LEAD CAME
Joan Bengston: From the beginning I was taught to use whiting to clean up excess cement from leaded panels. It was always such a dusty mess that I had to wear a dust mask and the whiting floated into the living areas of the house. Then a few years ago I went on a stained glass tour of churches and businesses in Winona MN including three major studios. Interesting because Winona is a very small town and the glass tour was a walking tour. Conway studios was cementing a panel and I couldn't help but notice they were using sawdust. Next time I had a panel to cement I decided to try it. After all, the sawdust if free. :-) All I have to do is take the cover off the bin of the table saw and help myself. It works wonderfully. It absorbs the excess oil and helps the cement set up faster than with whiting (cuts the work time). And no dust flying in the air. What I love the best is the appearance. When I finish brushing I take my hand and gently burnish the lead with the soiled sawdust while it's still oily feeling. Then brush it off with a soft horsehair bench brush and finish by vacuuming and cleaning the glass as usual. The solder doesn't turn quite as dark as the lead but I leave it the way it is. I believe it looks much more pleasing than using a chemical patina on the joints and they darkens somewhat with age. While we're talking about cementing, black staining around and under fingernails has been a problem. I've discovered "Gloves in a Bottle". It's a little bottle of lotion that you rub onto your hands with special attention to the nail areas. It dries on your hands, protects them and facilitates washing up without staining. It's the best I've ever used. You can find it at paint stores, woodworking stores and at chains such as Menard's.
Barb Grollo: Just thought I'd add my "two cents worth" to the cementing question. I have two different recipes for the "cement" mix, one that Pat uses and one that Bill Kloptsch uses. Many of Pat's windows are free hanging and for interior use whereas Bill does a lot of restoration work, and large windows that will face the elements. Pat's recipe: 2 cups whiting Bill's recipe: 6 cups whiting 1 cup plaster of Paris 1 cup plaster of Paris 3/4 cup turpentine or thinner 1 cup turpentine 1/2 cup boiled linseed oil 1 cup boiled linseed oil 1/2 cup portland cement DAP 33 glazing compound black cement dye (powder, RAINBOW brand) (baseball size clump) black cement dye (powder) By using the portland cement, it makes for easier clean-up, but makes the windows more rigid and not suitable for outside windows. It is also more difficult to repair a broken piece since it sets harder. The DAP stays more flexible, but can be messy. It also needs to dry longer before final clean-up. I don't remember who mentioned leaving the cement on the glass for awhile, but NEVER leave it on glue chip, or you'll have a heck of a time getting your window clean. We do most of the cleaning after letting it sit for about 15 minutes, and it makes life much easier. If you use the black cement dye, (Lamp black) you can get a nice steel gray patina on the windows. Pat uses both whiting and saw dust combined. Be careful to get very fine sawdust, as you can scratch the glass depending on your source of material. Too much whiting will lighten the lead lines, so use sparingly. I was taught using 60/40 solder for both lead and copper foil. You get a nicer bead and the cost isn't that much more. Also if you're planning on using Patina, it reacts better to the higher tin content, and you get a more uniform color.
Joan Bengston: Barb said mixing the cement is the hardest part. All I could think of was "You've GOT to be KIDDING!" The hardest part for me is the tedious scrubbing and cleaning. For those of you who do a lot of cementing, I have developed a routine that works well for me. I mix the whiting and plaster of paris in proportion to my recipe with black powder (used by bricklayers to color mortar) in an ice cream pail. I no longer use Portland cement. Then I mix the turpentine and boiled linseed oil in proportion to the recipe and keep it in a metal covered glass jar. When I'm ready to make cement I just dump some dry mix in a bowl (no measuring) and add some liquid (no measuring), stirring until I have the consistency of cultured sour cream. It brushes into the cames very thoroughly and it sets up nicely. I usually complete one side in the evening, let it set overnight and do the second side the next morning. I do not have trouble with ooze. Once cleaned up it stays put. Another hint that some of you may find useful is that instead of a fid I use quarter inch dowel cut into pencil lengths and sharpened in a pencil sharpener. As the point dulls I just resharpen it. Sometimes I use a sanding block to shape the other end into a chisel shape (for cleaning corners). Granted, these tips won't be of interest to the casual user but I thought maybe it would help someone. I work hard and I'm all for anything that makes the process easier and/or faster. A note: Crackle glass doesn't respond well to cementing. I was told to cement only the smooth side. I didn't like that idea so I tried masking the side with all the little tunnels with adhesive backed vinyl from my sandblasting stash. I put a sheet over the whole area, cut along both edges of the lead with a sharp knife and press the vinyl down. It's well worth the trouble. A few channels along the edges will start to fill up with cement but relatively little. Using a damp paper towel isn't satisfactory to clean up flux from a panel. It can't clean under the came and you surely don't want to cement over the residual flux. Put the panel in a utility sink and wash it with soap (I like Palmolive liquid) and water, rinse well and dry. Often I have to wash a window in the shower. I take off my shoes and socks, roll up my pants and set up the window on a towel against the back wall of the shower. I have a pail of my warm soapy water and use a soft shoe shine brush to scrub it. The Shower Massage rinses away the suds. I must look a sight ;-) but it's effective.