abrasive.

Copaslip is marvellous stuff, and a tin lasts for years, but it's basically copper particles in a bentone base - which is a sort of paraffin & clay mix. It's designed for high temperature use where the copper particles are then left behind after the base has gone to help stop corrosion. The base isn't designed as a lubricant, although it will do that to a degree. I don't think it's massively abrasive and probably won't make a lot of difference on door hinges but I have heard of someone destroying the steering head bearings on a motorbike by packing it with the stuff.

It doesn't help that it's often called Copper Grease - as people automatically then think it's a lubricant.

One thing that it's not recommended for any more, despite legions of old-school mechanics swearing by it, is car brakes. OK on older vehicles but not newer ones. Anti-squeal compounds are available and do a really good job I've found.

https://textar-professional.com/textar-training-center/the-use-of-copper-grease-on-modern-brakes/

 

[livias]

Cubist:
1. Why the newel cap must be easily removable - surely removing the newel post, complete with cap, would be sufficient for your purpose or do you anticipate that you may just need the small amount of clearance provided by taking the cap off?

The newel post will stay permanently in position, the banister rail and spindles will be dismountable when the newel cap is removed. Once the banister rail and spindles are removed, then furniture can be moved freely up and down the stairwell (trust me, it is true). At the end of the job, the banister rail and spindles will be put back and the newel cap will be screwed down onto the newel post to hold the banister rail firmly in place. This seems to me like the simplest way to do the job but please do say if you can think of something simpler cos I too am a fan of the KISS principle

2. Why you would consider making a 'hollow' newel post - I suspect that the cost of say four pieces of 100 x 20 oak would be little different to one 100 x 100 post, and obviously there would be much more work involved. Or are you planning some 'piercing work' to decorate the newel or perhaps run cables through it?

Forget the hollow newel post, I have now given it some thought and have come up with a different and simpler plan

3. The relative merits of stainless versus mild steel are clear but when mild steel, even exposed to oak tannins, will last for anything up to 50 years is the extra 50 plus years that stainless steel may add genuinely worth it?

I am definitely hoping that this staircase will last 100 years. And the rest ...

 

[Cubist]

I cannot help but think there must be a simpler way to connect/disconnect the bannister rail without removing the cap - I'll give it some thought now I have a better idea what you have in mind.

With an aim for the work to last that long you must be sure to leave a 'How To' for subsequent stewards before they move in - for some the first thought will be saw or hammer.

 

[Feltwell]

You'll be better than my house. Access to the 3 bedrooms on the first floor with furniture is not too bad, stairs are quite wide, although there is a newel post that goes all the way to the ceiling and a wooden archway at the bottom of the stairs that makes it a little tight.

Access from the first floor up to the 2 bedrooms in the attic is really tight though - narrow, steep stairs with walls on both sides, the furniture up there was all flat pack and most of it (as I tend to glue it together for durability) will only be coming back down again with the aid of a saw!

At a friend's tiny 17thc cottage in Suffolk the only way we were able to get furniture upstairs was to take the sashes out of a window on the first floor, park his old transit van very close to the wall and climb on it's roof!