Edge of glass on back of project showing

by Donna Willcock
(Kimberley, British Columbia, Canada)

I just finished my first project using lead came. As I assembled it, all the glass edges on the front side were covered by the lead came, so I soldered all the joints. When I turned it over to solder the joints on the back, I have two areas where the came hasn't completely covered the edge of the glass. I don't understand how that happened, and I don't know what to do about it. The edges are right at the edge of the came. Will puttying the project hide the problem?

Answer

Slip the blade of your lead knife between the glass and the came and try to slide the glass back in the came...sort of like using a shoe horn in a shoe!

It happened because the the glass wasn't entirely seated in the lead. You might have had the lead sitting ay a slight tilt when you were sliding the glass in place. It's a good idea to slide your lathekin along the empty channel (as opposed to the side that has the glass in it) and push the lead against the glass to make sure it's tight.

No, putty isn't going to make it go away. If all else fails, take the panel apart and fix it. Since you only soldered on one side, taking it apart should be fairly easy.

Find a lead line the runs from one edge to the other edge that goes along the place that needs to be fixed. With a sharp lead knife, cut through the solder joints.

Pull the panel apart and fix the problem. Slide the two parts back together. Place one edge against the framing board on your work surface and place another framing board along the other edge. Gently tap that board with a hammer until the panel is firmly back together. Flux and solder the joints you had cut through.