What is a lead knife?
What is a lead knife? |
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Lead knives are a type of cutting tool, generally designed to cut lead came or other materials, such as uPVC, wood, hardened putty, glass reinforced plastic, and vinyl. They may also be called lead putty knives, hacking knives or window knives.
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What is lead came? |
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Lead came is used to join pieces of glass in stained glass and leadlights. Came comes in strips which have one or two channels. The glass fits into these channels and the came is soldered to seal the joints. | |||
What are stained glass and leadlights? |
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Stained glass and leadlights, sometimes called leaded lights, are joined pieces of coloured and plain glass used to create a picture or shape. ‘Stained’ glass refers to glass which is coloured or painted; leadlights refer to all glass panels which have been joined with came. The names are often used interchangeably, with leadlights usually being the simpler designs found in homes and stained glass being the more intricate designs seen in churches. | |||
Lead knife blade designs |
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There are four main blade designs for lead knives: curved, sickle-shaped, crescent-shaped, and straight hacking.
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The three types of blade which have a rounded edge are designed specifically for working with lead came. Their convex-curved (outwardly rounded) sharp edges can be rocked as they cut.
The crescent-shaped blade also has a concave-curved (inwardly rounded) sharp edge. |
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The straight hacking blade can be hit with a hammer. This knife is designed for removing old putty and rough cutting into tough materials, such as wood. | |||
Who uses lead knives? |
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Lead knives are widely used in the window and door fitting industry, as well as by DIYers and for crafts. They are commonly used for things such as creating stained glass and leadlight panels. They are also used for removing old putty, trimming beading and seals for uPVC windows and shaving off edges from composite doors.
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