Stained Glass: Leaded

This is my first leaded stained glass project. In the past I have made many "foiled" stained glass projects. Foiling is a process in which you put copper foil tape around the edge of the glass and then solder the edges together holding the parts together. The tape has a sticky side and a copper side. The leaded method uses metal came that is I- shaped or U- shaped to insert the glass edge into. The edges are soldered and the glass is held together.

Leading was a fun process compared to copper foil tape. It was like putting a puzzle together. Foil tape is tedious because the tape has to be centered on the edge of the glass then folded over onto the front and back of the glass, then it has to be burnished down to stick to the glass.

This project was easy to do. I picked a pattern that had simple lines and large pieces. This makes it easier to bend the came around the shape. I believe I pulled this pattern out of a catalog by enlarging a picture.

I did not patina the came afterwards which saves several steps. And I can't remember if I even polished it. Polishing helps prevent the solder from corroding.

Happy blogging!