The All Important Lead Came Assembly Steps

Here we go...

Assembly of lead came to glass pieces...

Now it is time to begin the lead came assembly process to the glass pieces. We’ll guide you through step by step. This is one phase of the assembly process. In the next phase we’ll take you through assembling individual pieces to make your amazing design (see below).

1. Stretch the lead came:
Our main point is, do not stretch until you are ready to use the came. If you stretch the came and don’t use it, it begins to oxidize, making it hard to solder.

To stretch the came, put one end in the lead vise we discussed earlier. Hold the other end with a pair of pliers and pull. Pull baby pull!!

This does take some patience and practice. If you do overstretch the came, it will make it stiffer. This will make it tough to insert the glass.

Ok, so how much should I stretch you ask? An example is if you have a 6 foot piece, you should stretch 3 to 4 inches.

Remove the came from the vise and clip off about 2 inches on each end with the lead nippers.

A basic rule of thumb is to take the amount of came you’re using for that particular day, measure the lead lines and take 25% of the total.

2. With the lead nippers, cut 6 to 10 two inch strips. These are used as spacers. Have your horseshoe nails handy and a felt tip marker.

3. With the fid, insert it on one side of the lead channel and go down the channel. Now turn it over and do on the other side.

4. To cut the came, turn the channel side up and place the leading knife on the lead. Press down firmly while rocking the channel back and forth until it cuts through.

5. Now for cutting angles. With the channel side up, place the lead knife at a 45 degree angle and rock the channel back and forth. Be sure to cut completely through. You can also cut an angle with the lead nippers if you need to. Take the felt tip market and mark the angle on the channel. Place the lead nippers on the market line and cut.

Now it's time we move onto the lead came assembly of the individual pieces to make our design. Fun!!

Click here to learn even more great stained glass making techniques

Lead Came Assembly Part Two!

Lead Came Assembly of individual glass pieces to make the design.

As we continue, this step involves assembling the individual glass pieces to begin making the design.

Let’s not waste time and get right to this part of the lead came assembly process…

1. Use a copy of the pattern or design to lead up your design. Square your pattern up against two pieces of wood (one vertical, one horizontal, or a square). You can trim the edges of your pattern to make this easier.

Lay out your glass pieces – it is usually a good idea to number each piece to help in finding its proper location on the design.

2. Cut two pieces the length and width of your design. Place these pieces against the wood or square and secure it with the horseshoe nails.

3. Select the first corner piece (bottom right corner) and slide the glass piece inside the channel on the right and bottom. Make sure you can see the pattern lines on the top and left of the glass piece.

If the glass piece covers the pattern lines, mark with a felt marker on the glass. Remove the glass and grind down to the marked area. Place the glass back into the channel. Keep working on the grinding until the piece fits perfectly.

Take your time and don’t rush because the glass fitting properly is an important step to ensure the finished design looks appropriate. The bear is in the detail as they say.

4. When the glass pieces are fitted properly, place the second lead spacer on the left side of the glass and secure it with a horseshoe nail. Place the nail against the spacer, not against the glass.

5. Take a piece of lead came and set it on the edge/top of the glass. Mark the came with a dent using the leading knife and along the vertical line (inside the spacer on the left).

6. With the lead nippers, cut where you marked on the lead and place the lead against the glass piece, inserting the glass in the channel. 7. Continue this process working up to the top. Once at the top, cut a long vertical piece of lead came to fit the top to the bottom. Then continue to work to the left inserting each piece of glass into the channeling.

8. Step eight is cutting a curved piece. Remember lead came is pliable. Cut off a piece of lead came that will be long enough to fit the curved area. Place the came over the top of the glass- use your hands to mold the came with the shape of the curve.

9. Mark the angles of the cuts. Take the knife and dent the lead for cutting. Cut the lead to the proper size of the edge of the glass. Now remove the nails and spacers, slide the lead came into place, molding it with the curve. At this time secure it with horseshoe nails and a spacer.

10. If your center piece of glass is oval or round, you can wrap that entire piece of glass with one piece of lead came. Use the same technique as the curved pieces to wrap. When the ends meet, cut the edges at an angle for a secure fit.

11. When all pieces are leaded, add the top horizontal edge piece and the left vertical edge – U-shaped channel is used to finish and frame the edges. Check to make sure the top left corner is square.

Those are our eleven fun-filled steps to follow when assembling the individual glass pieces. It is a detailed process, but one that will make a huge difference between a professional looking lead came design and one that a fifth grader could’ve made – just kidding. Art is art and we’re all here to learn and grow our skills.

Other Steps in the Lead Came Assembly Process

Lead Came Assembly Part I

Let's talk lead came tools - which ones we recommend for this method

The detailed process of lead came assembly

Lead came design finishing steps