Assembling glass pieces with lead takes some work and effort. You need to do a simple set up which will make it much easier for you to build your stained glass project.

And you need your full sized template.

To make the window you will first assemble it all together without soldering anything. This means the parts are loose and can inadvertantly shift around. What you need to do is create a containment system to hold it together neatly. You do this with two pieces of wood. Here you can see the two pieces of wood. One is along the bottom of the template and another is on the right edge. Screw or clamp these down.

And note: I am left handed. So it is a little bit easier for me to have that vertical wood piece on the right side of the project. I push the lead and glass pieces against that wood. If you are right handed you might want to put the vertical wood piece on the left side of the project.

Line up the template with the wood so the wood is exactly where the window frame ends.

With leaded stained glass you don't use lead around the perimeter of the project. You use something called Zinc came. It is stronger than lead. But it isn't bendable like lead. It can only be used in straight lengths.

The glass fits into the zinc came just like it does in the lead. Notice how the zinc piece h the extra space on the right side. You should consider this when measuring out your project. And when setting up the wood pieces around our template.

You cut the zinc with a hacksaw. And the various pieces will, in a later stage, be soldered together with solder and a soldering iron just like you do with the lead.

Cut the zinc so it matches up in the corners. This next picture shows you one corner where the two pieces of zinc meet. See how each piece of zinc is cut to 45 degrees?

This photo is re-touched. The zinc has been soldered already. I manipulated it by adding a black line to show you how the two pieces of zinc come together at 45 degree angles.

Okay! Our project is started! We have the workspace setup and now we are ready to get going with the glass!! Yay! You are probably looking forward to this part.

Let's continue and start working with the glass!