ART OF STAINED GLASS
EASY LEAD CAME TUTORIAL


Begin with a simple project

The project assembled in this demo does not endeavor, by any means, to show everything that needs to be learned for proper lead came assembly. The goal is give you a chance to familiarize yourself with the simplicity of the method, and gain confidence to tackle something a little more complicated.

With lead came, an OPEN jig is essential. By "open" I mean not closed off at the bottom, or even a bottom and one side, because you'll need to be able to slip the last pieces in. In a larger project, pieces are assembled from a corner and moving down and inward, with edge pieces temporarily held with special flat nails. This project is so small to render these details un-necessary.

Unlike the foil method, the zinc frame is prepared at once; it needs to be in place within the jig as soon as assembly begins.

Lead came comes in many widths, but a nice standard, catch-all came to use is "Round H" with a .156" heart (dimension "A") and about .180" for "B." There is also flat came, which leaves prominent solder joints, and looks like primitive, medieval ironwork. Flat came can be used for Prairie style windows as well. Being flat makes assembly a bit easier, and results in a lighter construction.







Similarly I do the same with the jig piece to the right; I only put one nail near the top, so that I can swing the jig piece sideways in case I need a bit more room to squeeze in a piece. As shown in the image above, I had nothing measured up. I simply placed a piece of wood to become the upper part of the jig, and measured, marking the 45 degree cutting lines with a pen, a piece of 1/2" zinc came.

In the image below, you can see the same done on the left of the panel. The left piece of the jug is fastened with nails and the zinc frame is being fitted.



Now I place some lead pieces, measure them, and cut them to the right size with a lead knife. When cutting the lead, one must leave room for the lead strip going across to overhang.