Using lead to make a stained glass window is very traditional and very beautiful. And... it is a very important part of the design, the look and the aesthetic of the window.

In this part of the tutorial I will teach you about lead came, what it is, what types there are and how to use it.

Safety first -

Lead came is lead! It is safe to handle but not safe to be inhaled or ingested. Even so, I highly recommend you wear gloves when working with it. These vinyl gloves are the exact ones that I purchased and use when I am handling gloves. You can get them on amazon here.

Here is a coil of lead came. This is the most common way it is sold. Although sometimes you can get it in straight lengths.

It is easy to straighten out. And you can buy a small and inexpensive tool that will help you straighten it out.

This next picture shows a traditional lead came stretching tool. It's an easy little tool that helps. You screw it down to a workbench, insert one end of the lead came, spool out the came then pull it straight.

You can do this process with a vice or two pair of pliers.

The tool is inexpensive and makes it easier. You can buy the same exact one I bought on amazon through this affiliate link: Lead came stretching vise tool

The nice thing about the stretching tool is that it is spring loaded. You put the came in it and it is held firmly. This frees up your hands.

Easy Understanding of the types of Lead Came

There are a whole bunch of variations of lead came and I will help you understand them. But as a beginner, let me give you an easy overview of the types.

There are two major types of lead came: "H" channel and "U" channel.

This illustration should make it very easy for you to understand this. I colored the "H" channel blue. And it is used on the interior parts of the window. And I colored the "U" channel red. This goes around the perimeter of your window.

From there you do have some choices as to the variations of the came. The "H" came comes in rounded and flat.

And the "U" came comes in flat and three types of rounded.

You choose the style of came you want depending on personal preference. Typically the rounded came is much more traditional looking and the flat came is more modern looking.

As a beginner - I have some advice for you.

Stick with rounded for a more traditional look - both for the H and the U.

But, if you are making a window that is larger than one square foot you might want to not use the U type around the perimeter. You should consider using Zinc came. This is for strength. A larger project can get pretty heavy and the zinc came will keep it all perfectly straight and strong.

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