Storage of Came

There are a variety of ways of storing lead came.  The best would be storage in air tight containers.  In the absence of that, many solutions are possible.  These are some of the considerations you should be thinking of when constructing your came store.

Straight

You will get the most use from your came if you store it straight.  If you are short of space or don’t have long arms to handle both ends at the same time, you can halve the normal 2 metre lengths. This also makes for shorter storage units.

Container

The surface oxidisation of lead is reduced by keeping it in a container whether box or rainwater pipe for example.  If the ends or top is open, it is a good idea to wrap the came in waxed paper, as that seems to keep the lead better than ordinary paper.

         

Dry

Lead oxidises on the surface quickly in a damp atmosphere. Try to store it in an area that is not subject to condensation.

Ease of extraction

When building your container, think about how easy it will be to extract the lengths of lead, whether by drawing or lifting them out.

The rate of surface oxidisation relates to the purity of the lead.  The more pure the lead the quicker the surface oxidises.  Half hard and hard cames oxidise more slowly.  However it is normal to have to make sure the surface is bright before soldering.  Don’t worry about a bit of oxidisation – it is only the surface and a scrubbing with a brass wire brush at the joints will have the came ready for flux and solder quickly.

Mobile Glass Storage

Sometimes people consider placing their glass storage onto wheels.  It is better to avoid wheels on glass storage for several reasons.

You would need heavy duty wheels to cope with the weight. Glass is 2.5 times as heavy as water, so it does not take much volume to make a really heavy glass case.

Example of mobile glass storage

You do not need to move all your glass at once - a piece at at time is all that is needed. It will be safer, and in the end easier, to build your work bench nearer the glass.

There are risks breakage while moving. The heavy glass store will vibrate the glass within the storage, and any snags or obstructions while moving the glass will increase the risk of breakage.

The structure can become too heavy to move and so defeat the original intention.

Storing Moulds

Requirements

• protection – some form of container is required to maintain the life of the mould. A container also prevents the kiln wash or other separator from being rubbed off.
• ease of access – It should be easy to get to the moulds, especially as some can be heavy.
• flat vs vertical – some like to store moulds in boxes vertically rather than horizontal with them stacked one above another.
• In either case you need shelves of the right depth and height to store and support the moulds.
• custom made vs bought in – Moulds you have purchased normally come in their own boxes which can be retained for storage for a number of years. You can also make light weight boxes either from old boxes or card cut to size and taped and glued together. More robust boxes can be made from thin plywood or thin pressed board.