Came
Came is preformed metal strip placed between two parts of glass or around the border of a project, intended as a way to hold the project together once Soldered. Sometimes mistakenly called Cane.
Types of Came
Came comes in two distinct types with similar properties. The type of came picked usually is about aesthetics or to make a project stronger, otherwise there's not any reason to use one type over the other.
- Lead Came
- Soft and pliable.
- Easy to shape, though as the came gets thicker it does become more stiff.
- Has hundreds of sizes and profiles that exist. There's few limits to what can be made.
- Different alloys are used to change the properties of the came, mostly related to strength and flexibility.
- Rigid Came
- Stiff and rigid.
- Only the thinnest channels are reasonable to bend by hand.
- Very limited profiles and sizes.
- Made from a variety of solderable metals.
Anatomy of Came
Like everything else in the world, we have special names for the parts of the came!
Here's a handy diagram showing the names of each part.
Temporary list of terms until a diagram is made ;)
- Leaf/Flange/Face - This is part that goes over the top and bottom of the glass. It's not necessarily always the top and bottom of the came.
- Heart/Core - Center of the came.
- Channel - Place where the glass or other material sits.
Came Profiles
Came comes in a variety of profiles, these are named after the cross sectional shape they make. Thus a U came when looked at from the end will look like a U.
Profiles can be split into three distinct use categories.
- Edge Came - Came that only accepts glass on one side and is used to finish off the edge.
- H Came - Came that accepts glass on two opposite sides.
- Specialty Came - Everything else that doesn't fall into the above categories.
There's also many face shapes but the following are the most common to be found.
- Flat - The came is flat on the top and bottom surface.
- Rounded - Similar to what Foil Construction would look like with a rounded top face.
- Colonial - Tri-lobed profile, Very uncommon to see and only comes in lead.
There's also some specialty came options that are combinations of two metals to improve the strength without total compromise.
- Capped Lead - Brass that's filled with a lead core.
- Reinforced Lead - Lead came with a steel band ran down the center.
| Profile Name | Cross section shape |
|---|---|
| Round U | |
| Flat U | |
| Border U | |
| Round H | |
| Flat H | |
| Colonial | |
| Y | |
| TU |