When constructing a stained glass piece, you have options when it comes to materials you can use. The most common of these being copper foil tape and lead came.
Lead came has been used for centuries and is the OG method of constructing stained glass. It involves using strips of lead came and soldering your joints together. This method is used for flat pieces like windows and panels.
Copper foiling was introduced by Louis Tiffany in his famous Tiffany Lamps. Thus the name “Tiffany Method.” This is the method of applying copper foil tape to all your glass pieces and soldering them together. This can be used to create both flat panels and 3D pieces like terrariums, lamp shades, and more. The possibilities with this method are endless, really.
So which one of these two materials is better? The short answer is: it depends. Both copper foil tape and lead came have their pros and cons but really it all comes down to your personal preference as the artist and the project that you’re making. A lot of stained glass artists will even incorporate both of these materials into one piece.
The major differences between these two materials come down to time, ease of use, cost, aesthetic, and durability.
So let’s get into it.
Time
The Tiffany method (copper foil) is more time-consuming than using lead came.
Stained glass is a time consuming art form no matter the technique you use, however copper foiling each individual piece of glass does take more time than cutting strips of lead.
Not only that, but when you’re soldering copper foil you have to solder the entire piece vs only soldering the lead came pieces together. This also takes a lot of time.
Ease of Use
There’s way more involved in working with lead than simply copper foiling pieces of glass.
Once you get the lead came method down, it is faster than using copper foil, yes, but it requires more tools, a larger work space, and a completely different set of skills.
Another aspect that is very different when working with lead is your pattern drawing. If you’re using a pre-made pattern that is made for your choice of lead, that’s one thing. However, if you’re creating your own pattern there is more to it than if you’re making a pattern for copper foil.
Copper foil is popular among new stained glass artists partly because it is easier. But… and this is a big but: While stained glass with copper foil is easy to do, it is much more difficult to do WELL.
Learning to solder beautiful, even solder lines comes with a lot of practice.
Cost
Lead can be pretty pricey, but I don’t know that it’s more costly than the spools of solder you would use on a piece. Solder is pretty dang expensive, and you use more of it than you would think if you’re building up nice beaded solder lines.
You do need more tools for leaded glass though, so just starting out I would say the leaded technique is more costly. However, once you have all the tools you need, the copper foil method can be more expensive because of the solder.
Durability
This is where the differences in these two methods of creating stained glass matter most.
Stained glass made with the copper foil method is not waterproof. Therefore if you’re creating a piece to go outside you should really consider using lead came instead. You can still create stained glass windows using the copper foil method, but it’s best if you place these panels inside an existing window so that it isn’t exposed to the elements.
Furthermore, relying on copper foil for your borders will pull away from your glass over time when hung, even if left inside. This is why many stained glass artists, including myself, will use U lead came to border a foiled piece. This gives your piece more structural integrity over all.
I’ve heard many people say that copper foiling is best for smaller pieces, and lead for larger pieces, but this just isn’t true. You can make rather large stained glass artworks using copper foil, just be sure to reinforce it with a strong border like lead came or zinc.
Aesthetic
Because copper foiling involves soldering the entire piece together as we just covered, the thickness of your solder lines may vary throughout the piece. This is true for even the most experienced stained glass artist.
On the other hand, when you’re using lead came you’re just cutting the strips of came to fit, and all these strips are the same width. Therefore, the lines throughout the piece will be more uniform.
And this is where I’m going to interject my personal opinion, but take it with a grain of salt because this is just my preference as an artist…
I personally prefer the look of solder lines vs came. For two reasons:
- I actually like the variation in line thickness, and think if intentionally put in the right place it can add to the piece, not take away.
- I prefer the consistent metal color throughout the piece, as opposed to the difference in color of the came and the solder. When you solder your came together using the lead came method, you can visibly see the solder points.
With that said, placement and size of the piece really makes a difference. And again, that’s just my personal take as an artist. You may find that yours is far different.
To recap, here’s a simple table:
| Time | Ease of Use | Cost | Durability | |
| Lead Came | WINNER | More costly to start | WINNER | |
| Copper Foil | WINNER | More costly over time |
