How to Make Lead Stained Glass

Leaded stained glass is assembled using strips of lead came that are in the shape of an "H" or "U." The glass is fit into the channels, each joint is soldered, and putty is used to hold everything firmly in place. This is the original method of making a stained glass window. The alternative method, copper foiling, was developed much later and popularized by Louis Comfort Tiffany. It is somewhat more difficult to use lead came for small pieces of glass, which is one reason copper foiling was developed. These methods can be used in combination to make a larger, strong window, with the detail of copper foiling.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Work table or surface to assemble the project Pattern Masking tape Wood strips or the Morton Layout Block system Tacks or nails Glass Glass marking pen Glass cutter Glass pliers Glass grinder Soldering iron Temperature controller or rheostat for the soldering iron Lead came Lead nippers (aka lead dyke) Lead knife Lathekin or fid Hammer with plastic and rubber head Container for lead scraps Flux Small paintbrush or Q-tips Solder Stained glass putty (without cement or plaster of paris in the ingredients) Putty knife Whiting Flat wide brush Natural bristle brush Dust mask Rubber gloves Glass cleaner Cloth or paper towels for cleaning

Prepare the Pattern

1. Design your piece. The pattern for lead stained glass must be precisely designed and measured, especially if the piece will be fit into an existing window. The design must take into account the 1/16 inch space that will be taken up by the "heart" of the lead came. Each line should be as close to 1/16 as you can make it. You must also take into account the border that will be used for the finished piece. Will it be framed with wood, the U-shaped lead came or zinc? The size must be accounted for in the design.

2. Make a copy of the pattern. You will cut this pattern apart and use it to cut the glass pieces.

3. Tape the pattern down on your work surface with masking tape, and place the wood strips or the Morton Layout strips along each side at the edge of the design.

4. Make sure that the strips are at precise 90-degree angles (unless your design is free-form), and if you are using wood strips, that they are not warped.

5. Nail or tack the strips firmly in place. You do not want them to move while you are building the stained glass piece.

Putting It Together

6. Stretch the lead came to get the kinks out, and stiffen it a bit to make it easier to cut. Use a vise to hold one end while you grasp the other end with pliers, and pull carefully.

7. If you are using U-shaped lead came or zinc around the outside, put the two pieces of this that are on the left and bottom of the pattern down against the layout strips. The side piece will extend from one outside edge to the other, and the bottom piece will butt up against the side piece and be cut off at the inside edge of the other side piece. The sides should extend from edge to edge. The bottom and top should extend from the inside of one of the side border pieces to the inside edge of the other.

8. Put a short scrap of lead against the open end of each border piece with a nail to hold everything in place. Use this method as you add pieces of glass and lead came to help hold everything in place.

9. Cut your first piece of glass in the bottom left corner, and grind to fit the pattern if needed, then press it in place in the channels. Use the rubber hammer head to tap it very lightly into place to make sure it is firmly set in the channel.

10. Place a piece of lead came along one of the edges of glass. Use a piece of scrap came about an inch long, and place it on the glass along the other side without lead came, butting up against the piece that needs to be cut. Mark the piece that needs to be cut at the inside edge of the scrap piece. Take the lead came away from the glass, and cut it carefully.

11. Cut it using either a lead knife or lead nippers. To cut lead came with the knife, you want to press the blade against the flat surface, rocking it back and forth to cut the lead, being careful not to crush it. If you use the lead nippers, cut with the edges of the lead came channel against the blades. If the edges do get crushed together, you can slide the lathekin or fid down the channel to open it again.

12. Continue so that the glass piece is surrounded on all sides by the lead came. Make sure there are no gaps between the pieces of lead, because this will cause the solder joints to look bad. If a piece is cut too short, remove it and cut a new piece to the correct length. You can always reuse the piece that was too short somewhere else.

13. If you have a line of pieces of glass that are all the same height, as with a border for example, cut the short pieces of lead and fit the glass pieces together against each short side. Then put a long piece of came along the top of all the pieces, rather than cutting it into shorter pieces. This will help strengthen the window.

14. Keep everything in place using the scrap lead and nails, removing them as you build the piece. Continue to tap each piece firmly and carefully into place. Sometimes you can use one long piece of lead that curves through the design along several pieces of glass, as described for the border glass.

15. Check carefully to make sure everything fits the design and is square. You can resize a very tiny bit by either tightening everything or loosening things with a bit of wiggling. You can also change the border material for a wider or thinner piece, if needed.

Soldering

16. Check to make sure everything is smooth and fits together with no gaps. If you do find a gap, cut little pieces of lead came to try to fill in the space as tightly as possible. Press down any bent corners of lead carefully with the lathekin or fid.

17. Dab flux paste evenly on the joints with a Q-tip or small brush. For soldering on leaded stained glass, flux paste is easier to use than liquid, because you can control the area covered by the flux more easily. Don't use too much. Be careful: it is easy to miss a joint. Flux only as much as you can solder in about half an hour, as the flux stops working if left exposed for too long.

18. Put the solder against the joint you want to fill in, and press the tip of the hot soldering iron against it until the solder flows onto the fluxed area of the lead came. Be careful not to touch the soldering iron against the lead came, or it may melt a hole in it. When lifting the iron and solder off the joint, do both at once, or the solder will stick to the seam. You can also melt a bead of solder on the tip of the soldering iron and let that bead flow carefully off onto the joint without touching the tip of the iron down. Then you don't have to deal with the solder sticking to itself.

19. Wipe the first side down with a cleaner and paper towel to remove any flux from the glass. Turn the piece over, and solder the joints on the other side. Inspect carefully to make sure you didn't miss any joints. As you are cleaning, the paper towel may catch on unsoldered joints.

Applying the Putty

20. Lay the newspaper under the area where you will be working. If possible, apply the putty to one side, and let it dry overnight before puttying the other side. If you have textured glass, cover it with contact paper or masking tape before applying putty.

21. Take some putty on a putty knife or your lathekin, and work it under the lead came. Use your fingers if you find it easier, but you should wear gloves if you do.

22. Brush the putty with the plastic bristle brush against the lead came to force it in even more. This will brush the putty off the glass somewhat as well.

23. Sprinkle whiting over the entire piece. Clean the putty off the plastic brush as well as you can, and use it to scrub the whiting into the putty. This will dry the putty somewhat, and as it dries, clean it off the glass. As you scrub, make sure all the putty is off the lead came. When the putty dries, it is very hard to clean off. Carefully turn the glass on its side, and brush the rest of the whiting off. If the window is large, you may want some help with this so you don't risk losing control and breaking it.

24. Run a nail along the edges of the lead came to break off any excess putty. Scoop the loose putty up with a small flat object such as a screwdriver or the putty knife. Brush off any extra that you can't pick up.

25. Let the panel dry overnight, then repeat Steps1 through 5 as needed on the other side. Run the nail around the edges again to make sure you've cleaned off all the putty that has squished out.

26. Use the natural bristle brush to give it a final scrubbing and cleaning.

Tips & Warnings

• When stretching lead came, have a wall or support behind you in case the pliers slip or the came breaks so that you don't go flying backward. Long straight pieces of lead came, as along a border, should be straightened and set against the glass using a long straight piece of wood. This helps keep the lead straight.
• Do not eat or drink anything, or put your hands on your mouth while working with lead until you have washed your hands thoroughly. It is a good idea to change your clothes as well before preparing or eating food after working with lead. Do not work on stained glass in an area where food will be prepared. Do not let children near your work area. Lead and glass are dangerous to them. Always wear safety glasses when cutting and grinding glass. Always work with lead and solder in a well-ventilated area with either a fume extractor or a fan.