Lead Hobby Came

[Lou Ann]

Okay, so I bit the bullet and bought some hobby came to put around my smaller panels, now how does that work ????

What I got is RU-80  3/16" round U came....
http://www.delphiglass.com/index.cfm?page=itemView&itemsysid=179578
Do I need to stretch it or do I just wrap it tightly around the piece?

If the piece is a square, should I cut each side separately?

What is the best thing to cut it with? When I've cut zinc, I've used a small hacksaw and mitre box that I bought at the glass shop... (http://www.glasscrafters.biz/Merchant2/order_form.mv?Product_Code=3226&Category_Code= and http://www.glasscrafters.biz/Merchant2/order_form.mv?Product_Code=3101&Category_Code=)

Does it take patina?

thanks
LA

[Tom]

no expert here but my hobby came was square, and yes I did have to stretch it.  For your square corners you might try what i did,,,,i made a test piece on a single square of glass,,,,using one piece of hobby came and putting it on 2 sides of the square by bending it and then cutting and using 2 pieces to fit and solder the other 2 sides.  Not sure if you can see what i am trying to say.   But I ended up with 3 pieces of came on a 4 sided square of glass, with one bent corner and 3 soldered corners.  See which you like best and go with that.  I am not sure how the round would work but for the piece i did, bending the corners worked fine.  Maybe a different project would not have worked so well that way.

[Glassic]

I stretch, lightly, it snaps easily. I cut with lead dykes, it cuts easily.
Just wrap it firmly round the square in one piece! Pressing it down on the bench helps to bed it onto the glass. I try not to grind the glass so it will 'bite' the lead.  Sometimes I dent it with a blunt knife to get a good fit, say for an Angel wing,
No to the patina, I've used Rub'n'Buff looks fine. but not worth the effort if you're making more than one!Electroplate is an option but likely not worth the expense.

Rub'n'Buff angel, the others are left unfinished but I do use  1/16th unleaded came, it keeps its shine.

[Alan]

If it in fact LEAD - with buffing (0000 steel wool or brass wool) to remove the oxidation - it should patina just fine - if it is not LEAD then most bets are off. Try a small piece and see what happens.

[Lou Ann]

says it is spooled lead so I'm going to cut a small piece off tomorrow to see what the patina does -- the first project I'm going to use it on is silver so that won't be an issue but the second one is black and I'm not sure if I like the idea of a silver frame (whole reason I stopped using zinc)....

I think I know what you are saying Tom -- that is how I did the zinc around some other quilt squares...

guess I know what I'll be doing tomorrow...

I try not to grind the glass so it will 'bite' the lead. 

I've foiled the piece because I'm only using this came around the outside -- is that going to be okay?

[Glassic]

That is a question for Graham, I don't frame with lead and have never put it over a foiled edge.  If I want a narrow frame I use brass box channel and tin it.

[ct4mom]

Lou Ann I have used lead on a circular panel I did in foil and it worked fine.

[Graham]

It works just fine with foil, but the foil might show. When I've framed with hobby came i scraped to face and backside of the foil off, except for the ends of the inner lines, which should be soldered to the came. I'd do a square in 4 pieces with neat mitered corners. If you wrap it around the corners one corner can't be wrapped because you start and stop there. If it's going to hang from one corner, like a diamond, wrap it with one piece and put your hanging loop at the corner with the joint. All of the corners are consistent if you do it in four pieces. Odd shapes (like little angels and stuff)can be done in one piece, with a joint at the sharpest point or maybe at the spot there the head joins onto the body.

Oh, I almost forgot - hobby came can be cut easily with a sharp kitchen knife, if you don't have a lead knife yet. Hell! It can be cut with scissors in a pinch, some came profiles will cut with a pinch if you use scissors, but that's easily corrected with pliers.

[Lou Ann]

thanks everyone... I knew someone out here would know...

thank you for confirming my thoughts on the square Graham -- I thought it might look funny if I tried to wrap it...

Before I tin, I'll put the came on to see if that foil needs to come off or not...

hopefully it will go well later today once I get the soldering done

[Elizabeth]

Thanks for all the info people!   I have just been given a length of hobby came to 'play' with, and hey presto,  here is all I ever wanted to know!  Except that mine is 'localy' made,  and really looks a bit tatty! I also had the idea to use it as a 'border/frame' for some smallish items ,but I dunno....  will see what I can do with it - after the silly season is over and I have all this time on my hands..... (yeah, right!)

[JoanFrances]

thanks for all the info on this product.  I have played with it on occasion and never much liked the out come, but after reading Grahams post, I will give it a whirl again, seeing as I have about 10 rolls of it. 

Makes sense to use 4 pieces for a square for a neater look, because I sure didn't like the look of the mini jewel box I tried this on.  I did foil my edges of the mini box, had to trim it and then used a tiny bead of solder where the came contact the glass.